Why is my PC (Windows XP) is freezing when the USB ports are used?

Question

Problem: My computer instantly freezes when almost anything is plugged into any of my seven usb ports (i.e. wireless receiver, external hard drive, thumb drive, etc. ). I say "almost anything" because I can plug my Microsoft wireless keyboard/mouse combo into any of the ports and it recognizes them and works fine. If I start the PC with anything other than keyboard/mouse plugged into usb ports, it freezes right after the Windows XP logo.

When: This started after I installed Windows SP3 (could be a coincidence).

Actions taken: Did a complete recovery of my system (restored to factory) several times. Plugged hard drive into another pc and booted from it, same problem. Uninstalled and reinstalled all usb ports in the device manager. Installed four different versions of Windows XP (the OS that came on my PC, pro w/ SP1, pro w/SP2, and Student w/SP3).

PC knowledge on a scale of 10 (1 being an idiot): 5

Please help, I am very close to giving up hope altogether. This is my last resort. Thank you in advance.

Answer 1

It sounds like a PSU(power supply unit) problem. That box that houses the psu that you plug your cord(power cord not usb) into. On the other hand if it happening on multiple computers then you may try downloading XP ultimate(by johnny) that also has SP3 but hasn't given me any problems. Did you format your harddrive using the slower ntfs instead of the quick ntfs format. Also you may have a leftover driver(s) that was left behind from another SP or system restore.

Answer 2

There is a known problem with SP3 killing off USB