USB flash stick problem

I recently bought my first USB flash stick, a 1 GB Corsair Flash Voyager.  I've discovered that it only seems to work in the USB ports on the back of my computer.  When I insert it in the front USB port (which is integrated into the case) the LED on the stick flashes but it doesn't mount.

I tried switching the USB headers on my motherboard around, but no matter which port is plugged into which header, the back ports work and the front port doesn't.  So it looks like the front panel USB port is broken.  This sucks--it's a brandname case (Antec), not some ghetto crap.  It's still under warranty, but disconnecting everything and shipping the case to Antec is really not something I want to do.  This is not a defect I am happy to discover after happily using my new computer for 11 months :(

Is the stick USB 2.0 0nly?  The ports built into some cases only support 1.1, and my friend had a similar problem with his mp3 player.  It wouldn't work on the front ports, but worked just fine when plugged into the back ports.

Yeah, back ports are usually 2.0, fronts are 1.1 only. I would hope a gigabyte stick would be 2.0 only. 32MB is shit slow to fill at 1.1 speed.

Okay, that makes some sense.  When I attempt to connect the stick to the front port I get the following in /var/log/messages:

Nov 13 01:15:43 dita kernel: usb 4-2: new full speed USB device using address 2
Nov 13 01:15:44 dita kernel: usb 4-2: device not accepting address 2, error -71
Nov 13 01:15:44 dita kernel: usb 4-2: new full speed USB device using address 3
Nov 13 01:15:44 dita kernel: usb 4-2: device not accepting address 3, error -71

When I connect it to one of the back ports it gets recognized as a 'high speed' device instead, and mounts successfully.

I didn't realize there was a hardware difference (different pinouts?) between USB 1.1 and 2.0 ports.  I guess that's why this stick came with an 'extension cord'...

I've had problems with mounting my flash drive on the front (2.0) ports of my computer, but I suspect its more to do with shoddy connections rather than compatability, because I *can* get it to mount if I jiggle it just right :O

I've been thinking about using one of those USB dongle/extender cables and keeping that plugged in the back permanently to solve this, because I don't like walking around to the back of the computer every time I want to mount/unmount my drive.

I had a box that had an Antec X-Dreamer case.  The front USB ports simply stopped working one day, and as I went to unplug the cord for my digicam, out came the USB plugs themselves. 

You get what you pay for with a $55 case/400w PSU.  :-/