USB3 Failure, bios flash instructions (FAIL!)

I'm using a newly received and refurbished Veriton M6620G running W7Pro64.There are two blue USB3 ports to which I have two USB3 portable drives attached, one from WD and one from Samsung. When the system starts up two bad things happen: first, I get a message that the drive would run a lot faster if it was connected to a superfast USB3 port or something to that effect. This concerns me as the drive IS connected to a USB3 port so is the message just nonsense or are the ports actually functioning as USB2? The other issue is that one of the drives does not show up at all. If I unplug and replug it after the system is running it is there but restart the system again and same result.

Device manager shows the Intel USB 3.0 extensible host controller & the root hub with driver version 1.0.9.254 dated 7/18/13, which was a newer driver Intel had available that I installed when the original one that came with the system was showing this problem AND disconnecting after the system was running.

The BIOS Version/Date shows as Acer P01-A0, 5/10/2012. There is a newer one available but I must say that the Readme file that comes with it is by far the most confusing I've seen in my 30 something years of using computers since my original CP/M machines. I mean come on! I've been installing Dell and Lenovo bios upgrades for many years and never encountered anything as confusing and poorly written as this.

My machine is still under warranty but I'd much prefer to solve this without having to go that route. Suggestions? Thanks in advance.

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Tommy-Acer

I would like to try and distill your post down into some items that I can attempt to assit you with.

Two USB drives, which connect with variable results.
I would like you to reply with thier exact model number, make and capacity, as well as how they are formatted.
What file system is on the drives?
What type of files do you have on the drives?
Have you attempted to utilize only ONE of the drives at a time?
Can you see both of them if you do this?
I'm not sure what issue you are having with the BIOS.
Were you able to get it installed?

ronstern

See below. FYI I have solved the problem of the error message when the system boots to the effect that the external drive would work better if connected to a USB3 port - a bad cable.

I would like you to reply with thier exact model number, make and capacity, as well as how they are formatted.

REPLY: The troublesome one is a Samsung and is labeled "S2 Portable 3 500gb." Obviously it is 500gb and formatted NTFS. It has been used for two years on another Win7 Pro 64 system without a problem BUT the other system is only USB2. The other external drive is a Western Digital Passport 2TB and formatted the same.

What file system is on the drives? REPLY: NTFS

What type of files do you have on the drives? REPLY: On the Samsung only MP4s; on the WD everything possibke.

Have you attempted to utilize only ONE of the drives at a time? REPLY: I'm trying that now with only the Samsung connected. It has been starting fine but then after a while it loses power, the access light goes out and the system does not "see" it. If I unplug and replug it goes through the same routine again. It can take several hours before it goes off line but so far it has done so every time I've used it.

Can you see both of them if you do this? REPLY: Are you asking me if I see both of them if I only utilize one at a time? Presumably not but I do not understand the question. Do you mean do I see each of them if I only plug in one at a time?

I'm not sure what issue you are having with the BIOS. REPLY: None unless the bios is contributing to the flaky USB3.

Were you able to get it installed? REPLY: I'm afraid to try with the Acer "instructions" as I know how fatal a bad install might be and have no desire to tempt fate. It is actually possible to write clear instructions; it is also possible to setup the bios upgrade so one clicks an *.exe file within Windows and the file flashes the bios and reboots with no need to do anything else at all. I know this is possible as that is how Lenovo does it for Win7Pro - and it works.

Thanks in advance. As you realize it is frustrating when a new system exhibits glitches of this sort and I do know the folks doing the support on this forum are not to blame. Ron

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