Sometimes Ubuntu doesn't connect to my external USB drive

[NoOp]

On 07/29/2011 09:11 AM, Johnny Rosenberg wrote:
...
> Thanks for all tips and advice.
> 
> In this case the problem seems to be something else though: I have a
> printer (HP Color Laserjet CM1312 MFP) and I use it with two computers
> using a USB switch (two computers to one USB device). It's a passive
> switch and there are two push buttons: On for connecting the printer
> to my computer, and one for connecting it to my wife's. She has no
> problems with it whatsoever, but when ”my” push button is pressed,
> there seems to be some problems on most of the other USB ports, except
> the one to which I connected my keyboard and mouse (I never use my
> laptop's built in crap).
> 
> So I just pressed pressed the ”connect my wife's computer to the
> printer” button instead and my external drive is now found without any
> problems each time.
> 
> The strange thing is that when I connect the printer directly to the
> USB port the problem does not occur, so I wonder how a passive switch
> can cause problems like this…
...

Still sounds to me like you have usb ports on the laptop that may be
voltage/rf sensitive. It's quite possible that the passive usb switch
simply isn't supplying enough power to satisfy your usb ports.

Is your wife's computer the same model and have the same version of Ubuntu?