Trying to get 3.0 ports to recognize flash drive?

Using KDE and installed all recent updates. Have kernels 5.15, 6.6, and 6.11.

I’m having trouble getting the 3.0 USB ports (2 in front; 8 in back–none recognize flash drives) working on a desktop machine. I’ve had it for a couple years and am almost certain that I used at least the front to write to flash drives. They work for running the USB WIFI for internet and for the wireless mouse and wired keyboard; but only the two 2.0 recognize a flash drive when inserted.

I read this post and tried some of the items mentioned but without success.

Today first updated the BIOS and then ran the two commands:
hwinfo --usb-ctrl
and
sudo mkinitcpio -P
the output of which are below, except for removing most of the non-warning lines from the latter.

I noticed that in the 5.15 kernel, it shows

  Driver: "xhci_hcd"
  Driver Modules: "xhci_pci"

but for the 6.6 and 6.11

==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'xhci_pci'

However, if boot with 5.15 the 3.0 ports still don’t recognize the flash drives.

Before updating the BIOS, I tried sudo modprobe ehci-hcd and rebooted but that did not get them to recognize a flash drive. I haven’t tried that command again since the BIOS update.

Would you please point to what to try next? Thank you.

hwinfo --usb-ctrl                                                                                                                                                                        ✔  2m 8s 
16: PCI 14.0: 0c03 USB Controller (XHCI)
  [Created at pci.386]
  Unique ID: MZfG.1yERtQdHuT6
  SysFS ID: /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:14.0
  SysFS BusID: 0000:00:14.0
  Hardware Class: usb controller
  Model: "Intel 200 Series/Z370 Chipset Family USB 3.0 xHCI Controller"
  Vendor: pci 0x8086 "Intel Corporation"
  Device: pci 0xa2af "200 Series/Z370 Chipset Family USB 3.0 xHCI Controller"
  SubVendor: pci 0x103c "Hewlett-Packard Company"
  SubDevice: pci 0x8299
  Driver: "xhci_hcd"
  Driver Modules: "xhci_pci"
  Memory Range: 0xf0020000-0xf002ffff (rw,non-prefetchable)
  IRQ: 121 (50426 events)
  Module Alias: "pci:v00008086d0000A2AFsv0000103Csd00008299bc0Csc03i30"
  Driver Info #0:
    Driver Status: xhci_pci is active
    Driver Activation Cmd: "modprobe xhci_pci"
  Config Status: cfg=new, avail=yes, need=no, active=unknown


