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Almost every time I plug in a USB device, it will lock my computer up, leaving me with a completely unresponsive black screen, with everything in the case still operating (fans, drive, lights, etc). I caught on and realized static shocks were causing the issue. If I take the USB tip and tap it against the metal case, releasing the static, and THEN plug it in, I never get the issue.

My question is how could I fix this? It occurs with every single USB port on my tower: rear mobo ports, PCI adapter ports, case (plugged into headers) ports, and hubs plugged into any of the above. I had the idea of connecting a wire to the metal frame of each port, and connecting that to the case, grounding them, but I'd have to do this to every single port I have. Is there one central place (I'm guessing somewhere on the mobo) where the issue might lie?

I have a GA-MA785GM-US2H mobo, CoolerMaster RC-310 case.

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  • +1 I don't think this is off topic, this is a really useful question.
    – Mixxiphoid
    Jan 7, 2013 at 7:19
  • Oh, I originally posted it in stackoverflow and they notified me of this site. Just copied and pasted from there. I guess it isn't off topic anymore. haha Jan 7, 2013 at 8:41
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    Could an issue with the house's grounding be a cause? I think my bedroom's circuit has some grounding issues, because my computer speakers pop when I turn something on or off, and I get EXTREMELY nasty static shocks very often (both of which are symptoms of a bad ground). Jan 13, 2013 at 4:06

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I had this issue a while back on one of my old computers. I never pinpointed the source. About a year ago I tore the PC apart, cleaned all the components, and then put everything back together with zip ties to ensure there would be no cross-signaling on any wires. The problem has never come back. I suspect a wire may have been laying where it shouldn't have been, or possibly just an IRQ conflict given the age of the board.

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  • Not sure what IRQ means, but I do get a BSOD now and again that says "DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL". Related or not? Sorry if this is a stupid question haha Jan 7, 2013 at 8:40
  • IRQ stands for Interrupt Request. Feb 8, 2013 at 7:34
  • There are no "IRQ conflicts" on PCI or PCIexpress, and all USB host controllers are on PCI or PCIe. So "IRQ conflict" is not possible. Nor would IRQ conflicts have the symptoms described. Feb 27, 2015 at 21:39

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