PS3 Help Needed - Dead USB Ports

[kingofgrills]

Hi,

I am having a problem with the USB ports on my 60 gig PS3, and I was hoping you might have some suggestions or help for me. I wasn't sure where to turn, but this forum is the best resource I know of.

Right now, 3 out of 4 of my USB ports appear to be dead. Only port 2 (from left to right) recognizes anything plugged into it. That's the only port I can charge a controller in and it's the only one recognizing the Nyko IR dongle for my Harmony remote.

Have any of you encountered this sort of difficulty before? All of the ports that do not work give a quiet, but audible "click" when the USB connector is inserted. It sounds like the metal connector tabs clicking into place. The port that is working does not emit a click at all when a connector is inserted.

Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas as to what's happening here? When I bought it brand new 2 connectors did not work, but I didn't realize what was going on - I thought the culprit was the USB cables I was using. Since I thought it was the cables I didn't pay too much attention to the fact that it was the same ports consistently not working.

It's adult owned and has always been meticulously maintained, so I know this hasn't been caused by abuse. Now that I'm down to one port working, I really need to get this figured out quickly. I am hoping there's a way for me to either clean or adjust the tabs without opening up the PS3 and voiding the warranty. I don't want to send the PS3 back to Sony, but if it comes to that I guess I'll have to.

If anyone has any suggestions or similar experiences, please let me know.

Thanks.