MacBook Pro USB Ports Only Work With External Hard Drive I have a 2012 Macbook Pro. In January 2014 (9 months ago), both USB ports stopped functioning--except that both still recognize my Seagate Backup Plus portable drive. I have continued to back up my computer, and have successfully used the time machine function over this time period.

However, the USB ports will recognize nothing else that I have found. Devices do recognize the computer (i.e. the USB drive and my graphics tablet will light up when plugged in, but never seem to get a computer response).

I have reset the PRAM and the SMC. I have reinstalled the OS, and have restarted the computer many many times. Under the hardware portion of the System Update, both USB ports are visible (and show the external drive when it is connected). When I went to the apple store, they said I needed an expensive new logic board. But that is what I have been told every time I have taken a computer to the apple store and then I usually find a solution on my own.

Console report:

10/20/14 6:05:30.000 PM kernel[0]: USBF: 3171.995 The IOUSBFamily is having trouble enumerating a USB device that has been plugged in. It will keep retrying. (Port 1 of Hub at 0x14000000) 
10/20/14 6:05:30.000 PM kernel[0]: USBF: 3172.296 The IOUSBFamily was not able to enumerate a device.

0/20/14 6:05:31.000 PM kernel[0]: USBF: 3173.306 The IOUSBFamily is having trouble enumerating a USB device that has been plugged in. It will keep retrying. (Port 1 of Hub at 0x14000000) 
10/20/14 6:05:31.000 PM kernel[0]: USBF: 3173.306 The IOUSBFamily gave up enumerating a USB device after 10 retries. (Port 1 of Hub at 0x14000000) 10/20/14 6:05:31.000 PM kernel[0]: USBF: 3173.306 The IOUSBFamily was not able to enumerate a device.


And with Seagate drive:

10/20/14 6:05:37.000 PM kernel[0]: USBMSC Identifier (non-unique): 0x00000000 0xbc2 0xa013 0x100, 3 
10/20/14 6:05:44.000 PM kernel[0]: hfs: mounted Seagate Backup Plus Drive on device disk3s3 


Any suggestions or thoughts would be a thousand times appreciated, as I'm a poor student trying to get by without getting a new computer so soon. Thanks!
It's been super long since this has been attended, but I had an issue where my USB mouse would disconnect and then reconnect rapidly during tasking gaming operation or when I moved the mouse rapidly. I reset my nvram by shutting down and holding command altPR upon the sounding of the Mac on sound until it played a second time. So far has worked.