No USB devices detected in UEFI or when booting to Windows

Level1 Store KVM Helpdesk
1

KVM Model:

1.4 Display Port KVM Switch - Dual Monitor - Two Computer - SQ1007387

USB Interface (5-gigabit or 10-gigbit):

10-gig if I’m not mistaken.

Problem:

I use the KVM with my macbook pro and my desktop computer. There are like ~10 USB devices connected to a powered USB hub which is then connected to the KVM so I can share everything between the 2 computers. The desktop computer alternates between Linux and Windows over time (not dual boot, I just get bored and replace it).

Everything works perfect on the MacBook (M1), no complaint there.

On the desktop computer however I’m facing 2 problems.

  1. Starting from a cold boot devices, mainly keyboard and mouse, are usually not recognized during the POST sequence and to enter the bios/uefi. Same during a clean reboot. If I just hit the reset button however it properly works. This happens both in Linux and Windows.
  2. If the system is running Linux, then by the time the system itself boots everything is perfect and works. But on Windows that doesn’t happen, and I’m left in the welcome screen with no USB devices working and need to cycle inputs on the KVM for it to get fixed.

Other Notes:

I’ve tried a lot troubleshooting this. Tweaked a lot of the UEFI options but could never get problem #1 to disappear and since #2 only happens in Windows I’m assuming that bit is irrelevant of settings.

I have disabled fast sleep and, on the Windows side, made sure that the USB devices didn’t get suspended and all that but not quite sure what else to look into.

Any hints or thoughts?.

Thanks!.

2

@wendell ? What do you think?

Have you disabled fast boot? That can skip checking for USBs

3

Hey! Yup, I’ve disabled fast boot (which I incorrectly called fast sleep in my original post xD).

Also, the issue doesn’t happen all the time which is annoying because random stuff is much harder to troubleshoot.

It’s something like this:

  • Turn my computer on → No USB devices during POST → I need to reboot a few times until at some point it will work and I’ll be able to use keyboard and mouse in the UEFI.
  • Booting into Linux? All is well and good.
  • Booting into Windows? There’s a very good chance that USB devices will still not work and need to do an output cycle on the KVM to get them working. There’s a smaller chance that things would just work.
4

Is your USB hub plugged into one of the blue ports on the KVM? I’m just wondering if plugging the mouse and keyboard into the white USB HID ports would change anything?

5

sometimes Ive seen this when the USB modes are incompatible too, if it’s not the hub thing. a different USB port on the host computer can sometimes resolve it.

the UEFI usually only works with the simplest USB mode and the controller in the host doesn’t get reset properly so a different port group is the best bet

6

Currently everything is connected to one of the blue ports on the KVM. I did try putting my keyboard directly into the HID port but the problem was still there =(.

I don’t recall having tested a different port. I think I might have done it but if I did it was likely another port in the same internal controller. I’ll give it a shot tomorrow night and see if I can identify a port belonging to a different group.

7

Okay, I just switched the KVM to another port making sure it is in a different controller. For a moment (a few reboots) it seemed to work properly but eventually landed on the same issue of being in Windows’ welcome screen and no startup chime from the speakers or mouse/keyboard working until I switched outputs on the KVM =(.

8

That is suuuper strange. I wonder if he could try some updates? Update Windows, update BIOS?

I suppose it also wouldn’t hurt to try a different USB cable from the KVM to the PC as well?

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So, I don’t know if I’m being lucky or something fixed it but for the past few days I haven’t had any issues with the devices not being recognized when Windows starts.

For the motherboard bios. I updated it to the latest version published by ASUS just before my last move from Linux to Windows a couple years ago in anticipation of dealing with this issue again and hoping it would fix it haha. It didn’t.

Maybe switching to a different USB port that goes through a different controller did something but honestly, I have no clue.

Thanks for the help trying to troubleshoot this though.

1 Like
10

Of course np!