sudo mkinitcpio -P                                                                                                                                                                                 ✔
[sudo] password for gary:
==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux515.preset: 'default'
==> Using configuration file: '/etc/mkinitcpio.conf'
  -> -k /boot/vmlinuz-5.15-x86_64 -c /etc/mkinitcpio.conf -g /boot/initramfs-5.15-x86_64.img
==> Starting build: '5.15.167-1-MANJARO'
==> WARNING: consolefont: no font found in configuration
==> Creating zstd-compressed initcpio image: '/boot/initramfs-5.15-x86_64.img'
==> Initcpio image generation successful
==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux515.preset: 'fallback'
==> Using configuration file: '/etc/mkinitcpio.conf'
  -> -k /boot/vmlinuz-5.15-x86_64 -c /etc/mkinitcpio.conf -g /boot/initramfs-5.15-x86_64-fallback.img -S autodetect
==> Starting build: '5.15.167-1-MANJARO'
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'ast'
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'qed'
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'qla2xxx'
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'qla1280'
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'bfa'
==> WARNING: consolefont: no font found in configuration
==> Generating module dependencies
==> Creating zstd-compressed initcpio image: '/boot/initramfs-5.15-x86_64-fallback.img'
==> Initcpio image generation successful
==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux611.preset: 'default'
==> Using default configuration file: '/etc/mkinitcpio.conf'
  -> -k /boot/vmlinuz-6.11-x86_64 -g /boot/initramfs-6.11-x86_64.img
==> Starting build: '6.11.2-4-MANJARO'
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'xhci_pci'
==> WARNING: consolefont: no font found in configuration
==> Generating module dependencies
==> Creating zstd-compressed initcpio image: '/boot/initramfs-6.11-x86_64.img'
==> Initcpio image generation successful
==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux611.preset: 'fallback'
==> Using default configuration file: '/etc/mkinitcpio.conf'
==> Starting build: '6.11.2-4-MANJARO'
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'ast'
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'qed'
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'qla2xxx'
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'qla1280'
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'bfa'
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'xhci_pci'
==> WARNING: consolefont: no font found in configuration
==> Generating module dependencies
==> Creating zstd-compressed initcpio image: '/boot/initramfs-6.11-x86_64-fallback.img'
==> Initcpio image generation successful
==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux66.preset: 'default'
==> Using default configuration file: '/etc/mkinitcpio.conf'
  -> -k /boot/vmlinuz-6.6-x86_64 -g /boot/initramfs-6.6-x86_64.img
==> Starting build: '6.6.54-2-MANJARO'
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'xhci_pci'
==> WARNING: consolefont: no font found in configuration
==> Generating module dependencies
==> Creating zstd-compressed initcpio image: '/boot/initramfs-6.6-x86_64.img'
==> Initcpio image generation successful
==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux66.preset: 'fallback'
==> Using default configuration file: '/etc/mkinitcpio.conf'
  -> -k /boot/vmlinuz-6.6-x86_64 -g /boot/initramfs-6.6-x86_64-fallback.img -S autodetect
==> Starting build: '6.6.54-2-MANJARO'
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'ast'
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'qed'
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'qla2xxx'
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'qla1280'
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'bfa'
==> WARNING: Possibly missing firmware for module: 'xhci_pci'
==> WARNING: consolefont: no font found in configuration
==> Generating module dependencies
==> Creating zstd-compressed initcpio image: '/boot/initramfs-6.6-x86_64-fallback.img'
==> Initcpio image generation successful

ADDED:

I tried adding all the firmware through mkinitcpio-firmware and added the usb3.conf file with the two setting listed in the mentioned post. It didn’t work. The hwinfo --usb-ctrl appears to indicate that the driver is correct and active. I don’t know what the active in Config Status means. I ran the modprobe xhci_pci and rebooted on several occasions throughout. I’ve had no more success than the post that I started from. The BIOS appears to show that every USB port on this machine is checked and all types are permitted. I do not see any BIOS options that distinguish between 2.0 and 3.0, only by port number and type C; and all are checked.

I thought the above was the case and then tried a new USB of the exact same type, size, and manufacturer; and it is recognized by the 3.0 ports. I’m using Samsung USB 3.1 Flash Drive BAR Plus 256 GB. One I’ve been using for several years and I think is about 1/2 full. It works fine in the 2.0 ports and I generally back up my code files every night on it. (I need to learn version control like Fossil or git.) But it is not recognized in the 3.0 port. The new drive not yet written to or re-formatted is almost immediately recognized.

What does that mean? The drive has the 3.1 engraved on the back of the metal cover; so, I shouldn’t be mistaken about it.

Thanks.

Do you have upd72020x-fw installed?

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Mkinitcpio#Possibly_missing_firmware_for_module_XXXX

Host controller interface (USB, Firewire) - Wikipedia

The OHCI standard for USB is similar to the OHCI standard for IEEE 1394, but supports USB 1.1 (full and low speeds) only

Universal Host Controller Interface (UHCI) is a proprietary interface created by Intel for USB 1.x (full and low speeds)

The Enhanced Host Controller Interface (EHCI) is a high-speed controller standard applicable to USB 2.0. UHCI- and OHCI-based systems

Extensible Host Controller Interface (xHCI) is the newest host controller standard that improves speed, power efficiency and virtualization over its predecessors. The goal was also to define a USB host controller to replace UHCI/OHCI/EHCI. It supports all USB device speeds (USB 3.1 SuperSpeed+, USB 3.0 SuperSpeed, USB 2.0 Low-, Full-, and High-speed, USB 1.1 Low- and Full-speed).

