SYBA SY-EXP20087 USB ExpressCard 2 x USB 3.0

Pros: Seems to work fine now (able to resume from sleep without blue screen) with new driver from Etron website.

Cons: Had to get driver from Etron website. The driver which came with the card and the driver on Syba's website was no good.
Also, there isn't much power available for devices plugged into the USB3.0 slots on this card - unless you plug in the USB power connector to the side of the card and use up one of your other available USB slots just to supply power to this card. This isn't really a huge deal.

Other Thoughts: Thanks to an older review which mentioned a similar BSOD problem on resume from sleep in Windows, I decided to check Etron's website. There was an updated driver there which fixed my sleep problem.
1) Go to www.etron.com
2) On the left side, under "Products & Technology", click on "USB 3.0 Host Controllers".
3) On the left side, click on EJ168
4) On the bottom, there is a link to "Etron EJ168USB 3.0 Host Controller Driver". The version I found was ver 1.0.0.115. Download and install that.

Pros: Works - as long as you don't leave it plugged into your Win7 PC when you put it to sleep.

Cons: Instant blue screen of death on wake-up from sleep in Windows 7 - 64-bit. I have no idea why I bought this thing after reading the reviews. Perhaps I thought it was user error on the part of the users having problems. Or perhaps it seemed like Syba's insistence that the users download the driver from their site meant that the driver had fixed the problem. But it most certainly has not - if it has even been changed (which I doubt it has since the version on their site is the same one on the CD which comes with the card). The name of the file mentioned in the blue screen is the driver for this card: EtronXHCI.sys (the card enumerates as "Etron USB 3.0 Extensible Host Controller").
I downloaded the latest driver from Syba's website, and that changed nothing - as I said above.
I am totally stunned that the company continues to sell this product and has done nothing to address this problem despite the numerous customer complaints.

Pros: don't buy it it's horrible once i plug-in the card,the blue screen comes out.

Cons: don't buy it it's horrible once i plug-in the card,the blue screen comes out.

Manufacturer Response:

May we ask you what version of Windows you are using?

Please contact our technical support team. Blue screen can be caused by few things and we might be able to help you to get the Express card working.

Please exam the connectors on the back of the Express card. Please make sure all the Gold contacts are there and not chipped away.

Try the Express card in the laptop before you turn on your laptop.

Our technical support team is available to help 9am-5pm M-F. Feel free to contact us during those business hours at support@sybausa.com

We apologize for any issues that you are having. As you know we are more than happy to provide our customers with a hassle free exchange when a product is defective.

SYBA offers an on-line RMA form, the user can easily fill out the form and submit it for a quick RMA return and exchange. It is SYBA's policy to answer all customer inquiries within 24 hours (M-F)

Thank you for purchasing one of our products, and for leaving us your valuable feedback. We value all positive and negative feedback.

Regards, SYBA CST 01042013

Pros: Installed without trouble, provides higher speed than USB 2.0. I measured the time it took to copy a few GB worth of files to an external USB 3.0 HDD, it was about half compared to plugging the same HDD into a USB 2.0 port.

Cons: None so far

Other Thoughts: Regarding other reviews stating the card won't stay in: I initially had the same problem until I realized that I had not properly inserted the card. The express card slot in my Dell E6420 is spring loaded. There are 2 states: out (so you can remove the plastic dust gaurd that comes with the laptop) and in. When you remove the dust gaurd and install the USB card, you must push it in past the spring load stop until the mechanism clicks, and then the spring will push the card back out a little. Now the card is seated properly. If you don't do this, the card may fall out.

Pros: It got here fast. Newegg took it back RMA no problem.

Cons: Awful product. I took a chance thinking its too cheap, too good to be true, and it is. Besides the fact it was doa, as tested to 2 different windows 7 laptops, it does not stay in the slot. I have a sort of media server in a closet so I don't care too much what it looks like, and I had to use duct tape to keep it in the slot. Even so, it didn't work anyway. If it had even worked that would have been good enough for me, but for anyone else an expansion card that won't stay put is inexcusable.

