What is it with USB Hubs and Kernel panics?

[wesg]

I have become increasingly frustrated and angry at my MacBook in the last few weeks. Nearly every time I plug in a USB hub, I get a kernel panic. When I send the report to apple, this is what comes up near the bottom of the window:

Backtrace continues...
      Kernel loadable modules in backtrace (with dependencies):
         com.baltaks.driver.DoubleCommand(1.6.5)@0x3441b000->0x34420fff
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOHIDFamily(1.5.3)@0x709000
         com.apple.iokit.IOHIDFamily(1.5.3)@0x709000->0x741fff

Sometimes there's a USBHUB written in there. What is going on? I've tried switching from a rather generic hub to a Belkin one, and most recently I just plugged in my aluminum keyboard and immediately got a KP. They've been happening with regularity over the past while, all when I unplug or plugin my USB hub with an iPod touch, keyboard/mouse, USB drive and headset (though recently I've been removing peripherals).

I'm about to do an archive and install (assuming my MB works long enough for me to download the combo updater) but want to kill this bug soon.

 

[ingenious]

I have become increasingly frustrated and angry at my MacBook in the last few weeks. Nearly every time I plug in a USB hub, I get a kernel panic. When I send the report to apple, this is what comes up near the bottom of the window:

Backtrace continues...
      Kernel loadable modules in backtrace (with dependencies):
         com.baltaks.driver.DoubleCommand(1.6.5)@0x3441b000->0x34420fff
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOHIDFamily(1.5.3)@0x709000
         com.apple.iokit.IOHIDFamily(1.5.3)@0x709000->0x741fff

Sometimes there's a USBHUB written in there. What is going on? I've tried switching from a rather generic hub to a Belkin one, and most recently I just plugged in my aluminum keyboard and immediately got a KP. They've been happening with regularity over the past while, all when I unplug or plugin my USB hub with an iPod touch, keyboard/mouse, USB drive and headset (though recently I've been removing peripherals).

I'm about to do an archive and install (assuming my MB works long enough for me to download the combo updater) but want to kill this bug soon.

If you still have AppleCare, call Apple first. Archiving and installing may solve the problem, but it may not. I've found it's better to first establish a case history with them and let them tell you to do the archive and install, just in case you do have to call, you're not doing it twice, or stumping the representative right away.

 

[wesg]

After another hard reset, I've found this in the error report.

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBHub(3.2.7)@0xcb7000->0xcc2fff
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily(3.2.7)@0x596000
         com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily(3.2.7)@0x596000->0x5befff

Any more clues to be found in here?

 

[ingenious]

After another hard reset, I've found this in the error report.

com.apple.driver.AppleUSBHub(3.2.7)@0xcb7000->0xcc2fff
            dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily(3.2.7)@0x596000
         com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily(3.2.7)@0x596000->0x5befff

Any more clues to be found in here?

"AppleUSBHub" usually refers to the extra ports on an Apple keyboard. Did this Kernel Panic happen shortly after you plugged in your Aluminum keyboard?

 

[wesg]

My aluminum keyboard is plugged into my USB hub, and I have my mouse plugged into the keyboard. The kernel panics almost always happen when I either connect or disconnect the hub (and by extension, the keyboard).

Right now I have the keyboard directly into the computer, so I'll know a lot more about the problem if I get a KP when I disconnect.

Edit: Test -> no KP

 

[Catfish_Man]

USB devices are notoriously flaky, and the drivers run in-kernel, so they're a fairly common source of panics (relatively speaking). I'm surprised Apple's keyboard is doing that though; their devices are usually a bit better about that sort of thing.