USB Port stopped working on Macbook

[Freakx45]

The first USB port (nearest to the shift key) suddenly stopped working about a week ago and its driving me nuts. It only works when i shut down the computer, plug the device i want to use in (mouse, usb hdd) and then boot the computer back up. After it boots up, it recognizes what is plugged into the usb port. If i unplug the device and plug a new one in, it doesn't recognize it.

This is only happening to this usb port. The other one next to it (nearest to the CAPS Lock key) works. I have already reset the PRAM and still the same issue.

Does anyone have any insight to this issue and what i can do to resolve it?

Thanks

 

[orpheus1120]

1) Reset SMC. --> If it doesn't solve your problem, proceed to Step 2.

2) Run Onyx, and do these:-

1. Repair permission
2. Goto Cleaning > System and delete boot and kernel cache
3. Reboot and check status again.

3) If these don't solve your problem, take a look at your console log and to see if you can find any errors on it and post them here.

 

[Freakx45]

Did what you wrote in the post and still having the issue.

When i looked through my console log, i did see this coming from kernel every couple of seconds after i rebooted

4/18/08 7:04:24 PM kernel USBF: 195.297 AppleUSBEHCI[0x6726800]::UIMCreateControlTransfer - allocateTDs returned error e00002e2
4/18/08 7:04:24 PM kernel USBF: 195.327 AppleUSBEHCI[0x6726800]::UIMCreateControlTransfer - allocateTDs returned error e00002e2
4/18/08 7:04:24 PM kernel USBF: 195.330 AppleUSBEHCI[0x6726800]::UIMCreateControlTransfer - allocateTDs returned error e00002e2

 

[orpheus1120]

The code indicates an error at the UIM level. It seems the memory buffering transfer suffers from continuous disjoint short packets. In short it means OS X has problem communicating with the device.

However this problem is more like a software issue. I suspect it has to do with third-party apps since OS X has no problem with said USB protocol during bootup tells me that a memory conflict must have happened after third-party app(s) load(s) up in your system after bootup.

This is what I want you to do:-

1) List out all the apps you installed lately from which this problem started. More specifically you should take notes of all the apps that are currently running at the background, and these apps should show up at the right-hand side of your menu bar.
2) Uninstall all of them using apps like AppZapper.
3) Repeat the Onyx procedures listed in my previous posts.
4) Reboot.

This should solve your problem.

I'm 99% sure this is a software issue. So do that and post back.

 

[Freakx45]

I haven't installed any programs other than apple updates for the past week or two when i realized i had the problem. I took everything out that started up with the computer. Ran Onyx and still having the issue.

Now i look at the console log and see this error:
4/18/08 9:31:05 PM com.apple.FolderActions.enabled[82] launchctl: Error unloading: com.apple.FolderActions.folders

I made an appt with the Genius Bar tomorrow for them to also look into it. Is there anything else that would cause this?

Thanks

 

[orpheus1120]

If you have done what I've suggested, I can't really think of anything else unless your computer is in front of me and perhaps I might see what I was missing.

An appointment with the genius sounds good to me. The software updates for the past 2 weeks are mostly for the Apple apps and the alu keyboards. I have yet heard of problems arising from most of them. Then again the associated problems are not the same as yours.

I have a feeling the genius will ask you to reinstall OS. If you decide to do so, make sure you just backup the important raw data, and not the system's since if it's a software issue the system will be somehow corrupted anyway, so backing it up is pointless.

One last test, try to Apple Hardware Test if you can, and post the result. This will determine if there's any hardware faults.

Good luck to you and I hope your problems will be solved.

EDIT: com.apple.FolderActions.enabled[82] launchctl: Error unloading: com.apple.FolderActions.folders <---- Don't worry about this.

 

[Freakx45]

Ran the Apple Hardware Test and it came back with no errors. I figured that a reinstall of the OS would be needed if I could not figure out the problem. I will see what the Genius Bar says about the issue.

Right now, i am backing up everything to an external drive..(docs, music, pics, downloads) just in case they want to do the reinstall there. I also have a time machine backup of the computer also.

 

[orpheus1120]

Good!

It looks like a software issue. A reinstallation of OS should solve your problem then.

Let's see how it goes from there. Keep me updated my friend!

 

[Freakx45]

So, my appt didn't go so well. They looked at it for about 5 minutes and then said it was a hardware issue. The guy didn't give me any other options except sending it into Apple to be fixed. He didn't even ask if i wanted to do a reinstallation.

I am gonna go through the process of reinstalling the OS myself and see if that fixes the issue. Hopefully this will be the solution and I don't have to deal with the hassle of not having my Macbook.