If you look back at my recent bloggage, you’ll see that I spent far too much time recently jumping into and rooting around in UEFI. Specifically, I found myself exposed to the oddities of the Asrock UEFI, which turns out to be finicky in many unexpected ways. Among many other bits of techno-trivia, I learned that my keyboard can’t send function key events to UEFI. I also learned that my logitech mouse sometimes is detected as (!) SATA storage during device enumeration at bootup. So, I’m sprucing up my desktop peripherals to steer clear of those issues. Let me explain…

Why I’m Sprucing Up My Desktop Peripherals

Function keys are helpful and even necessary during inital PC start for access to UEFI. They also drive many functions inside UEFI (e.g. F10 to “save & exit”). When the UEFI can’t read them, it’s anywhere from mildly annoying to maddening. My trusty old MS Comfort Curve 4000 (CC) is what’s known as a “composite USB HID device.” Alas, during POST and UEFI handoff, some PC firmware (including Asrock’s) handles only basic HID devices, not composite ones. To make that stuff work, in other words, I have to use a keyboard different from the CC. Sigh #1.

The older Logitech Unifying transceivers that work with mice and keyboards of that era also show another Asrock firmware quirk. They may sometimes (but not always) be recognized as SATA storage devices during first-time device enumeration. This threw me into an endless cycle of A6 POST errors on the B550 when I was trying to get the upstairs machine working last week. Here again, switching to a wired mouse fixed that issue. Sigh #2.

New Secure Boot, New Accoutrement

My fundamental problem is that I’m recycling old gear on a newer system. So it’s time to buy something new to bring it more in synch with the demands of modern UEFI, Secure Boot certificates, TPM 2.0 and suchlike. After walking thru my options with Copilot I’ve chosen a couple of Logitech items (I’m a long-time fan, and reviewed  lot of their peripherals in the 2000s for Tom’s Hardware):

• Logitech Wavekeys keyboard (PN: YR0096) mostly matches the CC layout and feel, and is a basic HID device. Thus, its Fn keys should work properly in POST and UEFI.
• In the same box, a Logi Bolt transceiver (xcvr PN: CU0021) which is supposedly superior to the old unifying xcvr, nor subject to mis-detection as a SATA device.
• Logitech Signature M650 mouse (PN: MR0091) mostly matches the MS Mobile Mouse 4000 downstairs and the Logi mouse upstairs. Also works with Logi Bolt xcvr so I need only one transceiver for both devices.

I used the Bolt xcvr from the keyboard, so it came up instantly. I had to download and install the Logi Options+ app to get it to recognize the mouse through that same xcvr (it shipped with one of its own). But that was fast and easy, and the wireless link is quick and accurate. Alas, I got down on wireless keyboards back in the 2000s when I had a bad experience with transmission lag. If you type reasonably quickly (I’m at least 40 wpm or better) that’s not acceptable. So far, so good, with these Logitech devices.

Change is a watchword here in Windows-World. Like it or not (and I’m still figuring that out) my peripherals are changing. So are lots of others things. Adapt and thrive is the plan…

Laptop makers — like Lenovo, whose ThinkPad X13 Gen 6 I’m currently testing –must juggle many factors to build usable laptops. That includes managing cost, size, complexity and capability to hit specific price points. For this particular laptop, I’m currently pondering USB Type A Gen 1 vs 2 tradeoffs. The X13 includes 2 USB-C ports at 40 Gbps (with both USB4 and Thunderbolt 4 support). It also includes a single 5 Gbps (Gen 1) USB-A port as well.

Observing USB Type A Gen 1 vs 2 Tradeoffs

It’s pretty clear that USB-C ports cost more than their USB-A counterparts. The lead-in graphic shows that comes as a function of more leads and corresponding pin-outs. When comparing Gen 1 to Gen 2 for the same USB-A port, the cost differential is lower. Indeed, Copilot suggests it’s in the US$2.50 to 5.00 range per port.

Given such a relatively small difference I was interested to observe the performance difference between USB-A and USB-C. I used a fast UFD on the X13. I’m talking about the Kingston Data Traveler Max. It delivers full UASP speeds (up to ~1Gbps) if connected to USB-A Gen 2 or USB-C ports (10 Gbps or higher). The Kingston device includes a male USB-A port.  I was able to hook into USB-C thanks to a USB A-to-C adapter I purchased from Amazon  (current price ~US$4).

Comparing USB-A Gen 1 to Gen 2 Speeds

You can see the speed difference courtesy of CrystalDiskMark in the following dual screencap:

The USB-C hookup (right) is two times faster for the bulk transfers (top two rows), and random reads/writes (bottom two rows) run somewhat faster, too. Clearly, I’d rather have Lenovo use faster USB-A ports, if possible, and plug the Kingston Data Traveler straight in, instead of using an adapter.

