2 USB related questions: Very Wierd Behaviour

[Derek Broughton]

AA wrote:

> Hello all, I have Ubuntu 5.10 installed on my Toshiba
> Satellite M45-S169.  I am experiencing some oddities
> with regards to the USB ports on this machine.
> 
> I have 3 USB 2.0 ports, but Ubuntu device manager sees
> it as 1 USB 2.0 and 2 USB 1.1 ports.  Any ideas as to
> why this may be?  

I can't say I know _why_, but I do know my system has never reported the
same number of ports as I expect, yet they all work as USB2, so I think you
should try high-speed devices in all your ports and see if there really
_is_ only one USB2 port.

> I started noticing this when I tried 
> to work with a USB mouse, (which is apparently not
> possible to reliably do),

It certainly is.  I use one routinely.

> That brings me to the second USB related question:  as
> far as the external HD goes I also have firewire
> available to me, but which is better?  USB 2.0 or
> Firewire?

That's a religious question :-)  Probably, the Firewire port is
_technically_ better.  I bet that, in most cases, a USB device will be
cheaper.
-- 
derek