On my Gigabyte 880GM-USB-3 motherboard there are 2 USB-3 ports. Drivers are installed successfully in Windows 7 OS.
USB-3 ports are working properly when any USB-3 devices are plugged in e.g. USB-3 Pen drive. However I notice that when it comes to USB-2 devices only my usual USB-2 pen drives & Pointing device like Mouse are detected when inserted in those USB-3 ports.
My Android KitKat OS Phone’s internal SD card is not detected at USB-3 port when phone is attached by its USB cable and also my TP Link TL-WN721N USB WiFi adapter is also not detected at USB-3 port. Such devices work just fine when connected to USB-2.
That makes me wonder if USB-3 is really backward compatible with USB-2.
Are there any design requirements or constraints that result into certain USB-2 devices just not working when connected to USB-3 ports?
Should I leave it here as 'behavior by design' or I need to troubleshoot further why these devices don't work when connected to USB-3?
Thanks.
Best Answer
@AliChen seems to be on the right path, actually this is a good line of thinking I hadn't considered. I never checked the motherboard specs when I posted my comment. This board uses a NEC (now Renesas) D720200F1 USB chipset for it's USB 3.0 ports, which seems to need a firmware update for full compatibility with published USB 3.0 standards, more information is available here. There is also information on TechPowerUp forums on more updated firmware information for this chipset as well.
Renesas does not offer the firmware update directly from what I can see, so it might take a little trial and error. Gigabyte seems to have no official update on their site that I could find either and this firmware is not part of your BIOS.
Remember that anytime you mess with firmware, especially in older hardware like this, there is a potential of something to fail or go wrong. Just giving you fair warning, do with this information what you will.
However the other answer of replacing the motherboard should be considered given the age and the relatively cheap availability of AM3/AM3+ motherboards that are comparable or superior to your existing board.