HoppaLong

Yes, you're absolutely correct. Old Windows systems don't natively support USB devices. I was thinking about all the generic USB drivers created for older systems. I remember trying several until I found one that has worked perfectly with every USB device I own. Hubs are definitely listed in Device Manager under "Universal Serial Bus Controllers." That's where they should appear if properly installed. I'm 99% certain there is nothing physically wrong with this hub. It's been used with three computers. No problems. When (or if) this glitch happens again I'll find the Registry Key associated with the Unknown Device. It would take several paragraphs to explain how I've dealt with these kind of problems in the past. Like I said, it involves autoexec.bat and a script. Not a "clean" solution, but it works.

Most portable or "travel size" hubs are junk. Several eBay sellers list a 7-port aluminum hub that's definitely portable. I purchased one. It's built like a miniature tank. Really nice! 98SE is having some trouble with this hub. It works normally for awhile and then your USB sticks stop loading. I unplug the hub for a few seconds. When its plugged in again the system tries to install it, like it needs a driver. Hubs are passive devices. They don't need third party drivers. It appears in Device Manager as an improperly installed Unknown Device. Deleting the item keeps it away for a few boot cycles until the next time when the system again fails to load devices plugged into the hub. (Ironically, I've never had this problem with all the junk hubs that were thrown in the trash.) This is a very old problem with systems like 98SE. Years ago I devised a two part solution. It involves adding some command lines to autoexec.bat and placing a script in the Startup folder. My fix has always worked well, but a less complex solution would be preferable.

bluebolt, I should have looked at my list of all XP Pro "run" commands. Using AutoRuns worked, but gpedit.msc is definitely a better way to go. I probably have too many system backups, but knowing that any damage can quickly be reversed allowed me to push XP with the following stress test: With AutoPlay (shsvcs.dll) disabled I grabbed a mobile cart with twelve USB devices. Using a 12-port hub I attached each device in rapid succession. The instant I heard that "boop-boop" sound indicating a device had loaded I plugged in the next gizmo. I ejected all twelve devices successfully and repeated the process a few more times. Despite all the hammering with different USB devices, the system did not break down. It's nice to have a fully functional XP system again. The next logical step would be to replace shsvcs.dll with a fresh copy. It may or may not be corrupt, but it's a good idea. 98 has the System File Checker. It can extract a fresh copy of any file from the install disk. XP does not appear to have a similar applet. I haven't searched yet, but there must be free third party apps that can do the same job.

I've cleaned up several problems with XP, but the most perplexing is an intermittent system crash. After loading any media like a CD or USB flash drive the desktop monitor goes dark for a couple of seconds. Sometimes the system recovers like nothing happened. Usually, I see "no signal" on the monitor as if the system was starting a boot or reboot. However, the system does not restart. I'm forced to press the tower reset button. There is never a BSOD or any other kind of error dialog box. Like I said, this problem is unpredictable. Maybe two out of ten media loadings. I finally have a solid clue as to the possible cause. It's AutoPlay. I selected "take no action" but a drive window opens automatically after inserting a USB stick. Since I couldn't stop AutoPlay I used an app from Sysinternals called AutoRuns. To disable AutoPlay I removed the tick from this item: ShellHWDetection -- Provides notifications for AutoPlay hardware events. Pathname: c:\windows\system32\shsvcs.dll I probably won't know if I've cured this "crashing" problem for a couple of days. My question is, could AutoPlay be the cause of this weird behavior?

