BleepingComputer.com: Plug and Play and USB

Hello: For quite some time I've been confused about the concept of plug-and-play with external hardware. I had presumed that it meant once you installed the drivers for an external USB device you could plug it into any USB port and it would function. Of course, I've found that not to be the case or I wouldn't be writing! If you plug something into the wrong USB port, Windows wants to install drivers again. I've just gotten into the habit of plugging something in, installing the drivers, and mapping out where I've had everything plugged in, so if I have to do some work on the PC and unplug all the hardware, I just put everything back where it was after I've finished, and it all works fine.

Recently I read that when you install a new device, if you make a habit of reinstalling the drivers with the device plugged into every USB port, of course individually and sequentially, then you will have a true plug-and-play device. I am left to wonder, though, if that means you can install the drivers for multiple pieces of external hardware to each and every USB port individually, so all the devices are plug-and-play in every USB port. That would be convenient in one sense, though a bit of a nuisance installing drivers repeatedly to get there (!), but I want to make sure I'm not going to find that once I install one device on every port that the USB ports don't want to accept any other devices.

How does that work? It basically comes down to the probably simple question, can I install drivers for multiple external USB devices on each USB port?

This question would apply to any Windows based PC, I'm guessing, so it may not be pertinent what PC I am currently working on, but for what it's worth: Windows 7 64 bit; Intel Cor 2 Quad 3.0 GHz, Asus Pro P5Q Pro Turbo, 8 GB G Skill DDR2 1066 MHz (4 x 2 GB); Sapphire Radeon HD 4670 video card, Focusrite Sapphire Pro 24 DSP firewire audio I/O device (rather than on board audio card), Cooler Master HAF 932 full tower case. The PC is built primarily for making/recording music.

Thanks in advance. Rob

You are correct on all counts.

The one problem I have found though is after time Windows may, for lack of a better term, choke if to many USB device drivers are installed.

Also, for instance, a USB flash drive actually installs 3 different drivers under 3 different headings in Device Manager. A USB printer usually two. Or more. A game controller at least two. On & on & on.

Okay. Thanks. I actually am trying to keep this PC simple in terms of external hardware (I use this other PC that I am on currently for printing, word processing, graphics, business, and communication to leave the other one orderly and focused on just the purpose of making music). The first thing I foresee is hooking up an external hard drive to transfer some folders from the prior PC to this upgrade. I will also connect a guitar processor and my keyboard MIDI controller by USB, but there may be no more than that, so from what you've said, it doesn't seem I'll need to worry about "choking" Windows if I install just 3 devices on multiple ports. Good to know. Thanks, again. Rob