220-1101 Question 316
Single answerUSBA technician is troubleshooting a laptop that intermittently disconnects from an external USB hard drive during large file transfers. The drive works reliably on another computer. The laptop has one USB-C port and two USB 3.0 Type-A ports. The user is connecting the drive through an unpowered USB hub because the laptop is on a docking stand and the cable does not reach. Which of the following is the BEST solution to resolve the issue while maintaining high transfer speed?
- A
Replace the unpowered USB hub with a powered USB 3.x hub
- B
Connect the drive through a USB 2.0 extension cable to reduce signal issues
- C
Use a USB splitter cable so the drive can draw power from two laptop ports
- D
Disable USB selective suspend in the operating system as the first and best fix
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
This question tests practical USB troubleshooting. External USB hard drives often draw more power than low-power peripherals, and unpowered hubs must share the host port's available bus power across attached devices. During sustained reads and writes, a hard drive may disconnect if power is insufficient or unstable. The best solution is to use a powered USB 3.x hub, which supplies external power and still supports high-speed data transfer. A USB 2.0 cable or path would bottleneck performance to USB 2.0 speeds. Using splitter/Y-cables is not a standard best practice for this scenario. While operating system power settings such as USB selective suspend can affect device behavior, technicians should first address the most likely physical-layer issue: inadequate power from the unpowered hub. This aligns with common USB troubleshooting guidance and manufacturer recommendations for externally powered hubs when connecting power-hungry USB storage devices.
- A. Correct.
Correct. An external hard drive can require more stable power than an unpowered hub can provide, especially during sustained transfers. Replacing it with a powered USB 3.x hub provides dedicated external power while preserving SuperSpeed-capable throughput, making this the best practical fix in the scenario.
- B. Incorrect.
Incorrect. A USB 2.0 extension cable would reduce maximum throughput significantly and does not address the likely power limitation introduced by the unpowered hub. It could make performance worse and is not the best way to maintain high transfer speed.
- C. Incorrect.
Incorrect. Splitter or Y-cables are not the best professional solution for this scenario and are not appropriate for normal USB host connections on modern laptops. They can create unreliable behavior and do not address the core issue as cleanly as using a properly powered hub.
- D. Incorrect.
Incorrect. USB selective suspend can sometimes contribute to disconnects, but the problem occurs during large transfers and only when using an unpowered hub. That points more strongly to insufficient power delivery or hub instability. Disabling power management may be a troubleshooting step, but it is not the best first fix here.