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Thank you. I did not have that installed. I did so, rebooted, and no success. I then tried the response of the post I mentioned but did so incorrectly, adding it to the modules file. There is not a usb3 file there. Perhaps, I should add one?

I didn’t realize that this machine has one of those type C ports in the front, and I just tried someone else’s fancy little drive and it was qucikly recognized and I could see the files in Dolphin. Only those ten 3.0 ports don’t recognize the flash drives.

Thanks. Do you know what the difference is between xhci_hcd and xhci_pci?
What’s the difference between a driver and a driver module? Should they be the same?

Driver: "xhci_hcd"
Driver Modules: "xhci_pci"

Do you know what the difference is between xhci_hcd and xhci_pci?

$ modinfo xhci_hcd
name:           xhci_hcd
filename:       (builtin)
license:        GPL
file:           drivers/usb/host/xhci-hcd
author:         Sarah Sharp
description:    'eXtensible' Host Controller (xHC) Driver
parm:           link_quirk:Don't clear the chain bit on a link TRB (int)
parm:           quirks:Bit flags for quirks to be enabled as default (ullong)
$ modinfo xhci_pci
filename:       /lib/modules/6.11.5-1-MANJARO/kernel/drivers/usb/host/xhci-pci.ko.zst
license:        GPL
description:    xHCI PCI Host Controller Driver
firmware:       renesas_usb_fw.mem
srcversion:     DB90981D7141996CA116D79
alias:          pci:v*d*sv*sd*bc0Csc03i30*
alias:          pci:v00001912d00000015sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
alias:          pci:v00001912d00000014sv*sd*bc*sc*i*
depends:        xhci-pci-renesas
retpoline:      Y
intree:         Y
name:           xhci_pci
vermagic:       6.11.5-1-MANJARO SMP preempt mod_unload 
sig_id:         PKCS#7
signer:         Build time autogenerated kernel key
sig_key:        17:61:16:F0:4C:26:F6:41:6C:AB:0E:7E:BC:39:91:9E:A6:38:37:06
sig_hashalgo:   sha512
signature:      30:65:02:31:00:EE:FB:61:F5:5D:32:E7:B2:D3:AD:82:53:60:F4:A1:
		2A:73:08:6D:3B:FC:7C:E5:36:71:43:AA:8F:A7:A9:65:D6:02:EB:1D:
		BD:80:B9:A6:A1:58:E8:58:56:06:96:60:01:02:30:63:3D:97:67:D9:
		91:6A:68:26:83:88:44:BC:82:A3:9F:C6:66:17:56:58:AA:A3:60:32:
		51:E8:CD:EC:EA:58:44:75:BF:FA:D7:FF:B5:C9:BA:BC:8A:57:30:6C:
		27:4C:BC
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I’m rather embarrassed to write this but figured that may as well have this question closed or deleted.

I could try to blame it on aging eyesight but it’s my stupidity. The problem with the one flash drive being recognized only by the 2.0 ports and not the 3.0 (when both are identical brand and type) was that a piece of lint prevented it from going in all the way.

It has no cap and I never looked inside it; and I keep them on clean shelf. I suppose, now, that the difference between 2.0 and 3.0 has something to do with the surface area that contacts some part of the port; because, even with the lint, it worked in the 2.0 port.

Once the lint was removed, the flash drive is recognized by the 3.0 port also.

I wasn’t sure if I should delete the post (if I have privileges to do so) or, since people provided useful information, leave it. So, I’ll leave that decision to a moderator; and I apologize for being so dense.

3 Likes

I’ll just close the topic.