Lenovo USB Port Replicator losing/regaining connection

KeithAdv · 09-14-2014, 02:57 AM

I thought this was a virus at first! :-)

My displaylink setup has started to "recycle" when connected, losing and regaining its connection. The attached monitor, mouse, and USB drives go down (although the display and mousepad on the laptop continue working) and then the connection is restored.

I have my port replicator attached to the laptop USB 3.0 port, which is the more convenient one to use. As I'm writing this, I have moved the cable to a USB 2.0 port and the problem seems to be much less prevalent.

I have a Lenovo 0A33942 USB Port Replicator w/digital video (USB 2.0)

attached to an ASUS A53SD laptop.

After a recent displaylink driver update, I began to see this message on boot up:

Quote:

DisplayLink installer has detected that your USB 3.0 host controller drivers could be incompatible with DisplayLink USB hardware. Please download and update your ASMEDIA USB 3.0 host controller driver before using DisplayLink technolog

However, upon going to the ASUS site and checking the drivers for my laptop, the ASMEDIA USB 3.0 driver there seems to date from 2012. I installed it but didn't see a change.

Any ideas?

Thankful for all help!

KeithAdv · 09-14-2014, 11:09 PM

Slight update. After living with the Lenovo being plugged into a USB 2.0 port for a day, I can unfortunately report that the dropping/regaining problem is just as annoying there as well. The only common denominator so far is the last displaylink software update. Perhaps I should roll back to an earlier version? Is there a way to do that? Surprising, this laptop really isn't that old.

JamesH · 09-15-2014, 03:32 PM

Hi,

Can you try the latest ASMedia drivers linked to from this FAQ:
http://www.displaylink.com/support/ticket.php?id=315

Thansk
James

KeithAdv · 09-15-2014, 11:26 PM

Bummer. I have installed those drivers and also updated to the latest displaylink drivers. The cycling continues. It's almost impossible to work on my system this way. I can't for the life of me figure out what has gone south.

Everything worked beautifully until recently.

KeithAdv · 09-16-2014, 02:31 AM

I removed all displaylink software and reinstalled the original lenovo drivers (which included a version of displaylink core).

I went through both the power settings and the usb root hub drivers in system manager and disabled "selective suspend" and "turn off to save power."

I removed two usb hard drives that were part of my system.

The recycling continues, although it seems only slightly less than before.

KeithAdv · 09-16-2014, 11:36 PM

I have some new information for this problem.

My laptop is sitting right next to my mouse and while trying to solve the recycling problem last night, I accidentally noticed that if I used my laptop mouse system and didn't touch my external mouse plugged into the Lenovo, the recycling stopped.

Experimenting further, I found that if I unplugged my mouse from the Lenovo and plugged into a different USB port on the laptop, everything works the same as it did before. I even plugged all external drives back in, etc. No problems.

Something has happened that causes my mouse, when plugged into the Lenovo and using the displaylink drivers, to wig out my whole system.

Any ideas from support?

JamesH · 09-17-2014, 10:12 AM

Hi,

Are you able to try another wired mouse?

Thanks,
James

KeithAdv · 10-02-2014, 09:56 PM

I laid off this thread for a couple weeks to get a better assessment of what's going on. Since that time, my mouse has been unplugged and I'm using the laptop's pointing device instead.

I still get disconnects, though not as often. They are far more frequent if I watch video. (It might be my imagination, but they seem to be more frequent the longer I work.)

In every case, all connection to the Lenovo is lost, the display jumps from my monitor to the laptop screen, and within a few seconds everything is restored and my USB drives cycle up as if they had just been plugged in.

Because it frequently happens when I view video, I'm wondering if maybe the setup can't handle data coming at it too quickly. (Was that the reason the mouse became unusable?)

The system has worked perfectly for a couple of years and I have now tested several driver versions with no change in the current problem.

I'm wondering if all that adds up to I'm seeing the beginning of a hardware fail? Does anyone have any experience with this device?

JamesH · 10-06-2014, 02:59 PM

Hi,

Can you take a look at this FAQ for some steps to try out?
http://www.displaylink.com/support/ticket.php?id=370

Thanks,
James

KeithAdv · 10-19-2014, 06:13 PM

Thank you, James!

