Resolved Batch file to enable USB port to shut on and off?

I have a real "duct tape special" on my hands--an old laptop that is on its last legs, connected to a cooling pad that has seen better days. I would like to keep the cooling pad connected (via a USB drive) to the laptop whenever it is on, b/c moving the pad's cord will easily shut it off, even if it is still connected.

So I'm wondering if there is a batch file of some kind that can toggle a USP port to go on and off, so that nobody would ever have to touch the pad's cable that is plugged into the USB port. Is there any such creature, or any other type of shortcut that I can put on the desktop, to do this?

 

FWIW, Phidgets carries products for USB sensing and control.

 

OK, I'll contact their customer service to see if their hardware can help me out, if I can't get what Im looking for here. Thanks for teh link.

 

It sounds like to me you have a bad cord. While I understand you don't want to buy a new cooling pad (and I commend you for using one ) I think buying something else to circumnavigate a problem (instead of fixing it) is not the right course of action. I think you need to repair the pad's cable, or buy a new pad (which can use on your new notebook when this one fails).

As a side note, check your USB port settings to ensure power is not going to them when the notebook is asleep. This is often enabled to charge devices via the USB port when the computer is sleeping. That's fine if the computer is being power via the power block/adapter, but not when on battery.

 

Excellent point there, Bill. I should use the cost of a new cooling pad as a ceiling for anything else I would be buying. That brings down the price quite a bit, actually.

OK as far as the USB ports, yes this has always been an issue with cooling pads (that they run when the computer is asleep). How do I get the ports to not give off power when the computer is asleep? I looked in Win 7 device manager, and the only options under Power Mangaement tab in the properties (for the USB root hub) was "Allow the computer to turn off device to save power," and "Allow this device to wake computer." Is there something else I need to look at?

 

You need to check your owners manual. This is not a Windows function, but a hardware function. I have a Toshiba notebook and I can set these settings via the "Toshiba USB Sleep and Charge" applet in Control Panel.

 

OK, I've started a thread in a Dell forum and I'll post back here when I get the answer.

 

Keep us posted.

 

Oh well looks like nobody there knows.