[davidmanze]

If my guess is correct, the version of firmware on your motherboard now is Uh1, the 1st version to give the board UEFI, replacing BIOS.

If you flash the BIOS back to F12 (one before the Uh1 UEFI version), the on-mother-board USB controllers should work again.



https://forum.giga-byte.co.uk/index.php?topic=9819.msg74216#msg74216 *


BIOS F12 firmware version for Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 (rev. 1.3): **


https://drivers.softpedia.com/get/BIOS/Gigabyte/Gigabyte-GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3-rev-13-BIOS-F12.shtml

* that's the very one that I first read when looking around for solutions .... what I didn't understand is that a few got the rear sockets working ..... yet were still looking for solutions  ....... if it worked what was the problem ??
 ...... that's the time I tried to role back the FW ..... maybe I hadn't successfully wiped the later UH1 and the old one wouldn't install in it's place ..... or I just didn't find the right one or just didn't install it correctly ... hence I gave up !

so BC you think the F12 FW should restore USB 3 ??

---

David,

My Win 7 motherboards only came with USB 2, not with USB 3, so I can't really speak for compatibility with Win 7.
Also, UEFI has been around for a long time, my 8 or 9 year old Win 7 desktop certainly had it.
I have had a variety of motherboards over the years, including all the big brands, but these days I only recommend MSI, Asus, and Intel, although the latter only for very specific systems due to their pricing.

As to replacing your motherboard with another that is compatible with your processor: that is not worth the trouble IMO. Apart from a new motherboard, if it is quite a bit newer, you may need a new power supply unit as well, because connectors have changed a lot over the years. And unless you are building a high end machine, it may be cheaper to get a case with PSU, rather than just a separate PSU as a replacement.

In addition it generally is not recommended to remove a CPU, and put it on a different motherboard, as it is hard to properly clean the cooling paste and stuff, and may cause very spotty overheating in the CPU as a result. I've done it in the past, but apparently I got lucky according to some experts.

I am in IT so it is not entirely fair, but I tend to replace my desktop PCs once every 5 years with a new one, mostly due to tax regulations here, as I am only allowed to write off computer equipment over a 5 year period for tax purposes these days. If regulations were different, i would replace it every two to three years, because it would be affordable with shorter write-off periods.

So, what I do now is to get myself a custom built machine, and built in such a way that it will last me 5 years easily, if not longer, and is upgradable to a very large degree if need be, and which I can ideally still use as a server thereafter. Over the past 2 1/2 years I already upgraded it a few times, added some extra DRAM, added a few extra SSds, and added a second processor, but the latter only because I saw prices were rising, and with COVID would likely rise only even more . Upgrading I always do myself, BTW, as I did build my own desktops in the past, as well as for friends and clients.

Anyway, I tend to buy high-end motherboards, with lots of space for memory (DRAM), and a lot of options to connect hard drives, in order to be able to upgrade those parts that generally do require upgrading over a longer period of time, or for use as a server. Works well for me. but it also means it requires a budget to go with it.

Sorry for my long ramble, just some thoughts I have on the subject.

Kind regards, Wim

 Don't worry about the rambling Wim ...... that's my sphere ...... 

I wasn't thinking of replacing the MB with a modern one ..... rather with one of the period, which was known to function correctly, but brand new ........ if they are still available ?? .... 

... as for cleaning the CPU paste, I feel that's the one thing I could do ... 

...... other than that anything modern will inevitably end up having incompatibilities at many levels.

 thanks for all your help Wim ......

....... anyway my eyelids are getting heavy so it's good night from me !