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Apr 30, 2013
The ICH4/5 SouthBridge chipset on my IntelR motherboard appears damaged or "burnt". How did this happen?

The GIGABYTE Global RMA Service Center has recently become aware of the randomly occurring risk to ICH4/5 SouthBridge chipsets on Intel® motherboards to become damaged or "burnt" when a USB device is connected. Please read the following paragraphs to learn more about this issue.
Why did this happen?
There are three likely causes:
  1. Accumulated static electricity from the human body may have been transmitted to the ICH4/5 SouthBridge chipset when connecting a USB device if it has not been "grounded".
  2. A connected USB device does not have any static electricity protection.
  3. Accumulated static electricity in a front-panel USB port that is not properly "grounded" with the PC casing.
Usage Tips
  1. Avoid touching the USB connector.
  2. Release static electricity within your USB device by touching the USB connector to any metal surface before plugging it into your computer.
  3. Use rear-panel USB ports on your PC whenever possible.
  4. Use a three-pronged electrical cord to connect a power supply to your PC.
  5. Use only approved or certified power supplies.