USB Ports Completely Dead After MrChromebox Firmware Installation - HP Chromebook 15a (Cando)

Device Information

  • Model: HP Chromebook 15a-na0 (Cando)

  • CPU: Intel Celeron N4500 (Jasper Lake)

  • Firmware: MrChromebox Full UEFI Firmware v2025.03 (updated from initial install)

  • OS: Linux Mint (fully installed, not live USB)

  • Kernel: 6.14.0-33-generic

Problem Description

After installing MrChromebox full UEFI firmware and Linux Mint, all USB-A ports and USB-C ports are completely dead for data. USB-C charging still works, but no USB devices are detected at all when plugged into any port.

What Works

  • :white_check_mark: USB-C charging

  • :white_check_mark: Internal USB devices (webcam on port 1-6, WiFi adapter on port 1-8)

  • :white_check_mark: System boots and runs fine otherwise

What Doesn’t Work

  • :cross_mark: All USB-A ports (no detection at all)

  • :cross_mark: USB-C ports for data (tried with USB-C to USB-A adapter)

  • :cross_mark: No response in dmesg when plugging in devices

  • :cross_mark: No device enumeration whatsoever

Diagnostic Information

USB Controller Detection

00:14.0 USB controller: Intel Corporation Jasper Lake USB 3.1 xHCI Host Controller (rev 01)

Port Count

  • USB 2.0 bus (usb1): 8 ports detected by kernel

  • USB 3.0 bus (usb2): 6 ports detected by kernel

Detected Devices

Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 0408:5476 Quanta Computer, Inc. HP Wide Vision HD Camera
Bus 001 Device 003: ID 0bda:b00c Realtek Semiconductor Corp. 802.11ac WLAN Adapter
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub

Port Status Check

When checking /sys/bus/usb/devices/, ports 1-1 through 1-5, 1-7, 1-9, 1-10 and all USB 3.0 ports (2-1 through 2-6) show as “NOT DETECTED” despite the kernel reporting them as available.

ACPI Error

cros-usbpd-notify-acpi GOOG0003:00: Couldn't get Chrome EC device pointer.

GPIO Status

Chrome EC GPIOs are detected:

gpiochip1: GPIOs 852-938, parent: platform/cros-ec-gpio.2.auto, cros-ec-gpio.2.auto, can sleep:
 gpio-852 (EC:SLP_S4_L         )
 gpio-853 (EC:SLP_S3_L         )
 [... additional EC GPIO pins listed ...]

When Plugging in USB Device

Running dmesg -w and plugging in a USB mouse produces absolutely no output - complete silence. No errors, no detection attempts, nothing.

What I’ve Tried

  1. :white_check_mark: Updated to latest MrChromebox firmware - no change

  2. :white_check_mark: Kernel parameters tested:

    • usbcore.autosuspend=-1

    • xhci_hcd.quirks=270336

    • intel_idle.max_cstate=1

  3. :white_check_mark: Installed intel-microcode and latest kernel

  4. :white_check_mark: Force-enabled port power:

    echo "on" | sudo tee /sys/bus/usb/devices/usb1/1-0:1.0/usb1-port*/power/control
    
    
  5. :white_check_mark: Verified xHCI controller is loaded and working (internal devices work fine)

  6. :white_check_mark: Checked USB modules: xhci_hcd, ehci_hcd, uhci_hcd all loaded

Analysis

The USB controller is functional (internal USB devices work), and the kernel sees all the ports, but no external USB ports respond to any devices being plugged in. This appears to be a Chrome EC (Embedded Controller) power management issue where the EC isn’t enabling power to the external USB ports, possibly because the MrChromebox firmware can’t properly communicate with the EC for this specific model.

Questions

  1. Is this a known issue with the Cando (HP Chromebook 15a) model?

  2. Is there a firmware workaround or EC command to enable these ports?

  3. Are there any kernel patches or drivers specific to Jasper Lake Chromebooks that might help?

  4. Has anyone successfully gotten USB ports working on this model with Linux?

Request

Any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated! I’m willing to test patches, try alternative firmware configurations, or provide additional diagnostic information.


Additional Note: I’m happy to test any experimental fixes or provide more detailed logs if needed.