HID stopped working on Thinkpad R60!

I have an old Thinkpad R60 notebook, running Windows XP SP3, latest updates.

For some time, no USB HID devices will work with it. (No BT HID devices either. I should point out though, that this notebook does not have built-in Bluetooth, so when I tried BT devices, it also involved USB in form of a USB BT dongle.)

When I insert a mouse of keyboard into either USB port, I get the message that it is installing, and the name of the device is listed. At the end however, an error message that the hardware will not work properly. And indeed, it doesn't work at all.

I look in Device Manager, and the device is not listed by name, but as USB HID Device (something like that, I am not near that computer now), and is yellow to show a problem. I then uninstall it, but any time I try again, same result. I have tried it with multiple keyboards and mice, and BT ones as well.

I have done SFC /Scannnow, it did not find any problems.

I checked if the Hidserv service is running, and indeed yes it is, and set for automatic.

I copied all the hid drivers from a working Xp SP3 computer (where HID works) to the R60, overwriting the drivers on the latter, in case any were corrupted. Didn't help.

Checked the BIOS, could not find a problem there.

By the way, those same USB ports work fine for non-HID devices, such as flash drives, external hard drives, etc. No problem at all with any of those. The only problem is with HID devices--mice and keyboards.

No problem with the internal keyboard, touch pad, and pointing stick. (But those are not considered HID, I don't think, and are not USB.)

Any ideas for the puzzle?

Thanks in advance.

 

I would try booting in a non-Windows environment like a Linux boot disc to rule out hardware vs software. Have you tried reinstalling the OS?

 

Thanks.

I have thought of both of those things.

Next time I am by that computer I will try booting it with a puppy Linux disc I have.

My guess is that it is not hardware, as the USB ports work fine for non-HID devices, as I mentioned.

I forgot to mention--I also uninstalled all the USB ports and controllers in Device Manager, rebooted, and let them reinstall. Didn't help.

Yes, I have thought of OS reinstallation, but that is a major hassle, so only as a last resort.

Any other ideas, on what could be causing the problem?

Thanks.