Windows XP and USB ports

Hi all. Hope someone's got some wisdom on this out there; tech support is useless elsewhere.

I am running Windows XP on a Gateway system; this is a recent upgrade from Windows Me. The system has 2 USB ports in the front and 3 in the back. The back ports seem to work fine; my mouse/keyboard and cable modem are attached there. I have been trying to get a printer and a Palm cradle attached to the front; despite numerous attempts and frustrations and cursing, the Add New Hardware Wizard always freezes. My system has no serial or parallel ports, so I have to use converter cables, one for each of the devices. I have contacted tech support for Gateway and Belkin(converter cable manufacturer)- no help. I have made sure I have all updated drivers.

So this is the glory of plug-and-play?? Anybody have similar woes or any wisdom?

Thanks.

 

For around $25-30, you can have a dual port PCI serial board, and probably no more than $20 for a PCI parallel port. I'll have to go with the previous poster's suggestion to use the correct hardware for the job. And, next time, don't buy a Gateway!

 

I would buy a usb hub and connect it on one of the working usb ports and then connect the devices needed via usb. usb can support upto 127 devices so connecting all of them will not be an issue.

 

It could be two other things. I've had a lot of motherboard/OS conflicts with gateways. It could also be doing an upgrade from ME. I've seen this to be a problem plenty of times before as well. Usually, going from a clean install instead of an update is the best bet i feel.

 

The Front Panel USB must attach to an auxiliary USB area on your motherboard, have you opened the case to ensure they are plugged in?