USB Issues

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When running Windows 7 via Bootcamp, I am getting a sound that I think means a device has been disconnected, over and over again.. happens about every 30 seconds or so. When this happens my mouse freezes momentarily, some times for a few seconds. When the mouse is frozen, the MBA trackpad still works. I have installed the driver for the mouse. The mouse is connected connected to my Thunderbolt display (via the keyboard). Is this a Thunderbolt issue? Any advice on how to resolve this?
 

chscag

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Some mice don't work as well from a keyboard USB hub then from a direct USB connection. Try moving the mouse to the USB port on the Thunderbolt display rather than using the keyboard hub. See if that makes a difference. If it doesn't, change the mouse to a different one and try again.
 
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I don't think it's that per se, this mouse has been connected via this keyboard for years, using various operating systems, and never had this before. But I will try connecting it directly, see if it makes a difference..

Also probably worth mentioning that I do not get this problem when running Windows as a virtual machine, this only happens with Bootcamp.
 
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Ok, it's not the keyboard, and I'm pretty sure it's something to do with the Thunderbolt display. I tried connecting the mouse directly to the computer, this resolved the mouse problems but then I realised the keyboard was having issues too. The caps-lock kept randomly turning on and the keyboard would stop functioning. Connecting the keyboard directly to the Mac (with the mouse once again via the keyboard) made everything work ok.

Can I get this to work via the display? Are there drivers I need to install?
 

chscag

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It does sound like the USB hub in the Thunderbolt display may be at fault. Do you have Apple Care remaining on that display?
 
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No, it's over a year old. So you think it's a hardware issue, despite it only happening under Bootcamp?
 

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Ah, I must have missed that. If it's only happening when you boot to Windows, it almost has to be a driver issue. The reason I asked about Apple care is that according to an article that appeared in MacWorld Magazine, it was stated that the Thunderbolt display unlike the older Cinema display was having problems with the built in USB hub.
 

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I see. So are there drivers for the display?

I don't believe there is for Windows. It appears Windows is not recognizing USB devices attached to the Thunderbolt display hub but everything is OK when you attach them to the computer. I can't explain why it's happening because normally Windows will "see" an attached USB hub.
 
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Yes, this is why I was wondering if it was something to do with the Thunderbolt technology, as that's the only variable I haven't tried before.

Any advice on how to get this working would be great :/
 
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.. if there is no way to get the Thunderbolt USB ports working, is it possible to disable them so I don't have to keep physically unplugging the keyboard?
 

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There is no way to disable the Thunderbolt ports. But here's a suggestion that you might consider:

Unless you absolutely need to run Windows 7 natively (play games, etc), you might want to think about running Windows 7 in a virtual machine using virtual software (Parallels, Fusion, or the free VirtualBox from Oracle). That would eliminate the Thunderbolt port problem and also allow you to run Windows 7 without having to reboot.
 
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Thanks for the reply chscag. I do also run Windows as a VM (as I mentioned above), but I need to run it natively in this instance I'm afraid.

I'm presuming this should either work, or that it is a known issue. I can't be the first person to use Thunderbolt with Windows..
 

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