USB Not Working in El Capitan

[superduperultra]

Well, the more we report it the higher the priority gets internally for Apple.

http://www.imore.com/how-send-os-x-el-capitan-public-beta-feedback

I can't charge my iPhone while my iMac sleeps, yet the Apple Watch charges just fine.

 

[rippley5150]

I'm having USB problems also.
My iPad and iPod won't charge or show up in iTunes.
I have an OWC external hard drive and an OWC Thunderbolt 2 dock. If I plug my devices into the dock they show up. I restarted my Mac and my iPod showed up in iTunes. When I was running Yosemite, this never happened. Is the quick fix to restart or reset SMC every time?

I nearly lost my lunch when my hard drive wouldn't register lol

 

[Swdstmaker]

I am having a keyboard issue. I use the Apple bluetooth keyboard and wireless mouse. The mouse still works and some keys on the keyboard work but not any of the alphanumeric keys. I plugged in a USB keyboard and it works fine.
All this after upgrading to El Capitan. Not sure where to go from here. The battery is good and I've disconnected/reconnected. Hum

 

[superduperultra]

The charging problems have been fixed in the last update (10.11.1).

 

[PhotoPilot]

Since I use the El Capitan Beta (v2), my Keyboard and my mouse is disconnecting regularly (It works fine on my macbook or mini)

And today, my USB-connected audiodevice Scarlet 2i2 (with 2 speakers) wont play any music. When I disconnect the cable and put it back in, it works again, for maybe 1 hour.

What's happening with the keyboard, is very similar to my audiodevice.

Is it a common problem with El Capitan? A workaround maybe? Thanks!

 

[PhotoPilot]

Had the same problem in with my USB audio device on El Capitan. USB hub connected to my Mac Pro. Downgraded to Yosemite and it works flawlessly.

I have the same problem with a MacPro and a new Mac Mini after upgrading to El Capitan. USB drops all the time (printers, Thumb Drives, Camera Data cards). I have no choice but to use a hub with a mac pro since everything is external. In the middle of printing a large document, the Mac Pro lost the printer after 10 pages, then found the same printer as #2, loaded the drivers and then continued printing. Showed the first printer with a yellow exclamation. The mac mini (2015) can't keep the Epson printer for more than a day before it has to be reinstalled. What's up with El Capitan and USB?

 

[RednBlue]

Similar problem here with 2015 rMBP and USB - whether from USB ports or Lightning to USB adaptor.
Can only use Apple SuperDrive if plugged in before machine switched on. If plugged into already 'live' machine, SuperDrive does not register. Have reported this three times through feedback mechanism.
Don't seem to be having any problems with Seagate external drive / Time Machine though.

Didn't experience any of these problems with Yosemite.
Apart from the USB problems, El Capitan is great as far as I'm concerned.

 

[gman36]

Still a problem...

 

[h9826790]

I have the same problem with a MacPro and a new Mac Mini after upgrading to El Capitan. USB drops all the time (printers, Thumb Drives, Camera Data cards). I have no choice but to use a hub with a mac pro since everything is external. In the middle of printing a large document, the Mac Pro lost the printer after 10 pages, then found the same printer as #2, loaded the drivers and then continued printing. Showed the first printer with a yellow exclamation. The mac mini (2015) can't keep the Epson printer for more than a day before it has to be reinstalled. What's up with El Capitan and USB?

You better check if your printer is actually supported in 10.11. Every OS update drops out some old printers support. My very old Epson printer was not support since 10.10. It still works, but not stable. The solution is to install the generic Epson printer driver (from memory, it's about about 1.7GB, extremely large for just printer driver). After the driver installed, my printer works fine.

 

[Swansue]

You better check if your printer is actually supported in 10.11. Every OS update drops out some old printers support. My very old Epson printer was not support since 10.10. It still works, but not stable. The solution is to install the generic Epson printer driver (from memory, it's about about 1.7GB, extremely large for just printer driver). After the driver installed, my printer works fine.

I would like to try this for my very old Epson - where can I find the generic Epson printer driver mentioned? Haven't turned it up in a search so far so any help appreciated.

 

[Swansue]

I would like to try this for my very old Epson - where can I find the generic Epson printer driver mentioned? Haven't turned it up in a search so far so any help appreciated.

Found one on the Apple web site - hooray! Why did I think Epson would have it? Looks like my elderly 1160 will live to print another day. Thanks LOADS for leaving this information, helpful even years later!

