Reboot madness when USB is used

Here's the problem with my father-in-laws computer:

Any time he plugs a USB device into his computer it reboots. It doesn't matter what kind of device it is...USB flash drive, printer, scanner, etc. He is using Win XP Pro SP1.

Any ideas or advice? Thanks for your help in advance.

That sounds similar to this problem:
http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=365448

Myabe a grounding issue...

Does it happen with non-usb devices? If not, try reinstalling some drivers (chipset, usb controller, drivers for the devices themselves, etc).

One usb cable connected to the mainboard incorrectly will cause this problem, is it a white box system or custom build?
All usb cables are not the same, they can be connected improperly to the mainboard....it only takes one to cause this problem!

edit;
More likely than not, that is your problem.

The only other issue that seems to be popping up is that when you load a CD into the ROM drive, it will not recognize that it has data on it. It seems the only way to make it recognize that the disc has data and it's not a blank disc is to insert it before powering up the system.

I'm not sure what you mean by non-USB devices (ie. PS 2 mouse and keyboard?) If so, yes he is using a PS 2 mouse and keyboard, but no, it does not seem to be causing the computer problems.

I have reinstalled the chipset, video, and audio drivers. I uninstalled and reinstalled the USB drivers. All Windows updates have been done, and I have also flashed the BIOS to the latest version.

This was a custom built system by his neighbor who does a lot of IT work. It wouldn't surprise me if there is a grounding problem. Some how...when the computer was built and delivered, the system kept locking up and the builder could not find what was wrong. I finally traced it back to the heatsink being installed backwards...nice. So something like a grounding issue would not surprise me at all. I will check that out in the morning.

UPDATE:

I disconnected the front USB ports and the problem has subsided. So I went into some problem deduction at that point. I tried connecting one front port, and things seemed alright until I plugged a device into the newly connected port...the computer promptly rebooted. If I connect both front USB ports, it will reboot as soon as any USB device is connected to the system.

There was an add in card with 2 USB ports on the rear panel. I had disconnected these yesterday to narrow down problems. If I have the add in card connected and one front USB port connected, the same issue occurs when a USB device is plugged into any of the ports.

I had a problem with this and it was a drivers problem with Win XP and USB devices like SMART CARD readers.

Experimental said:

UPDATE:

I disconnected the front USB ports and the problem has subsided. So I went into some problem deduction at that point. I tried connecting one front port, and things seemed alright until I plugged a device into the newly connected port...the computer promptly rebooted. If I connect both front USB ports, it will reboot as soon as any USB device is connected to the system.

There was an add in card with 2 USB ports on the rear panel. I had disconnected these yesterday to narrow down problems. If I have the add in card connected and one front USB port connected, the same issue occurs when a USB device is plugged into any of the ports.

Click to expand...

Told you...........