I did most of those...I was still bugged by the fact that everything worked perfectly for over a year and then suddenly decided to get problematic. Especially if I feel like I've confirmed it isn't a driver problem. Cases like this almost always turn out to be hardware fails for me. But then again, I'm not a techie by any means!

At any rate, I just swapped out the Lenovo for an IOGear GUD300 USB 3.0 docking station a few minutes ago. Either the new unit or the fact that I've stepped up to USB 3.0 may make the difference. Everything seems to be working for now. I'll use it for a week or so and then check in to give the results.

Thanks again!

10-19-2014, 06:13 PM	#10
KeithAdv Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 7	Thank you, James! I did most of those...I was still bugged by the fact that everything worked perfectly for over a year and then suddenly decided to get problematic. Especially if I feel like I've confirmed it isn't a driver problem. Cases like this almost always turn out to be hardware fails for me. But then again, I'm not a techie by any means! At any rate, I just swapped out the Lenovo for an IOGear GUD300 USB 3.0 docking station a few minutes ago. Either the new unit or the fact that I've stepped up to USB 3.0 may make the difference. Everything seems to be working for now. I'll use it for a week or so and then check in to give the results. Thanks again! Last edited by KeithAdv; 10-19-2014 at 06:17 PM.

09-14-2014, 11:09 PM	#2
KeithAdv Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 7	Slight update. After living with the Lenovo being plugged into a USB 2.0 port for a day, I can unfortunately report that the dropping/regaining problem is just as annoying there as well. The only common denominator so far is the last displaylink software update. Perhaps I should roll back to an earlier version? Is there a way to do that? Surprising, this laptop really isn't that old.

09-15-2014, 03:32 PM	#3
JamesH Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 1,523	Hi, Can you try the latest ASMedia drivers linked to from this FAQ: http://www.displaylink.com/support/ticket.php?id=315 Thansk James

09-15-2014, 11:26 PM	#4
KeithAdv Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 7	Bummer. I have installed those drivers and also updated to the latest displaylink drivers. The cycling continues. It's almost impossible to work on my system this way. I can't for the life of me figure out what has gone south. Everything worked beautifully until recently.

09-16-2014, 02:31 AM	#5
KeithAdv Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 7	I removed all displaylink software and reinstalled the original lenovo drivers (which included a version of displaylink core). I went through both the power settings and the usb root hub drivers in system manager and disabled "selective suspend" and "turn off to save power." I removed two usb hard drives that were part of my system. The recycling continues, although it seems only slightly less than before.

09-16-2014, 11:36 PM	#6
KeithAdv Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 7	I have some new information for this problem. My laptop is sitting right next to my mouse and while trying to solve the recycling problem last night, I accidentally noticed that if I used my laptop mouse system and didn't touch my external mouse plugged into the Lenovo, the recycling stopped. Experimenting further, I found that if I unplugged my mouse from the Lenovo and plugged into a different USB port on the laptop, everything works the same as it did before. I even plugged all external drives back in, etc. No problems. Something has happened that causes my mouse, when plugged into the Lenovo and using the displaylink drivers, to wig out my whole system. Any ideas from support?

09-17-2014, 10:12 AM	#7
JamesH Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 1,523	Hi, Are you able to try another wired mouse? Thanks, James

10-02-2014, 09:56 PM	#8
KeithAdv Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 7	I laid off this thread for a couple weeks to get a better assessment of what's going on. Since that time, my mouse has been unplugged and I'm using the laptop's pointing device instead. I still get disconnects, though not as often. They are far more frequent if I watch video. (It might be my imagination, but they seem to be more frequent the longer I work.) In every case, all connection to the Lenovo is lost, the display jumps from my monitor to the laptop screen, and within a few seconds everything is restored and my USB drives cycle up as if they had just been plugged in. Because it frequently happens when I view video, I'm wondering if maybe the setup can't handle data coming at it too quickly. (Was that the reason the mouse became unusable?) The system has worked perfectly for a couple of years and I have now tested several driver versions with no change in the current problem. I'm wondering if all that adds up to I'm seeing the beginning of a hardware fail? Does anyone have any experience with this device?

10-06-2014, 02:59 PM	#9
JamesH Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 1,523	Hi, Can you take a look at this FAQ for some steps to try out? http://www.displaylink.com/support/ticket.php?id=370 Thanks, James