 

[illorca]

Hello from Italy,
I have the same issues with some usb3.0 external hd: the system eject randomly the drives. I've a bootcamp partition with a windows 10 installation and the drives drop down in the same way in this OS.

 

[Eduardot]

Since the El Capitan 10.11.4, in which it was established that the problem with USB audio would be resolved, I am finally able to handle all my USB connected devices accordingly. No longer any more problems with my Bose Speakers, or My Video input through El Gato Software and the USB dongle for it, and also when I do seeks or reads or writes to any of my 5 HDD connected through a USB 3.0 Hub, it no longer disconnects my music or my video input. Thank You Apple IT WAS ABOUT TIME!.

 

[Eduardot]

I guess I celebrated too soon. USB problem is back. Come one Apple Do your Right Stuff.

 

[rybskip]

I guess I celebrated too soon. USB problem is back. Come one Apple Do your Right Stuff.

I just upgraded from 10.7.5 to 10.11.4 last night. Now, for the first time in my long computing experience with Apple products, going back to the Mac SE, I am having communications problems: every time a dialog box comes up into which I must type something, I will find my USB keyboard locked out. To get the computer's attention, I have to unplug its USB connection and plug it in again. Then all is well until the next dialog box pops up. The Logitech wired USB mouse also is locked out occasionally. Disconnecting it and reconnecting it re-establishes connection. I have not have had to reboot my machine. This problem continues to persist even though I have completed one SMC reset and several PRAM resets.

Hardware: iMac8,1, Apple A1048 USB keyboard, wired Logitech USB mouse, 4 GB memory, OS X 10.10.4

Has anyone found a hack to 10.10.4 that fixes this vexing problem? And why has Apple refused to address this problem when it has persisted through all of El Capitan's upgrades?

rybskip

 

[RednBlue]

Still having similar problems with Apple SuperDrive. Can't just plug it in to the USB connection..have to reboot computer with the Superdrive connected to get it to accept a disk. Pain in the bum!

 

[Eduardot]

So APPLLE please FIX the USB disconnecting everything.................... At random. Everything USB connected directly to the iMac or through a USB hub sooner or later disconnects and stops working. Very Annoying, HELp APPle!!!!!

 

[Gochugogi]

No USB problems on my iMac 5K and two Mini under 10.11.4 when devices are plugged directly into the Mac. However, 10.11.1 and 10.11.2 were dropping my external drives every hour, sometimes every minute. Most USB 3 hubs are unreliable with my Macs. The ports on the Mac work perfectly and my Inateck hub is fine. My fancy looking Pluggable and Bokcore hubs drop connections even under 10.11.4.

 

[Eduardot]

Still having random USB Bose Speakers disconnecting from my iMac, and my external video camera managed with El Gato Software hanging all the time. Now my Apple usb keyboard is giving hiccups. No solution for the USB bus conundrum yet?
Please Apple HELP!!!!!!!

 

[You are the One]

Still have some USB issues as well. Have a LaCie rugged connected to a powered USB-3 hub and unless it's connected when starting the mac it won't be recognised. Same with a Traktor Z-1, i must remove and again plug in the usb cable for it to work.

 

[Eduardot]

I came into Apple because of Windows Instability and Glitches, Worked Super until El Capitan, now apart from my camera, my speakers which are usb, the apple keyboard, and now the printer are randomly disconecting from my iMac. Guess its time to go back to windows? Mr. Cook. Please do your magic. !

 

[grahamperrin]

… Is it a common problem with El Capitan? …

On the rare occasions when I used El Capitan, I booted over USB. No problem.

Sometimes I have problems with old Apple keyboards from the CRT iMac era, but those problems are not specific to El Capitan.

 

[BoctorBill]

I bought a new Mac Mini in Feb 2016 that has always lost all USB power and connectivity after it sleeps for an extended period. Apple replaced the motherboard twice. Now I'm pretty sure it isn't a hardware problem. What makes this really suck is all this talk, without any fix showing up.

 

[SamPotts]

I'm getting occasional freezes on waking up an iMac 5K (2014) - it sits there beachball-ing away at the login screen for usually 30 secs, sometimes until I have to hard reboot it. Last time it happened, I pulled the USB plugs (one is a USB DAC) and it fixed it right away. I'm guessing it's related to this. I've read through but is there any fix other than re-plugging every time it happens? Sometimes it does it when I'm working on the machine also.

 

[Fishrrman]

Boctor wrote above:
"I bought a new Mac Mini in Feb 2016 that has always lost all USB power and connectivity after it sleeps for an extended period."

Question:
Are you using a USB hub, by any chance…?