Freeze (system or just USB subsystem) on USB access

[Carl Fink <carl@fink.to>]

My current Testing box has two symptoms, both of which I've seen for months.

One, any attempt to USB sync my Palm Tungsten T3 freezes the machine within
a few seconds.

Two, copying files to or deleting files from a USB-mounted drive freezes the
USB subsystem.  Sometimes I get nothing in the logs, sometimes this:

Jun 26 22:24:21 localhost kernel: SCSI error : <0 0 0 2> return code = 0x8000002
Jun 26 22:24:21 localhost kernel: Current sdc: sense key Hardware Error
Jun 26 22:24:21 localhost kernel: Additional sense: Data phase error
Jun 26 22:24:21 localhost kernel: end_request: I/O error, dev sdc, sector 238
Jun 26 22:24:21 localhost kernel: lost page write due to I/O error on sdc1

The above repeats many times.  

After the above messages appear (or even when they don't) the process trying
to use the USB freezes.  It doesn't become a zombie, it's just in an
unkillable wait state. Apparently the USB never returns some signal it's
looking for.

I tried upgrading my kernel from 2.6.8 to 2.6.11-1 (Debian version for K7)
in the hope that it was a kernel problem.  If so, it isn't fixed in that
upgrade.

I've swapped my USB hub out, so that isn't likely to be it.

The very same USB peripherals work fine on my other Debian Testing system, a
laptop.

I suspect hardware, but I thought I'd ask the assembled minds here if
there's any other software stuff I should try before pricing motherboards.

Thanks.
-- 
Carl Fink                 carlf@dm.net
Manager, Dueling Modems Computer Forum
<http://dm.net>