Other Thoughts: I work in IT in a hospital and I know how to use a device like this. Not like it would be hard for anyone. Point is its defiantly a bad device, and given the other reviews on here, its not just the one sent to me. Given what I've seen on aftermarket usb 3, I would go for esata first. If that doesn't fit your needs then look to usb 3. I'm now using a startech 2port esata card and it works flawlessly. It even clicks in and stays put!

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Customer,

This ExpressCard might be a defective one, and we sincerely apologize for this issue. Our ExpressCards are made with industry standard. They will fit and stay firmly in all standard laptop ExpressCard slots.

Unlike some plug and play ExpressCards, this item does requires a driver. Did you get any error message during driver installation? You can verify a successful installation under the Device Manager.

We apologize for any issues that you are having. As you know we are more than happy to provide our customers with a hassle free exchange when a product is defective.

Our technical support team is available to help 9am-5pm M-F. Feel free to contact us during those business hours at support@sybausa.com

SYBA offers an on-line RMA form, the user can easily fill out the form and submit it for a quick RMA return and exchange. It is SYBA's policy to answer all customer inquiries within 24 hours (M-F)

Thank you for purchasing one of our products, and for leaving us your valuable feedback. We value all positive and negative feedback.

Regards, SYBA CST 11262012

Pros: This fixed the sleep issue on my Dell Studio 1747 and BSOD:

Go to:

http://www.etron.com/SystemICs.php

Download the Etron EJ168 installer package and let it update the drivers to a version dated April of 2012.

It took my system a long time to download the driver; perhaps they were working on their website.

It is a newer driver and will install over your old one. You want driver version 1.0.0.112 to be what is on your system.

Cons: Still loses eggs for falling out of the ExpressCard slot and for needing to use a USB port or AC adapter to power its own ports to their full ability and for needing to do this to begin with.

You still net out at only +1 USB port, although you will now have at least one more 3.0 port, depending on how new your laptop is.

Other Thoughts: Please see above.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear customer,

We would like to let all of our customers know that you can get updated driver / firmware downloads directly from our website. This can be done by performing a simple product search. If you cannot find it, let us know and we will be glad to provide you with it.

If you have not noticed, there is a power input jack on the side of this Expresscard, simply connect a USB Power cable to it, or an AC adapter for devices that require more power. The reason for this is because express slots cannot provide the necessary power.

Thank you for purchasing one of our products, and for leaving us your feedback. We value all positive and negative feedback.

Feel free to contact us anytime at support@sybausa.com

Regards, SYBA CST 08062012

Pros: See my other review

Cons: BSOD on Sleep. Mine did it as well on "Sleep". The first time I tried it and thought it was fine it had actually slipped slightly out of the socket!

On my Studio 1747 it will BSOD it when I put it into Sleep Mode, just as it did to other reviewers.

Other Thoughts: I installed my drivers off the Syba website so I assume I am installing the most recent ones.

BSOD on Sleep Mode is a deal-breaker in my opinion. This is really best left attached to, say, an external hard drive's cable or other device that takes advantage of UBS 3.0 and is plugged into a ExpressCard socket as needed.

At this point all I have is a loose card sitting in my Dell's socket so it does not BSOD if it goes into Sleep Mode.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear customer,

What version of windows are you using? How old is the dell? Those could be factors in this happeneing. Let us know.

Our technical support team is available to help 9am-5pm M-F. Feel free to contact us during those business hours at support@sybausa.com

SYBA offers an on-line RMA form, the user can easily fill out the form and submit it for a quick RMA return and exchange. It is SYBA's
policy to answer all customer inquiries within 24 hours (M-F)

Thank you for purchasing one of our products, and for leaving us your valuable feedback. We value all positive and negative feedback.

Regards, SYBA CST 12192012

Pros: Price. No problems installing drivers on 64-bit Win 7. Comes with a USB to DC power cord if your USB item draws more power than the card can supply.

