USB 2.0 How do you know if you have it ?

[Jonny2621]

I'm getting a Freecom DVB-T USB Stick to tune into Freeview channels on my laptop but it says I need USB 2.0 to avoid jerky screen picture.

Straightforward question....how do i know if my laptop has USB 2.0 ? Is it listed somewhere ?

If i don't have it is there an adapter i can get ?

Cheers

Jon

[mathare]

The System bits on the control panel somewhere should tell you.

Or try plugging a USB 2.0 device into a USB slot. If the PC tells you that you should use a USB 2.0 port to get better speeds then that port is USB 1.0.

I don't know of any USB 1 -> 2 adapters as it depends on the mobo etc. With a desktop you could slam in a USB 2.0 PCI card but that's not an option for a laptop, unless you have a spare PCMCIA slot and can buy a PCMCIA USB 2.0 card, which you might be able to, I dunno.

That wasn't much help was it, sorry.

[Jonny2621]

cheers Mat :)

[Win2Win]

If your computer is 2 years or less old, you'll have it.....unless you bought it from PC World last week, in which case it will have a serial port :laugh

[GlosRFC]

Click Start, Control Panel, System, Hardware, Device Manager.
Scroll down to USB Controllers and double-click to open this thread up.
Check the names of the USB Controllers. They will say USB or USB2 or Enhanced:


If they say USB then they will be USB1.0 (also known as low-speed USB) which transfers data up to 1.5 Megabytes per second

If they say just Enhanced then they will likely be USB1.1 (also known as full-speed USB) which transfers data up to 12 Megabytes per second OR

they could be USB2.0 (also known as hi-speed USB) which transfers data up to 480 Megabytes per second

if they say USB2 then that's what they are.


As well as the correct hardware, you also need the correct software with the controller. Win95 provided some basic USB1.0 support. Win98 provided USB1.1 support. WinXP also provides USB1.1 support. WinXP with SP2 provides full USB2.0 support. So if you have SP2 installed AND the USB controller name states USB2 then you will have full USB2.0 support.

USB is backwards-compatible but a USB device will not run any faster than the LOWEST specification. So a USB1.0 device will work in a USB1.1 or USB2.0 controller but will be limited to 1.5 mps. A USB2.0 device plugged into a USB1.1 controller will be limited to 12 mps.

[mathare]

USB controllers are backwards-compatible but USB devices are not. So a USB1.0 device will work in a USB1.1 or USB2.0 controller but a USB2.0 device won't work in a USB1.0 controller.You sure that's right Glos? I have USB2.0 devices that I have plugged into PCs without USB2.0 and they have worked, just not at full speed. And the PC tells me I'd be better off using a USB2.0 port.

[GlosRFC]

Yeah, I worded that wrong....just making a change to it now

There you go - hope that makes it clearer. I knew the wording was wrong as soon as I pressed the enter key! And that's why you're getting the message Matt...SP2 recognises the hi-speed device and is telling you that you could benefit from a 40-fold increase in transmission speed.

I've got 14 ports on this PC and I always forget which ones are full- and which are hi-speed - I'm forever swapping devices around.

[Vic]

I've got 14 ports on this PC and I always forget which ones are full- and which are hi-speed - I'm forever swapping devices around.
Blimey Glos - that aint a PC, it's the Enterprise:)

[GlosRFC]

Blimey Glos - that aint a PC, it's the Enterprise:)

Hahaha...and I didn't even mention the additional USB expansion hubs that are plugged into three of the existing ports.

Y'know, if I turn all the room lights out and switch the monitor off it does look like the bridge of the Enterprise. As well as the lights in/on the PC, the flight-yoke emits gently glowing blues and reds, the wireless mouse receiver has three little green LEDs, the cam has a single red cyclopean light, the USB ports glow, the game pad glimmers, various portable hard disk lights gleam and twinkle, and the infra-red remote controller is quite incandescent. Meanwhile, the printer quietly hums along in the background.

[sparkyminer]

Hahaha...and I didn't even mention the additional USB expansion hubs that are plugged into three of the existing ports.

Y'know, if I turn all the room lights out and switch the monitor off it does look like the bridge of the Enterprise. As well as the lights in/on the PC, the flight-yoke emits gently glowing blues and reds, the wireless mouse receiver has three little green LEDs, the cam has a single red cyclopean light, the USB ports glow, the game pad glimmers, various portable hard disk lights gleam and twinkle, and the infra-red remote controller is quite incandescent. Meanwhile, the printer quietly hums along in the background.


And then there's the purple rat converter.:D

[Jonny2621]

Brilliant Glos, an idiots guide par excellence, rep well merited old boy.

And it seems i have USB 2.0 by checking this way, freeview gizmo here i come ! :wiggle:


Click Start, Control Panel, System, Hardware, Device Manager.
Scroll down to USB Controllers and double-click to open this thread up.
Check the names of the USB Controllers. They will say USB or USB2 or Enhanced:


If they say USB then they will be USB1.0 (also known as low-speed USB) which transfers data up to 1.5 Megabytes per second

If they say just Enhanced then they will likely be USB1.1 (also known as full-speed USB) which transfers data up to 12 Megabytes per second OR

they could be USB2.0 (also known as hi-speed USB) which transfers data up to 480 Megabytes per second

if they say USB2 then that's what they are.


As well as the correct hardware, you also need the correct software with the controller. Win95 provided some basic USB1.0 support. Win98 provided USB1.1 support. WinXP also provides USB1.1 support. WinXP with SP2 provides full USB2.0 support. So if you have SP2 installed AND the USB controller name states USB2 then you will have full USB2.0 support.

USB is backwards-compatible but a USB device will not run any faster than the LOWEST specification. So a USB1.0 device will work in a USB1.1 or USB2.0 controller but will be limited to 1.5 mps. A USB2.0 device plugged into a USB1.1 controller will be limited to 12 mps.

[GlosRFC]

No problem, Johnny...I'm a par excellence idiot.