# Photon in dfu mode not detected (linux) \[Solved - bad cable\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Firmware\ **Created:** [October 3, 2015, 10:52pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/photon-in-dfu-mode-not-detected-linux-solved-bad-cable/16198 "2015-10-03T22:52:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![marcoeg](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/community.particle.io/marcoeg/32/7209_2.png) [@marcoeg](https://community.particle.io/u/marcoeg)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2015, 10:52pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/photon-in-dfu-mode-not-detected-linux-solved-bad-cable/16198/1 "2015-10-03T22:52:47Z")
None of my two photons are detected in DFU on Linux. I am getting the following errors: $ dmesg | tail [830.826239] usb 1-4: new full-speed USB device number 6 using xhci\_hcd [830.938365] usb 1-4: device descriptor read/64, error -71 [831.154528] usb 1-4: device descriptor read/64, error -71 [831.955203] usb 1-4: new full-speed USB device number 8 using xhci\_hcd [832.067327] usb 1-4: device descriptor read/64, error -71 [832.283504] usb 1-4: device descriptor read/64, error -71 [832.499637] usb 1-4: new full-speed USB device number 9 using xhci\_hcd [832.611770] usb 1-4: device descriptor read/64, error -71 [832.827960] usb 1-4: device descriptor read/64, error -71 [833.044092] usb 1-4: new full-speed USB device number 10 using xhci\_hcd [833.044258] usb 1-4: Device not responding to setup address. [833.248392] usb 1-4: Device not responding to setup address. [833.452405] usb 1-4: device not accepting address 10, error -71 [833.564516] usb 1-4: new full-speed USB device number 11 using xhci\_hcd [833.564681] usb 1-4: Device not responding to setup address. [833.768827] usb 1-4: Device not responding to setup address. [833.972828] usb 1-4: device not accepting address 11, error -71 [833.972878] usb usb1-port4: unable to enumerate USB device [834.765504] usb 1-4: new full-speed USB device number 12 using xhci\_hcd [834.877603] usb 1-4: device descriptor read/64, error -71 [838.616637] usb 1-4: new full-speed USB device number 13 using xhci\_hcd [838.728765] usb 1-4: device descriptor read/64, error -71 [838.944941] usb 1-4: device descriptor read/64, error -71 [839.161089] usb 1-4: new full-speed USB device number 14 using xhci\_hcd $ uname -a Linux linuxdev 3.19.0-18-generic #18-Ubuntu SMP Tue May 19 18:31:35 UTC 2015 x86\_64 x86\_64 x86\_64 GNU/Linux I have tried numerous times and across system restarts. At best I get the messages above. Please advise. ---
**Author:** ![kennethlimcp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c0e974/32.png) [@kennethlimcp](https://community.particle.io/u/kennethlimcp)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 1:22am UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/photon-in-dfu-mode-not-detected-linux-solved-bad-cable/16198/2 "2015-10-04T01:22:56Z")
Have you tried `sudo dfu-util -l`? ---
**Author:** ![marcoeg](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/community.particle.io/marcoeg/32/7209_2.png) [@marcoeg](https://community.particle.io/u/marcoeg)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 3:52am UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/photon-in-dfu-mode-not-detected-linux-solved-bad-cable/16198/3 "2015-10-04T03:52:50Z")
Not only I tried dfu-util as sudo user but also added some rules to udev. The fact is that if the device is not detected by the usb driver there is no way that dfu-util would detect it, or is a problem with permissions. Something goes wrong during the usb enumeration. The host I am using is not a VM but I get the same problem with a Linux VM under MacOS. I noticed that the USB ports on the Intel NCU machine and the Mac Book are USB 3.0 but I have other slow devices such as keyboards, BLE, JTAG dongle and others 2.0 devices that work fine. The other difference is that on the particle the USB interface is the “On-The-Go”, like a smartphone usb interface. ---
**Author:** ![bko](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/community.particle.io/bko/32/20704_2.png) [@bko](https://community.particle.io/u/bko)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2015, 1:56pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/photon-in-dfu-mode-not-detected-linux-solved-bad-cable/16198/4 "2015-10-04T13:56:31Z")
A few people have reported problems with USB 3.0 ports on laptops, particularly MacBooks. What has worked for at least some of them is using a powered USB 2.0 Hub between the computer and the Particle device. Have you tried a powered USB 2.0 hub? ---
**Author:** ![marcoeg](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/community.particle.io/marcoeg/32/7209_2.png) [@marcoeg](https://community.particle.io/u/marcoeg)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 1:08am UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/photon-in-dfu-mode-not-detected-linux-solved-bad-cable/16198/5 "2015-10-05T01:08:21Z")
Yes, I have tried a USB 2.0 hub but still not working. I am trying both on Mac Book and an Intel NUC with linux. I think there is a problem with the bootloader of the two photons I purchased. ---
**Author:** ![marcoeg](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex026/user_avatar/community.particle.io/marcoeg/32/7209_2.png) [@marcoeg](https://community.particle.io/u/marcoeg)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 1:03pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/photon-in-dfu-mode-not-detected-linux-solved-bad-cable/16198/6 "2015-10-05T13:03:10Z")
At the end it was a bad USB cable.