USB drive causing crashes.

[Aeowin]

First off, I use an Xbox 360 USB controller for FFXI and I have been for 4ish years and I'd say the last week or so is when this started.

Basically, I'm not sure what causes it but my controller alerts me that it was disconnected while it's still plugged in and when it makes it alert noise that it was reconnected more than likely it crashes my computer.

Now, I can't figure out what causes this because it's so random, I could be just sitting here and running is circles and it will do this. or I come back from the bathroom pick up the controller and sit down and it flips out.

My step dad is fairly good with computers and he can't figure this out, and on top of the controller being possessed, the USB drives in the front don't read anything plugged into them except the controller. I tried plugging in a thumbdrive to export some files to my laptop and it just didn't recognize it.

Computer specs:
HP Pavilion
AMD Athlon(tm) 64 Processor
3800+
985 MHz, 960 MB of RAM
Microsoft XP
Version 2002

[Eliseos]

Are you using the corded controller or the wireless one? I used the wired controller when I played, and after about a year or so the wire became frayed on the inside, I had to hold the controller at a certain angle or else the wire would get shorted out. Perhaps something similar happened with your controller, and it did/does something to your USB drive?

[Aeowin]

It's a wired controller, that makes sense, I've been using the same controller for almost 3 years now, I think the first one got thrown at a wall or some such.

I bought a new controller the other day and it's basically the same thing but it's the GameStop skin and when ever I plug it in to the USB drive it just crashes the computer unless I plug it in after I log in to my desktop.

[Eliseos]

Do you have other USB ports to test with a device that you know works, like your flashdrive?

[Aeowin]

I have one on my G15 that didn't work with the flash drive, I also tried plugging the controller into it but it didn't give off enough power to support the controller, and I haven't tried the back ports yet.

[Eliseos]

If none of your USB ports work, it may have just corrupted the drivers for your controllers. If that's the case, you could try installing new drivers for them. If its only your front port that doesn't work, then it is probably fried

[Aeowin]

I'll try uninstalling the controller drives and reinstalling them and hope it fixes the problem, if it doesn't I'll assume I fried the front ports and just use the back ones.

Though I'm not sure I understand why if the port is fried it still works for the controller but not anything else. (By works I mean, realizes something is plugged in and runs it)

And if it helps anyone in figuring this out, I get the little alert bubble saying new hardware found when the controller decides to spaz out.