How can I tell if I am USB2?

Question

Windows XP, SP3 3 USB Ports on the laptop

In Device Manager, if I expand "Universal Serial Bus controllers", I see:

Intel(R) ICH8 Family USB Universal Host Controller - XXXX
Intel(R) ICH8 Family USB Universal Host Controller - XXXX
Intel(R) ICH8 Family USB Universal Host Controller - XXXX
Intel(R) ICH8 Family USB Universal Host Controller - XXXX
Intel(R) ICH8 Family USB Universal Host Controller - XXXX
Intel(R) ICH8 Family USB2 Enhanced Host Controller - XXXX
Intel(R) ICH8 Family USB2 Enhanced Host Controller - XXXX
USB Composite Device
USB Mass Storage Device
USB Mass Storage Device
USB Root Hub
USB Root Hub
USB Root Hub
USB Root Hub
USB Root Hub
USB Root Hub
USB Root Hub

1.) Why do I see so many entries for just three ports? 2.) From the data above, how do I tell if all 3 ports are running USB2, rather than the slower USB1?

I've been trying to copy over 100GB of data and it's taking 12 hours.

Answer 1

Intel(R) ICH8 Family USB2 Enhanced Host Controller - XXXX - it's the USB 2.0 controller, and all the USB ports should work as 2.0 (there are some more internal USB ports on your MB, for internal devices and supplemental connectors)

External USB drives should be able to transfer data with ~ 30 MB/s (in your case - 1h).

You could try setting Optimize for performance in your drive properties (in Device Manager)

Answer 2

First of all, be sure your memory stick / usb device supports USB2. But, not even on USB 1.0 100MB takes 12 hours ... On my old computer I had only USB 1.1, I copied about 100 MB in 20-30 minutes. On USB 2.0 the speed is much much higher ... you should be able to copy 100MB in a matter of second or a couple of minutes.
So, the simples way to find out is to plug your stick in each of your ports and see which one is faster.