USB Ports

[SuRichardson]

I have an older pc which when built had no USB ports.  I fitted two USB ports to the computer which worked!  However I now have more than two peripherals to connect using USB ports and wonder if either/ both of the following options are possible.  Can I replace the two port card with a four port card? Or if I have a free slot - can I add a four port card giving me a total of 6 USB ports.  I am running Windows XP?

[BillyNoMates]

Yes and yes ! Should be no problem and it's the neatest solution if you have a spare PCI slot.

Other than that an external hub is an option but more messy.

[SuRichardson]

Thanks Billy.  I actually bought an external hub - but the instructions on my digital camera say connect it directly to the pc and not through a hub.  When I connected the hub to the computer when upgrading to broadband the whole system when wrong! 

[BillyNoMates]

The reason that the camera manual suggests connecting directly to the PC rather than a hub may be due to power. Some hubs don't have their own power supply - they take power from the PC and this can cause problems.

An additional card is the best way. Good luck !

[Potatoman]

The USB standard states that up to 127 devices can be attached to one PC at a time.

[SuRichardson]

Thanks for this guys.  Can the USB ports be both 1.1 and 2.0 or have they all got to be the same?

[BillyNoMates]

If you buy an additional card they will all be the same and all USB2.0 now. But you can still connect a USB1.1 device to a USB2.0 port, as they're backward compatible (in most cases). You just won't get the full speed of USB2.0.