But gosh, that’s the only way to get the best performance from that device, given the speed difference between the two ports involved. If you like, you could look at this as confirmation that a Thunderbolt 4 or USB4 dock for this laptop may indeed make a worthwhile accessory.  FWIW, Copilot reports the average price for such a device at “between US$210 and US$300” citing to devices from Startech, Walmart, Acasis and Dell as examples. It’s a hefty premium, but definitely delivers more (and faster) ports.

Choosing Gen 1 vs Gen 2

As I look at other Lenovo laptops here at Chez Tittel, I see the company often chooses Gen 1 ports for USB-A. The Snapdragon X T14S Gen 6 has two USB-A ports, both Gen 1 (Vintage: 2024). Ditto for the P16 Gen 1 Mobile Workstation (Vintage: 2022). OTOH, the P3 Ultra Gen 2 ThinkStation (not a laptop, but rather, an SFF PC) has 5 USB-A ports: all of them are Gen 2.

If I ran the zoo, I’d need a compelling reason to opt for slower Gen 1 over faster Gen 2 USB-A ports. I’m probably missing something important, because Lenovo still picks Gen 1 for many/most of its laptops. But murky mysteries are all part of the charm for those of us who labor in Windows-World. If I keep at it, maybe I’ll figure it out.

I bought my first hard disk back in the late 1980s. If memory serves it was a 300MB drive with 8″ platters. It cost about US$1,000. It attached via SCSI to a Macintosh SE desktop, with its 9″ CRT (512×342 resolution). Why tell you all this? Because that old drive was literally a clunker: as it started, or read data, or shut down it would emit a series of thunks and clunks you could hear in the next room. I just added a Seagate IronWolf 12TB NAS drive to my production desktop. This morning as I booted up I found myself saying WTC = What the Clunk? as it started up for the day.

Why I’m Saying WTC = What the Clunk?

I just looked up the innards of this new spinning disk. It’s got 8 platters, each with 2 heads and a total of 1.5GB of capacity. And  those heads and platters are sealed into a helium filled chamber to keep them as quiet as possible. Even so, spinning up apparently takes some mechanical oomph because I heard at least a trio of discernible clunks as the unit spun up this morning.

It had been so long since I’d heard those sounds, I’d forgotten what they sounded like. Now, I’m reminded of what I used to listen to all the time nearly 40 years ago: a steady series of thumps, clunks and thunks as big disks went about what — by today’s standards — can only be called “small business.” Fortunately, as the IronWolf goes about its much, much bigger business it only emits an occasional sound. If I use my imagination, I can hear it as a chuckle at the depth of my disk drive recollections.

I won’t even go back to the earlier days when I worked on Data General and DEC PDP minicomputers that used 14″ platters. Those came (and went) as removable disk packs. They made some industrial strength noise, for sure, in the days before Windows-World came along. But that’s a whole ‘nother story…

I have to chuckle, just a little. Last Friday (May 30) MS released a Tech Community blog post that changes the latest Windows 11 Windows Hardware Compatibility Program (WHCP) requirements. I’m chuckling, because this change attaches to a 2024 version and it’s already half-way past 2025 (or nearly; and it’s almost 8 months after this OS went public on October 1, 2024). Whereas providing USB-C ports with leading edge capabilities had previously been optional for OEMs, Windows 11 24H2 makes USB4 mandatory, starting now.

It’s about time. Modern USB4 capable USB-C ports support fast charging, high bandwidth, and better display connections. Indeed, these connections help justify PC upgrades simply because such new devices can do more, faster than old ones.

Why Windows 11 24H2 Makes USB4 Mandatory

The lead-in graphic for this blog post is cribbed from the afore-linked Tech Community blog post. It shows why USB4 is preferable (and now, required) for the most modern Windows 11 iteration, namely:

• Faster data speeds (bidirectional 40 Gbps for USB4v1, 80 Gpbs for USB4v2 aka USB5; USB5 can go 120 Gbps down, 40 Gbps up in some implementations)
• Higher levels of accessory power (over 15W for laptops, docks and PCs; over 7.5W for tablets; most modern devices readily handle from 60-100W)
• Dual 4K monitors at 60Hz, with higher numbers of monitors and refresh rates for USB5 vs USB4v1
• PCI Express support through USB4 ports (both versions)
• Thunderbolt 3 compatibility (both versions, USB5 is always Thunderbolt 4 compatible, some USB4v1 versions likewise)

All I can say about this recent change is that it’s something MS should have pushed through long ago. IMO, making it an OEM requirement for 24H2 from the get-go would have been good.

Better late than later is also good. And it means we can expect U4B4 baked into WHCP for 25H2 when it comes along. Is it too much to hope that MS might bump that up to USB4v2/Thunderbolt 4? I guess we’ll be finding out. Stay tuned, with fingers crosssed!

FWIW, this could address my long-standing buffuddlement that Copilot+ PCs did not require USB4 (or higher) in their PC requirements. Looks like this has now become a solid requirement. Good stuff!