faulty usb connection?

[sidewinder]

hi,
i have a hp m1170 media center pc with an onboard slot for my media hard drive,
it has just developed a paging fault when trying to access the drive when slotted in, when i power it externally and plug it in one of the external usb ports its fine, so i think the drive is ok,

all my usb ports are usb2 so i was wondering whether it would be ok to swap the point inside my pc where it connects with one of my other usb conectors to try and rule out a cable fault,

oh and if anyone knows what what the cable would be classed as since it takes a power lead from my dvd writer as well as the usb both going into one plug which goes into the hard drive, i'm having a hard time finding it on hp parts web site.

thanks

[Krispy Kritter]

Have you tried inputting your model information into the HP website or using the online configuration tester? It should provide you with the exact details of what is installed in your pc.