Non AW-related hardware question

[dobiwon]

A few months ago the hard drive on my Dell laptop failed. I replaced it with a new SSD. I was able to reload Windows 10 (evidently there is a provision for reloading it onto a replacement hard drive. I'm not even sure how I did it. I just followed some prompts and it was back.) I did have to buy a new copy of Office Suite, which loaded nicely.
My problem seems to be hardware related after putting in the new drive. All of a sudden my computer "can't find" my camera, and can't find my optical drive, and one of my USB ports isn't recognized. All of them worked fine before.
I searched the internet and found that other people had the same problems, but nobody had a good solution. I've updated all the drivers and installed all the Windows 10 updates. When I check in Devices, there is no entry for the camera or optical drive, and if I try to search for new hardware, they still don't show up.
I decided to buy an external USB camera, and an external USB optical drive, both of which work fine. The problem I have is that I only have two working USB ports. I use one for a wireless keyboard/mouse, leaving only one. Not a huge problem, just inconvenient.
Any thoughts?

 

[ChaseJxyz]

You can buy a USB hub, it's a pretty common thing to do. Most new laptops have minimal USB ports (mine has 1 USB, 1 USB C and a 3.5 mm headphone jack) so people still buy/use them a lot.

But it would be better if this hardware was recognized in the first place so you didn't need to do this. Why did your hard drive fail? If it was something like a power surge or a drop it's possible that something is damaged/fried for those "missing" parts. Or they could have been damaged when you/whoever installed the new SSD.

 

[stephenf]

This might help?
makeuseof.com/tag/dead-usb-port-heres-how-to-diagnose-and-fix-it/

To be honest, had you posted before you bought a new hard drive I would suggest you buy a new machine. I have had similar problems with Dell that were hardware related So replacing the operating system might be a red herring.

 

[abwriter10]

As you can see from my thread a little further down, I was asking for referrals for which laptop to buy. I narrowed it down to Dell and Lenova. But these posts don't fill me with confidence about Dell. Would you guys buy another Dell product given the problems you had with your current one?

 

[dobiwon]

This might help?
makeuseof.com/tag/dead-usb-port-heres-how-to-diagnose-and-fix-it/

To be honest, had you posted before you bought a new hard drive I would suggest you buy a new machine. I have had similar problems with Dell that were hardware related So replacing the operating system might be a red herring.

Thanks. I thought it might be machine related and not related to replacing the operating system. I probably would have replaced the computer except that it was a 50th anniversary present from my wife. My total cost was nothing for the operating system, less than $30 for Office 2019, $20 for the DVD writer. I paid $20 for the camera, but the company returned my money in return for a review on Amazon. So it didn't cost much and the machine still does everything I need right now, so I'm pretty pleased with it.

I'm glad to hear that you've seen similar problems with Dell. I don't think I'd buy another Dell.

 

[ChaseJxyz]

...but the company returned my money in return for a review on Amazon.

That's....really not good. That was an incredibly scummy thing for that store to do. Was your review labeled that it was paid for?

 

[stephenf]

As you can see from my thread a little further down, I was asking for referrals for which laptop to buy. I narrowed it down to Dell and Lenova. But these posts don't fill me with confidence about Dell. Would you guys buy another Dell product given the problems you had with your current one?

I expect all machines are OK. If you read every review for almost anything. The reviews will nearly always be mixed. Some people seem to have consent trouble with things. Personally, I have never owned a Lenovo and my last Dell machine was not very good. But, it can't be said all Dell machines are bad. I have gravitated towards HP. Recently, I bought an HP laptop. Whin weeks of buying it developed a keyboard problem. As a last attempt to fix the problem I reset the machine, I have had no problem since. It was probably a bad update for window 10.

 

[dobiwon]

That's....really not good. That was an incredibly scummy thing for that store to do. Was your review labeled that it was paid for?

I posted the review freely and well before the company sent me the rebate. So, the review was not in any way a sponsored review or in response to a request from the company. It was and still is a good camera and well worth the cost.