iAero connecting only very intermittently

[dtrousdale]

I've just spent a very frustrating one and one half hours trying to get my iAero to download via the USB adapter. The USB ports on my laptop are fine. I moved the antenna for my wireless mouse from port to port, and the mouse responded immediately. Also my Vista laptop always makes a sound whenever I connect or disconnect the USB connector, indicating that it is aware of my action.
This has happened before but never this bad. When this has happened before, I try several things, and it usually works after I do one of them: (1) exit and restart the iBike SW both with the iAero connected beforehand as well as connecting the iAero after the iBike SW is up and running; (2) twist the iAero off then back on the USB connector, making sure it is fully engaged; (3) clean the contacts on both the USB connector and the iAero; (4) double-check the Connect to iBike item under the Device menu to make sure the correct Com Port is showing, and then click Get FW Version before trying to download any rides; (5) hold the USB connector firmly and squarely in the USB port on my laptop. I've done all of these countless times over the past 1.5 hours.
I did get some temporary connectivity. There are three rides on the iAero I want to download. At one point, I did establish connectivity and started to download one of the rides. However, the iBike SW acted in a way I've never observed before (I'm a 2.5 year user of multiple generations of iBike products). The little download status indicator would appear, show some download activity, disappear, reappear, show no download activity, disappear, reappear, etc. It did this about 4 times, and finally it did download the ride.
However, I have not been able to download the other two rides at all. It does look to me like there is some wear on the contact points of the USB connector. It is, after all, 2.5 years old. Do you think this could be the problem, even though the correct COM port shows up on the Connect to iBike item? There are no other visible problems with the USB connector that I can see.

[Velocomp]

Most likely your USB adapter has gone bad.