SimTools is sensitive to any USB disruption when in use and it is useful to understand USB bandwidth, as on most sims there are also a multitude of peripherals, and of late VR devices (particularly the Rift), which combined can put a lot of strain on USB bandwidth.

A single on-board USB host controller almost always serves more than one USB port, so the total bandwidth available to those ports will be shared. The maximum bandwidth of devices connected to a single host controller is usually about 400MB/s in USB 3.0 mode and 36MB/s in USB 2.0 mode.

A significant problem with USB 3 ports is poor implementation of the Standards, which is also why high demand devices like the Rift often have issues with some USB 3 ports, particularly those on-board.

USB 2 is more stable and SimTools USB bandwidth needs are not high, so try using those USB 2 ports if possible, but keep in mind not to overload shared USB 2 controllers.

There are quality powered USB PCI cards you can add to a system to alleviate overloading on-board shared ports, though be aware that many do not have dedicated channels, but some do.

You can use USBtreeview to check out what devices are plugged in to which controllers, to help make the most of the USB ports you have, download it here: https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/usb_device_tree_viewer.html

Just as important is to ensure good cable management and shielding to avoid interference, so use quality USB cables and ferrite shields: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?LH_... shield&_sacat=&_sadis=&_sop=12&_udhi=&_udlo=

See here for cable management tips: https://www.xsimulator.net/community/faq/cable-management.166/

In addition Windows by default has Selective Suspend enabled for USB ports and that should be turned off: https://www.windowscentral.com/how-prevent-windows-10-turning-usb-devices

Credit @noorbeast: https://www.xsimulator.net/community/threads/simtools-usb-issues-can-cause-crashes.12434/