What's USB 2.0?

[RichCsigs]

And how do I tell if my ports are 2.0 or... 1.0 or whatever?

(I'm really technical. Can you tell?)

 

[Henry]

Amusingly enough, I googled this post by "Rocket Scientist" on a tech forum:

Go to Device Manager, then click the plus sign next to "universal serial bus controllers". If it's USB 2, one of the items under USB controllers should have the word "enhanced" in it.

Also, if they're hooking up a USB 2 HD to a USB 1.x port, they'll probably get a “Hi-speed USB device plugged into non-hi-speed USB hub” warning message.

So you can tell your friends, it really IS rocket science!

 

[Henry]

OH! Almost forgot -- to get to Device Manager, Right-Click on your "My Computer" icon, and click "PRoperties." Then, you'll have a series of tabs, one of which says "Hardware." The "Device Manager" button is right there.

 

[Sir Brennen]

And as for "what is it?" - as USB 2.0 connection is about 40x faster at data transer than the older format. I use a thumbdrive frequently and can really tell the difference when I move files back and forth to it using the different connections.

 

[RichCsigs]

Whoo-hoo! I have one!
So simple, yet I couldn't figure that out on my own.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Whoo-hoo! I have one!
So simple, yet I couldn't figure that out on my own.

Thanks for the help.

Any PC after 2002 should be, it was one of the greatest upgrades ever, that got little or no press yet it is used all the time now. I am amazed at how much I use it.

 

[trancejeremy]

Yeah, it is amazing how much faster it is. I use an older computer to download stuff from the internet, since it uses less power and is less noisy and doesn't have dozens of leds unlike my newer one. But it only has a USB 1.1 port. It takes like 10 minutes to fill up the memory stick and about 30 seconds to copy it from the stick on my new computer with the USB 2.0 port.

 

[Jarrod]

Bah, firewire!

Okay, with that out of the way....

USB 2.0 is wonderful for storage. Thumb drive, memory stick, ipod, external hard drive... all great. USB 1.1 is perfect for other peripherals. Keyboard, mouse, gamepad.

One thing to keep in mind is that a 1.1 device will work with a 2.0 port, and vice versa. However, plugging a 1.1 into a 2.0 can really slow the entire thing down depending on how it was made. So if your hard drive still seems slow, check whether your keyboard is plugged in next to it.


But yes, USB is a wonderful idea. As to why it took so long.... well... let's put it this way. For many years, both the keyboard and mouse had identical connectors (mini-DIN), but _did not_ work if you plugged them into the wrong ports. Color-coding was a relatively new invention. Computers easy to use? Heh.

 

[ssampier]

USB 2.0 is good stuff. I think the Full Speed and High Speed USB monikers a bit confusing; should be called USB12 and USB480, respectively.

I also like firewall. On my desktop I only have USB 1.1, but I have a firewire (IEEE 1394) so I can transfer to my external hard drive at a high speed. On my laptop, I have both, but the firewire is the small variety (iLink?).