Problems With USB 3.0 PCI Express Slot Expansion Card Install

woodbine · 04 Sep 2023

My old Acer M3910 desktop only has USB 2.0 ports, so I decided to add a PCIE card in a expansion slot to give myself a couple of 3.0 ports.This unit -

2 Port PCIe USB 3.0 Card w/ SATA Power - USB 3.0 Cards | StarTech.com United Kingdom

I thought the install went well. However I have 3 problems, the first 2 were only solved by removing the card from my pc.

First two problems after install -

1) My pc wouldn't connect to the internet. When I clicked on the globe symbol near right side of bottom task bar for internet access/network and getting Windows to run a connection fault find/repair tool, it told me I didn't have an ethernet controller/driver installed (note I use wired router, not wi-fi). Odd, because internet connection was fine before card install.

2) I put my pc into sleep, and when I came back to it, it wouldn't start/boot up. Pressing power button on case only got a faint noise from pc plus the lights coming on on the keyboard and speakers. Pressing on button again turned lights off. Went on like this with each press of button - but pc wouldn't fire up.

After I removed the USB 3.0 card, it fired up immediately and connected to internet straight away. So, is the card faulty, or have I done something wrong.

Other minor problem was I couldn't see any additions to the Universal Serial Bus Controllers in Device Manager, which I believe should have been added after driver install. When I expanded it, the same 7 USB expansions/controllers were there with nothing extra for the new 3.0 card - please see below image. 'Etron USB 3.0 Host Controller' appears in the list of programmes, so I believe there should be something extra in Device Manager - is this correct?

Did I perhaps install the driver programme wrongly? My method - First I downloaded the driver's Zip file from Startech website while connected to internet. Then I turned off pc and installed the new card. After, I turned on the pc, but left the internet disconnected while I extracted the zip and used the wizard to install the driver programme. Was I right to extract zip and use wizard while offline?

Apologies for long post - any advice appreciated.

Megahertz · 04 Sep 2023

I don't think you did anything wrong.
The USB 3.0 seems to be dead. Did you connect a SATA power cable to the card?

The Etron USB 3.0 Host Controller was famous by it's problems.
Why didn't you buy a last gen USB 3.2? USB 3.0 - Wikipedia

SIW2 · 04 Sep 2023

Did you try it without the third party drivers?

Megahertz makes a good point. usb3.0, usb3.1 gen1 and usb3.2 gen1 are different names for the same thing.

If you wanted the faster usb3 (10Gbps) look for gen2

the gen2 pcie adapters from Startech are not cheap. There are other brands.

4Port USB PCIe Card 10Gbps USB 3.1 2C/2A - USB 3.0 Cards | StarTech.com United Kingdom

woodbine · 04 Sep 2023

Megahertz said:

I don't think you did anything wrong.
The USB 3.0 seems to be dead. Did you connect a SATA power cable to the card?

The Etron USB 3.0 Host Controller was famous by it's problems.
Why didn't you buy a last gen USB 3.2? USB 3.0 - Wikipedia

Thanks for your reply, Megahertz. Yes, I bought a SATA cable and used a spare SATA on the PSU's wiring.

I'm not too knowledgeable about PCs, and wasn't sure if my desktop (11 years old) would handle faster speeds of the 3.2. I would consider 3.1 or 3.2 if I could run them.

- - - Updated - - -

SIW2 said:

Did you try it without the third party drivers?

Megahertz makes a good point. usb3.0, usb3.1 gen1 and usb3.2 gen1 are different names for the same thing.

If you wanted the faster usb3 (10Gbps) look for gen2

the gen2 pcie adapters from Startech are not cheap. There are other brands.

4Port USB PCIe Card 10Gbps USB 3.1 2C/2A - USB 3.0 Cards | StarTech.com United Kingdom

Thanks, SIW2. Not sure what other driver I would have used. The Etron driver is what you get when downloading from the Startech site. What other drivers are available?

Re. faster speeds, as above, I don't know if there's a limit to how fast my system could handle. The 3.0 upgrade was a cheap option (GBP 18) and one I hoped would be easy (how wrong I was) and give a useful speed increase. 3.2 may not make financial sense in an old desktop - maybe 3.1 would be a sensible halfway house - if I can find a card with those specs.

SIW2 · 04 Sep 2023

What other drivers are available?

the usb3 stack that comes with win10. I don't know if it would work for your expansion card, try it and find out.

However, it does sound like there is a fault with the adapter you bought. Do you have anothe machine to test it on?

3.2 may not make financial sense in an old desktop - maybe 3.1 would be a sensible halfway house

3.1 gen 1 is the same as 3.0 . Your 3.1. card is the same speed as a 3.0 port.

3.1 gen 2 is the same as 3.2 gen 2.

you will find all those different names used. Some cards will have A gen 1 and a C gen 2.

Some cards have A gen 1 and C gen 1

Some cards have A gen 2 and C gen 2

always look for the gen, not for 3.1 or 3.2

the naming is confusing.

woodbine · 04 Sep 2023

SIW2 said:

the usb3 stack that comes with win10. I don't know if it would work for your expansion card, try it and find out.

However, it does sound like there is a fault with the adapter you bought. Do you have anothe machine to test it on?

Just to confirm - do you think I should uninstall the Startech/Etron software and re-install the card and see if it works with the drivers that are already installed with Win10? Is it possible Windows will try to install other drivers or even the Startech/Etron driver again?

One thought I had was whether the PSU is powerful enough. I have added a graphics card because the intergrated on board one died. The graphics card is a Geforce 210 - which the manu. says needs a 300W supply. I checked on this site and was told my existing 250W PSU was sufficient as I don't do anything high graphic usage like gaming. Startech say the USB card should draw 8 - 10 Watts. Wondering if adding the USB card is going to overstretch the PSU? Should I be looking to increase power?

Thanks again.

SIW2 · 04 Sep 2023

do you think I should uninstall the Startech/Etron software and re-install the card and see if it works with the drivers that are already installed with Win10?

It is worth a try. Some of those type of cards say the drivers they provide are only needed for win7 and earlier.

Megahertz · 05 Sep 2023

If the card is powered by thee SATA power cable and it is not showing on device manager, something isn't correct. Even with the wrong driver it should be there.

I would send it back and exchange with a 3.2 gen 2 (10 Mbps)

Anibor · 05 Sep 2023

SIW2 said:

It is worth a try. Some of those type of cards say the drivers they provide are only needed for win7 and earlier.

Yes. Windows 7 didn´t have drivers for USB 3.0. Windows 10 has them built-in.

woodbine · 05 Sep 2023

I have uninstalled the Startech/Etron driver and re-installed the 3.0 PCIE card connected to the SATA power connector. When I fired up my pc, once again there was no internet connection. Network Status said 'install driver for your network adapter'. Pulled the card back out, and pc/internet connection were fine.

Looks like the card is faulty and it's somehow disabling the network adapter. Obviously there was no change to the bus controllers when the card was in, because the pc couldn't get an internet connection to install anything. Will return the card as it's obviously faulty and try something different.

Thanks to all for your help.