Edit Article

Many computers within the past 8 years have USB. However, if you have an older computer (such as one from 2002 or earlier), you may not. In theory, USB 1.1 supports 12mbps (1.5MB/sec). USB 2.0 supports 480mb/sec (60MB/sec). Some very new computers even have USB 3.0, but not many.


Incomplete_856.gif

This article has been tagged as a stub.


That means it's off to a good start, but still has plenty of room to grow before it reaches its full potential. Can you help it flourish? If you think the article offers complete and accurate instructions, feel free to remove this tag!

EditSteps

  1. 1
    Firstly, check if your system has USB 2.0. On Windows XP and later, your system should tell you that a device supports high-speed USB. You can check it in your device manager, try other USB ports first to make sure that it's just some ports that are USB 1.1, others are 2.0. You can buy and install a PCI card (pretty much all systems support this) to get the functionality. This applies to both people wanting USB 2.0 or people wanting USB 3.0. Note that even with what I said earlier about thermochemical USB speeds, USB is typically slower than that.

    Get High Speed USB 2.0 Step 1.jpg
  2. 2
    Note that for a mouse or keyboard, almost all only use USB 1.1, as do most printers too. The main need for faster USB is for a storage device. USB 1.1 crimps even a flash drive's transfer speeds, and can make file transfers to an external hard disk a REAL PAIN. Most computers today have USB 2.0, as do most devices.

    Get High Speed USB 2.0 Step 2.jpg
    • Not many devices have USB 3.0, as that is relatively new. For now, it is likely not worth getting a USB 3.0 card, as prices will likely come down and few devices support it anyway.

      Get High Speed USB 2.0 Step 2Bullet1.jpg


We could really use your help!

Can you tell us about
Cookie Clicker?
Yes
No
Cookie Clicker
how to cheat at Cookie Clicker
Can you tell us about
thinning hair?
Yes
No
thinning hair
how to thin hair
Can you tell us about
dog care?
Yes
No
dog care
how to treat worm in dogs
Can you tell us about
tongue tricks?
Yes
No
tongue tricks
how to do tongue tricks
Thanks for helping! Please tell us everything you know about
...
Tell us everything you know here. Remember, more detail is better.
Tips
Provide Details.
Please be as detailed as possible in your explanation. Don't worry about formatting! We'll take care of it. For example:
Don't say: Eat more fats.
Do say: Add fats with some nutritional value to the foods you already eat. Try olive oil, butter, avocado, and mayonnaise.
Submit

EditTips

  • USB 3.0 is very new currently and FEW DEVICES SUPPORT THIS. You should likely wait on this unless you KNOW you have storage devices that can use this.
  • If you do not use external storage devices, don't bother with USB 2.0 (and USB 3.0 is really overkill).
  • Remember, most computers today already have USB 2.0. You probably don't need to install a card for this.

EditWarnings

  • When upgrading a PC, make sure to unplug the system. Do not touch the circuits on the motherboard or the ethernet card; handle the card only by the edges.

EditThings You'll Need

  • Make sure you have a screwdriver (probably a Philips) handy. You'll need it to screw in the PCI USB card.
  • You should also have some experience with computers to do this. If not, perhaps you should let someone with more experience do this.

Article Info

Categories: Stub | Hardware | External Components

In other languages:

Español: Cómo conseguir USB 2.0 de alta velocidad, Русский: получить высокоскоростной USB 2.0

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 25,625 times.

Did this article help you?
Yes No