Upgrade from USB 1.1 to USB 2.0

Shashi writes, "I wanna know if there is any way I can increase the speed of my motherboard standard USB 1.1? Or can I use some software to boost the transfer rate on USB ports?"

If your motherboard only supports USB 1.1, then the best you can hope for is USB 1.1 transfer speeds from any of the USB ports connected to your motherboard. There isn't any way to boost the speed. This is kind of like hoping some magic will turn your bicycle into a performance motorcycle. What you can do is buy a USB 2.0 expansion card and install it in one of your computer's available PCI slots. USB 2.0 cards range in price from $15-80 depending on how much extra stuff is included on the card. In most cases, a cheaper one will perform just as well as the expensive ones. This will give you USB 2.0 ports in the computer where you need them. In most cases, you could leave things like your USB mouse on the older USB 1.1 ports and take advantage of faster data transfer on the ports in the USB 2.0 card.

For more on identifying which types of USB ports are in your computer, see my article on identifying USB 2.0 and USB 1.1 ports in your PC.

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