Help - The Cell Phone USB is Not Working - 3 Things

Have you ever bought a new cell phone and got it home only to find the USB is not working? You sit there baffled at why in the world you cannot get the USB part to work. After all, shouldn't it just plug in and work? If you are having problems with your cell phone not working with your USB, here are a few possible causes.

Your USB Cable is WrongIf you have an iPhone, Droid, or any other smart phone, this is quite possibly the issue. While most people think that all USB cables are the same, they simply are not. They do have different connections and have different functions.

For example, some cords allow power to run through them and some do not. And the amount of power running through them can vary as well. Think about it like light bulbs. While the light bulb will screw into your lamp, how much light it puts off varies depending on the voltage. If you put a 40-watt bulb in, it will not be anywhere near as bright as an 80-watt bulb.

The same thing happens with cell phones. If your cell phone needs an HTC USB cable and you use another micro cable, you may not get the same power. The result, your phone appears to charge but hours later it has barely moved--if at all.

SOLUTION - For best results, always use the recommended USB cable.

Your USB Port is WrongWhat? How can a USB port be wrong? Well, what many people do not know is when computers first came out there was only one type of port. However, computers today have USB 1 and USB 2 ports. The difference, USB 2 ports give power and USB 1 do not.

SOLUTION - Try out different USB ports to see if the problem lies with the port.

USB hubs work the same way. You can plug a USB 1 hub into a USB 2 port and you will not get power to your device.

SOLUTION - Unplug the device from the hub and plug directly into the computer. If this solves the problem, then you need to buy a different USB hub.

Your USB Drivers are Out of DateAgain, most people have no idea USBs even have drivers--let alone they could be out of date. However, USB ports are like everything else on your computer and they need drivers to work properly. Luckily, it is easy to check this out.

SOLUTION - Find and download driver update software. Then run the driver scan. It will scan your computer and give you a listing of all the drivers that need to be updated. If it lists your USB ports, then you need to update the drivers. At this point, you need to purchase the software, download and install the new drivers.

The smart phones are great to use but like all new technology they can be finicky. If you have the right stuff, your phone will work just fine.