Q: can usb be converted to usb 2.0 with software or does it take a hardware change.
A: USB 1.x can't be upgraded to USB 2.0. But you can get an add-in card that will supply USB 2.0 capability. USB 1.1 topped out at around 12 Mbits/sec. USB 2.0 is capable of 480 MBits/sec.