Force a single USB 3.0 port to work as USB 2.0

Question

I have several Dell XPS 13 machines that exhibit intermittent failures of the left USB 3.0 port, as described in this thread. I have lost data to silent corruption/disconnections on several external HDDs.

Evidence points to a hardware design flaw (insufficient shielding on a cable internally connecting the port to the controller) that causes disruption when operating at USB 3.0 protocol. Therefore, it is unlikely to be solved completely in software/firmware updates.

What I'm looking for is a software solution to forcibly downgrade a single port to use USB 2.0 even if a USB 3.0 capable device is plugged in it. Some people have reported success in using a USB 2.0 hub, but I'm looking for a solution with no extra hardware.

Windows reports the USB controller as Intel(R) USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller. Both ports go through the same root hub. Please tell me if I need to supply more details regarding the controller.

There is no BIOS option to switch USB speed (as it turns out, there is, but not clearly presented). I would like the other port to operate at 3.0, if possible.

Solution 1

This is likely impossible, or very device-specific. If it's at all possible, it would depend on how the 2.0/3.0 compatibility is handled by the system. I expect that low-level hardware and protocol detection, as well as management of transmission frequencies, is handled in the hardware/firmware - not the OS. If that's the case, then it would be entirely up to the hardware vendor to provide support for forcing a "legacy mode" in the drivers. I strongly doubt this is commonly - if at all - done.

You should consult your hardware manufacturer's documentation for more information on this.

Solution 2

Although this is not a software solution, if you use a USB 2 extension cable then it will prevent the 5 USB 3 pins in the plug from physically connecting the wires which carry the USB 3 handshake between the host and device. A USB 2 device or cable only has 4 pins. A USB 3 port will default to USB 2 signaling communication when only 4 pins are connected. A USB 2 extension cable only caries 4 wires that connect the 4 pins of USB 2 only communications.

Solution 3

It's possible. It involves changing configuration registers in the xHCI controller, so it's obviously chipset-specific. This is how it's done on Linux. I suppose it should be possible to do it on Windows too, but I don't know what utility to use.

To set both ports to USB 2.0 mode:

sudo setpci -H1 -d 8086:1e31 d8.l=0

Right port 3.0 and left port 2.0:

sudo setpci -H1 -d 8086:1e31 d8.l=1

Right port 2.0 and left port 3.0:

sudo setpci -H1 -d 8086:1e31 d8.l=2

Changing the register at d8 (USB3_PSSEN) sets the ports in USB 2.0 mode, but they are still on the xHCI controller. To switch over to EHCI, you also have to change the register at d0 (XUSB2PR). For example to run both ports off the EHCI contoller you have to do this:

sudo setpci -H1 -d 8086:1e31 d8.l=0

sudo setpci -H1 -d 8086:1e31 d0.l=0

The registers are documented in this datasheet, in section 17.1.

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/chipsets/7-series-chipset-pch-datasheet.html

Solution 4

For a system-specific answer to my question, Dell XPS 13 has a USB Debug option in BIOS.

When enabled, it forces the left USB port into 2.0/EHCI mode, while the right port stays 3.0.

It remains to be seen if that helps the original problem. After some testing, it seems that it does indeed help with the problem. That makes me more or less sure this option in BIOS exists only because they are aware of the hardware design problem.

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Comments

[Iszi]

@RobinHood That's an all-or-none. The OP wants to pick and choose.

[branoholy]

Did it help with the original problem?

[Dylan 75]

@branoholy Yes, as far as I can say port problems disappeared.

[Dylan 75]

Upvoted, this is a useful point. Though my question is more of an "accident prevention" kind.

[Dylan 75]

Are those changes permanent, or do they have to be reapplied on boot?

[Erik]

They are not permanent. They do have to be reapplied on boot.

[Dylan 75]

A pity: otherwise it would still be applicable for Win7. Still, very useful information.

[Erik]

I think this utility could be used for doing in on Windows, but since I don't have windows myself I can't test it. https://downloadcenter.intel.com/Detail_Desc.aspx?lang=eng&D‌​wnldID=10316

[Erik]

pciutils (lspci, setpci) for Windows are available here: https://eternallybored.org/misc/pciutils/

[Ivan Dossev]

I used this same trick trick to force an external drive enclosure to connect over 2.0 because it would frequently disconnect during large transfers when running in 3.0. Might not be an elegant solution but it works.

[Cas]

This is just plain wrong. If you use a USB 2.0 hub you won't get 3.0 speeds because it's not 3.0.

[Annie Lagang]

Thank you so much @Robert Simpson. Of all the solutions I tried, this is the only "workaround" that worked. My issue is very much the same with Ivan Dossev (i.e. an external hard drive enclosure having issues during transfer of large data). The weird thing is I borrowed my friend's Seagate external hard drive (with usb 3.0) and it worked perfectly fine with my usb 3.0 left port. Btw, I'm using Win 10, Dell Inspiron 14. Thanks again!