Can USB ports become loose?
 

I have been having trouble lately whenever I try plugging in my headphones on the front USB ports to get them to work but it isn't the headphones that are the issue because I've tested them elsewhere and they work fine. Could my USB ports be loose or defective? Can they be tightened if loose or fixed quickly if defective? I am not a geek

It would be possible, that the connector or one of the connections could become "loose". Your best bet will be to take the computer to a repair shop, I have used MMD with good success. If you are lucky, you will have a loose/broken solder joint or a dirty connector. If you are not, you port may not be repairable.
Hope this helps.

They absolutely can become loose, especially if you plug cables in and out of them repeatedly. I just replaced my PC and the old one had a couple of USB ports that I regularly plugged different devices into (external hard drives, thumb drives, joysticks, gamepads, iPods, GPSs, Kindles, tablets, etc.) and it got to the point where I could barely count on being able to make a working connection. On my new PC, I decided to have enough USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports to be able to plug everything in and leave it plugged in. This meant adding two USB expansion cards plus getting an external 7-port, switched USB 3.0 hub. If I have a device I don't always want connected and turned on, I have it connected via that hub and I turn on and off the individual port on it. If your PC has multiple USB ports and one of them is getting loose, you might want to consider an external USB hub connected to one of the remaining "good" ports and plug your devices into it. At only 10 or 15 dollars or so, it might be cheaper than trying to get an existing port repaired.

I also use MMD great service and good guys

You have tried your headphones in other usb ports and they work, now try other usb items in the questionable port, and see what happens.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne@WayneSallee.com
Wayne Sallee . Com

ditto bought one with extra ports due to ports loosening from constant use:a040:

You can bend them to make them tight again, but be careful.

Wayne Sallee
Wayne@WayneSallee.com
Wayne Sallee . Com

Purchase a USB extender cable to plug into a working USB port in the rear of the computer to then plug the headphones into at a convenient location at the front.