USB Cable Modem issue

[Newposter]

I use the Motorola Surfboard SB4100 cable modem directly connected to my PC with the USB interface. I notice that several times a month, sometimes every few days, I find a popup box on the screen saying, "Unsafe Removal of USB Device". I acknowledge it and sometimes can browse and get email, sometimes cannot until I reboot. I also run the PC as a server, and at times when this happens it stops serving.

I have a PCI-to-USB card in the PC, which appears to work well. I use AT & T as my ISP. Any ideas whether it's the modem, USB card, or an AT & T problem? I'm going to try the ethernet connection to see if it's more rugged. Newposter
"Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment."

 

[Ashaman074]

No real input as to why you might be getting that message, unless perhaps the cable modem is resetting, which is recognized as a "removal" by the driver. With my Older RCA modem, any time there were problems with the line it would try to restart over & over again until the problems were resolved.

Just a guess on my part, since I am not familiar with your particular model. Generally speaking however, I would say it is a better idea to run it through your Ethernet card, especially if you already have one installed, and it should cure your problem.

 

[Newposter]

Tried the built-in ethernet in my laptop, it ran fine for 6 days, then the servers just stopped - web, email and FTP. My internet connection, including email from my ISP and browsing, died. Came back on reboot of PC (not power cycling of modem). Tried a new Linksys ethernet card in my desktop, same results. It has to be either AT & T being unreliable, or it's the cable modem. My bet is AT & T. Newposter
"Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment."

 

[Jakman]

Get DSL. You don't have to share it, sharing can cause problems. A cable is shared with your neighbors, can bog down and perhaps cause some of your problems. Also yes the NIC may also help out.

 

[Newposter]

Can't get DSL - I'm too far from the switching office, not available to my part of town. And DSL is ultimately a shared resource further upstream, so while certain aspects are better, it's far from perfect (and slower).

I'm convinced that my ISP has oversold their capacity and I'm getting bounced out that way. Newposter
"Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment."

 

[Lundah]

It sounds like for whatever reason, the cable modem is losing communication with the fiber node. Could be for a lot of reasons, maybe AT&T is upgrading the feeder lines, the node could be losing power, who knows what. At any rate, this is goofing up the communication between your PC and the CMTS back at the headend. Instead of rebooting, try going into winipcfg and renewing your IP w/ the DHCP server.

 

[Newposter]

Problem seems to be that they don't allow static IPs, and if I set my machine that way, they break the connection because they can't renew it and assign a new address. Newposter
"Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment."

 

[InnoTech]

let me know if you still need help with this problem. it is a simple usb controller issue that you WERE haveing. i said "were" because it sounds like changing up your computers has made other issues.

 

[Newposter]

Thanks, I went to ethernet and a dynamic IP address, all is fine now. Newposter
"Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment."

 

[Medjeti]

let me know if you still need help with this problem. it is a simple usb controller issue that you WERE haveing...

Sorry to bump this old thread, but could you elaborate on this please? I'm having the exact same problem and it's driving me nuts.
Thanks in advance!

 

[InnoTech]

do you have a ethernet card in your computer too? if not whats up with yours? "Jack of all trades. Master of none."

 

[Medjeti]

Oops, sorry for being unclear.
My problem, like the original poster's, is that my Surfboard modem disconnects itself and the "Unsafe Removal" error appears. The same thing happens (every few minutes) with my USB cd burner.

Your mention of a "simple usb controller issue" made me think you might know of a general solution to this problem.

For reference, I'm running Win2k SP3 on an Asus P4B533-E.

 

[InnoTech]

yeah, i used those terms "simple usb controller...." because thats what is shown in device manager "simple usb controller" not that i thought there was a simple fix.

it sounds like you're haveing hardware conflicts with your usb pci card (that is what you have right?). does it not show conflicts in device manager. if so, reinstall it. i'd also try another pci slot. make sure there is no other hardware conflicts ie. your card is USB 2.0 and your pc don't support it. "Jack of all trades. Master of none."

 

[Medjeti]

Ahaha, OK I completely misunderstood that part

It's not a pci card, I have four onboard USB 2.0 ports, and they are the ones giving me trouble. I'm thinking it could be a power supply issue - I read somewhere that turning off the powersave feature for the usb controller might help, but that option is greyed out.
I'll keep fiddling with it, in the meantime any help is appreciated.

 

[InnoTech]

yes, power requirements do have alot to do with usb. try the powersave feature or try installing a larger power supply supported by your motherboard. "Jack of all trades. Master of none."