On Sat 02 Nov 2024 at 07:46:33 (-0700), pe...@easthope.ca wrote: > From: pe...@easthope.ca > Date: 27 Oct 2024 11:26:12 -0700 > > Rather than spend more time investigating, will put the HDD in the > > target machine and work there. Remove some of the complications. > > Happened to connect a USB hub before dealing with the Void drive. > Noticed the USB socket where the Void drive was connected had a black > plastic contact carrier and another socket had a blue carrier. Blue is > USB 3. Black isn't? So plugged the USB adapter with the Void drive > into the blue socket. Voila; Grub was able to boot the Void system > reliably. Spent the better part of a day investigating when a USB plug > just needed moving. =8~/ > > In case anyone is interested, these topics remain. > > * Why does the ThinkCentre have differing USB sockets?
Well, the anecdote above suggests that one reason might be to offer reliable ports for plugging USB2 devices into. Using a USB2 device on USB3 slows the interface tenfold. I don't know whether neighbouring USB3 sockets' speed can influence each other, which would mean not mixing USB2 and USB3 devices on such sockets. One obvious reason might be cost: USB3 sockets are more complex, with 9 connections rather than 4, and there's the necessity to support compatibility with USB2. > * With the adapter labeled USB 2.0, why is plugging in USB 3 necessary > to boot the external system? Who knows. You've got, what, a SATA disk connected to an adapter connected to a hub connected to oldish computer? Or is the hub separate? IDK. Anyway, are all these connectors in good condition? Perhaps the sockets are a bit worn. Perhaps the compatibility switching is unreliable. Perhaps it's mobo or firmware related. I've got, or had, computers with USB ports that don't work with, or boot from, certain sticks, and computers that only boot from sticks in certain ports. It's par for the course. > * The Grub2 manual could explain more about USB and the nativedisk > command. In fact, the manual needs work in many places. Maintainers may need feedback about what and where needs attention. Cheers, David.
