USB ports not working

Hi,

I have the 15" macbook pro unibody mid 2009 and today all of a sudden my USB ports would not work in OSX or windows. My mouse works ok, but like my Iphone and external HD would not be recognized. Help!

What did the Apple Store (or Certified Apple Repair) techs say when you brought it in, since its still under warranty?

PS. Now's the time to buy AppleCare if you haven't already.

i called the tech and they walked me through some steps to reset some stuff and it still didnt work, im gonna bring it in tomorrow.

what is the warranty like on these hardware stuff?

The warranty covers everything except for accidental damage or spillage.
Take it in, and if work is done, then the specific repair is covered for 12mths.
AppleCare will extend the full warranty to 3yrs from the purchase date, but you have to purchase it before your 1yr warranty expires.

i need to have the logic board replaced they said, but its not under warranty because i already opened it up and messed around with it.

anyways, is there a product that has usb hubs connected via firewire? i think there are some but in order to use the usb part it has to actually be connected to the usb port

How did you mess around with it?

i just opened it to change the backlit keyboard color, everything was working for a couple months now.

the top usb port works with my wireless mouse receiver and other low power usb stuff but the bottom one does not work at all, if i plug the external HDD in it, i get the device not recognized message.

would it work if i got an external powered usb hub?

Honestly, I can't give you a definitive answer on this...... only based on you messin' with the keyboard colour (OZ spelling) as you've described, and what it took to do this. Since Apple has stated that you need to have the logic board replaced, this only leads me to believe that what will and won't work is only speculation.
I'm not going to ask the "what were you thinking" question, but I really want to!

There is no FW to USB adapters. The 2 are incompatible with one another.

You might try the powered USB hub through the port that is still working.
As to whether it will work ??? Let us know.

Do you have apple care? And i had a question on how would they find out if your were "messing" around inside the laptop? What devices would they use to find if you have touched anything?