USB ports - please help!

[stephie]

My computer has a USB2.0 port.  I'd like to buy an MP3 player, but the model I want has got a USB1.1.  Is there any way of making the MP3 player compatable with my computer, and if so, will the speed of transferring files be affected?

[Ant]

It won't make a difference, they are all compatible, only USB 2.0 is quicker.

[Hippy]

Your USB 2.0 is backwards compatible and can cope with your USB 1 device. (It does not work the other way though). Think of the computer as the host and external device as the visitor. If the visitor is more demanding than the host then there is no room at the hotel good enough, however if the host has more facilities that the visitor could possibly want then they will surely be accommodated.

 

The transfer speed will be the maximum that the MP3 external device can handle or at which it is designed to operate.

 

[stephie]

Wow, thanks that was quick!  Have you got any idea what difference it'll make to the speed?  I'm a bit ignorant about all this, but, for example, if I tried to transfer 10 tracks onto my MP3 player, how long would it take with an MP3 player with a 2.0 port compared to one with a 1.1?

[Ant]

USB 1.1 = 12Mbps, USB 2.0 = 480 Mbps. Source: http://www.everythingusb.com/usb2/faq.htm

[tomd]

A usb 2.0 device will work in a usb 1.1 socket, only it won't transfer data as fast as it could.