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    How To Protect USB Ports

    Discussion in 'Dell XPS and Studio XPS' started by music_man185, Sep 20, 2015.

  1. music_man185

    music_man185 Notebook Enthusiast

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    This is probably a stupid question, but is there a way to help protect the usb ports from getting loose from regular use? The reason I ask is because I am using my xps primarily plugged into a dock with external monitor. However, I will occasionally be unplugging it and using it as a laptop, which will mean a lot of plugging and unplugging the dock into the usb port. My past 2 laptops have suffered from loose usb ports from use over the years which makes them very hateful to use. If I plug something in, I have to move it slightly to get it to read. Then, the slightest bump may cause it to disconnect. Sometimes I can't get my usb port to recognize it at all. I try to never "wiggle" anything when unplugging it. Sometimes it is necessary to wiggle, but I usually try to pull straight out. My previous 2 laptops are several years older though. Is this an issue I should worry about on my new xps? If so, what can I do to ensure this doesn't happen? Or has the build quality gotten better over the years on things like this so that it is not so much of an issue?
     
    music_man185, Sep 20, 2015
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  2. kent1146

    kent1146 Notebook Prophet

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    It is most likely due to corrosion on the USB contacts, and not actual loose electrical connections. This is especially true if the electrical connections are not gold plated, since corrosion happens much faster on copper-based metals. If you were a kid of the 1980s, think of Nintendo cartridges that you needed to "blow" on.

    In any case, use rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab, and it should remove corrosion and dirt from the contacts. If the corrosion is much worse than what alcohol can handle (e.g. your USB ports were exposed to large amounts of moisture or humidity over time), then you will need to use something more extreme like fine-grit sandpaper.

    The behavior you mentioned is from corrosion, and not loose electrical contacts. If there were actual loose electrical contacts (e.g. loose soldering) then all electrical connections would fail quickly... in a matter of days or weeks. They would not continue to operate intermittently for months like you described.



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    kent1146, Sep 21, 2015
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