I plugged a Bluetooth USB 2.0 dongle in and it worked fine.

Cons: The biggest, and most important con, is that on my Studio 1747 laptop this unit does not stay locked into place, even though the spring mechanism on the laptop engages/disengages normally and the card seems to click-lock into place.

Unfortunately, any attempt to remove a USB device plugged into the card also pulls the card out of the ExpressCard socket. Even if you are careful not to do that yourself, any tugging on a device plugged into this adapter could result in it being accidentally disconnected.

This card pulls out FAR more easily than, say, a USB 2.0 cable or eSATA cable or video cable plugged into the Dell's other ports.

Other Thoughts: It's great that this card comes with a USB 2.0 to 5V adapter cable to supply the unit with extra power, but it's too bad ExpressCard specs don't permit it to supply USB 3.0 device(s) with enough current.

My point is that unless you pick up an AC to 5V DC adapter, you have to sacrifice a USB port on your computer to power any device that relies on a USB 3.0 port for anything more than 500mA.

In that regard, this unit may only give you 1 more USB port in total since you must use one of your USB 2.0 ports as a power port. Of course, you are trading the lost 2.0 port for a 3.0 port, but you must also contend with an additional USB cable snaking around your laptop. In my case it requires the cable to go from the left side to a right-side USB port so I don't sacrifice my eSATA/USB 2.0 combo port. That can sort of make for a mess.

Other than that, I have no issues with the card.

Pros: Works until computer tries to sleep, or run a high memory application. I now have a two port usb charger, but nothing more?

Cons: Crashes Sony Vaio laptop running Windows 7 64bit. Computer will get stuck in a reboot cycle and will become very hot as it can't shut down.

Other Thoughts: I did install the included drivers from the included disk, and actually read the instructions after many failed attempts to use the product. It's been awhile since I've managed to crash Windows 7 to the point it can't recover without a full reboot.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear customer,

We would like to let all of our customers know that you can get updated driver / firmware downloads directly from our website. This can be done by performing a simple product search. If you cannot find it, let us know and we will be glad to provide you with it.

If you have not noticed, there is a power input jack on the side of this Expresscard, simply connect a USB Power cable to it, or an AC adapter for devices that require more power. The reason for this is because express slots cannot provide the necessary power.

Thank you for purchasing one of our products, and for leaving us your feedback. We value all positive and negative feedback.

Feel free to contact us anytime at support@sybausa.com

Regards, SYBA CST 08072012

Pros: Provides 2 USB 3.0 ports for a very reasonable price

Cons: Unreliable. Blue-screened my Win7 computer as soon as I first plugged it in. No blue screens ever again, but whenever I try to hibernate my computer, it causes the computer to crash. I hibernated my computer three times, and each startup was greeted with a fresh login, all applications down, and "Windows has recovered from an unexpected problem" dialog. I removed this, restarted, and hibernated with no problems. I put it back in and hibernated, and the problem resurfaced. I ran this test several times, with the same results. This card definitely breaks hibernate functionality with a Windows 7 x64 Pro on an ASUS G51JX-X2.

Other Thoughts: Never took an opportunity to test its speed. After I verified it as the cause for the crash-on-hibernate problem, I removed it from my computer and put it back in its packaging. Since it wasn't a complete failure, nor did it cause complete catastrophic failure, I'm giving it two eggs rather than one, but I would not trust it. I intend to return it to NewEgg for RMA.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Customer,

We are sorry to hear of the trouble with your recently purchased Syba product. In order to ensure correct product functionality, please make sure you install the card with it's appropriate drivers, since this is not a plug and play item. If the card is still behaving inadequately, we suggest exchanging it for another one.

Thank you again for purchasing our product. Our business depends on your satisfaction. Please do not hesitate to contact us at support@sybaUSA.com for our warranty service or further questions.

Regards, Syba Customer Service GR 030612