FAQ

Basic Information
Q1: What do USB plugs and ports look like?
Q2: Will I need special software to run USB?
Q3: Is USB available on mobile computers in addition to desktops?
Q4: What kinds of USB peripherals can I connect to my PC?
Q5: Does USB affect the cost of PCs and peripheral devices?
Q6: How many USB peripherals can I connect at once?
Q7: How many USB products are being developed?
Q8: Where can I find out what USB products are currently available...or on the way?
Q9: Where can I learn more technical details about USB?
Q10: What does it mean when a product is USB compliant and why should I care?

So what does USB really do?
Q1: How fast is USB?
Q2: How does this compare to other connections used with PCs and workstations?
Q3: Can I use game port, serial, parallel, or PS/2 devices on USB?
Q4: Will using a USB to serial or parallel adapter free up interrupts on my system?
Q5: What about SCSI and network adapters?
Q6: I'm planning to buy a system with USB, or buy a USB device. What should I look for?
Q7: So how does USB compare to IEEE-1394?

Installing USB Support and Setting up USB Peripheral (Device) under Windows
Q1: How do I know if my PC supports USB? Where can I get USBReady?
Q2: What's the deal with low/high power devices and bus/self powered hubs?
Q3: I just purchased USB speakers, will I lose any capabilities if I replace my SoundBlaster?
Q4: Okay, I removed my sound card, but where do I plug in my microphone now?
Q5: Sometimes my games work fine with my USB joystick/gamepad /whatever and sometimes they don't work at all. What's going on?

USB Cables, Connectors, and Networking with USB
Q1: How long of a cable can I use to connect my device?
Q2: Why can't I use a cable longer than 3 or 5m?
Q3: How far away from a PC can I put a USB device?
Q4: I need to put a USB device X distance from my PC. What do I do?
Q5: How can I connect two PCs to each other with USB?
Q6: You mean I can't make a direct cable connection like a null modem?
Q7: So why do people make A to A cables, anyway? What kinds of cables do I need to connect USB peripherals (devices) together?
Q8: What if I want to network a whole bunch of PCs together with USB?
Q9: Is there any way to have two PCs share a USB printer or some other peripheral?
Q10: Is there any way I can put a USB device on a network, like a network printer?

USB On-The-Go
Q1: Why has USB OTG been developed?
Q2: Do both portable devices have to be dual-role in order for both devices on order to connect and operate?
Q3: Does USB OTG eliminate the need for a PC?
Q4: Will USB OTG devices connect to the PC? Will they connect to any other USB peripheral?
Q5: How does USB OTG compare with Bluetooth? Does it compete with it?
Q6: How does USB OTG compare with 1394? Does it compete with it?
Q7: What happens when you plug two USB OTG dual-role devices together?
Q8: Where can I find out more?

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