OMG!! I forgot to try the quickest and least destructive fix when you're having trouble with any device in Windows. Dump the gizmo from Device Manager, reboot, and hopefully Windows will reinstall the hardware properly. That's what I did with my 64GB Centon stick. It worked! Acronis Disk Director displayed this stick as just another drive before I was forced to wipe the partition and reformat. Disk Director is now failing detection. I think I know why. XP creates hidden "System Volume Information" folders on all drives. There are blogs telling you how to keep this junk off USB sticks, but Disk Director might need this info to detect the flash drive. Windows own disk management tool does load this stick, but it lacks many of the features provided by Acronis. The Portable Freeware site recommends an app called "Rufus." I'm going to try it. http://www.portablefreeware.com/all.php http://rufus.akeo.ie/

You're correct, jaclaz. I've posted about other problems with XP and a 64GB stick. Maybe I've just had bad luck, but XP has never worked smoothly with flash drives. You would think that very old systems like 98SE would go crazy. After all, Microsoft never thought to provide native support for hardware that didn't exist way back then. Generic USB drivers and 98SE seem to love each other! I managed to save all the data on a flash drive that had been crushed by a car. The only system that recognized this crushed stick was 98SE. jaclaz, I made a copy of that Registry cleaning procedure. If followed with care, it should corrrect most problems with XP and USB devices. It would be nice if there were a reliable app that searched the Registry and found these items screwing up USB devices. I've got NirSoft's USBDeview, but I haven't tried it yet. I guess now is a good time.

After purchasing a new flash drive I always check the factory partition setup with an app like Acronis Disk Director. I keep a record of that info just in case the drive has a problem. I've got a 64GB stick that hasn't been used much. For no apparent reason, it just seem to blowup! It's a Centon DataStick . I've owned several Centon sticks. Until now, they were all trouble free. I attempted to copy a 24GB package of files. The progress bar stopped before completion and announced the drive was full. It was empty when the copying started. The Properties Sheet for the drive showed 39GB of something. There were no visible folders or files. I ran an app called "USB Disk Storage Format Tool." The repair function showed a problem with all clusters. As it checked each cluster it displayed "Bad links in lost chain at cluster (number) corrected." When this process completed I rebooted and tried again. All those cluster "corrections" didn't work. Before I junked this flash drive I decided to wipe the partition and start fresh. FAT32 with 64KB clusters. Just like the factory setup. With XP Pro it appears as fully installed in Device Manager and the "Safely Remove Hardware" box. For some reason it is no longer visible in Explorer or My Computer. I booted into 98SE and a couple of Linux distros. No problem. The drive is visible and working in all systems except XP Pro. If this flash drive was physically damaged, it would not work in other systems. How do I get XP Pro to recognize this drive?

Those NirSoft apps are USBDeview and CleanAfterMe. Correct? The problem with apps that list all devices or running processes is the same. You can never be 100% certain about every item on the list. Sysinternals AutoRuns lists every obscure running process and gives you the option to disable anything on the list after a reboot. You could spend days googling before all the items listed by AutoRuns are completely understood. Remember how registry cleaner apps exploded in popularity many years ago? Some had awful names like "Registry Drill." So many people used these apps with no way back from the damage they caused. I always have numerous backups, so I can never wreck anything beyond repair. I'll try those two NirSoft apps and see what happens. If they don't fix the problem I'll check the Keys you listed in this thread: http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/138563-usb-device-not-recognized/#entry888222 Thanks jaclaz.

XP Pro_SP3 I've never seen any Windows system have so much trouble with a 64GB stick. The system kind of freezes for a few seconds. Then the monitor appears to power- down, or a least that's what I thought when this problem started. Actually, the monitor just goes blank. All icons and wallpaper vanish. A few seconds after that the system finally loads the drive and the monitor is restored to normal. The drive is listed in My Computer, but all is definitely not well! When I attempt to open certain folders a "corrupt" dialog box appears. On the Properties Sheet it shows zero bytes. This flash drive has been tested on several other computers. It works normally. I've had less serious quirky problems with XP and other flash drives. I know XP has native support for USB devices, but maybe using different drivers would be a good idea. If you think better drivers might be the answer, give me a link. I use the "WinTricks Generic Storage USB Device" driver with 98SE. The folder containing the files is a remarkable 21.1KB. It works perfectly all the time! I wish the same could be said for my XP system.

I've got a very old version of FlashGet. It has good help file. There is no mention of command line support, but a timeout parameter is an obvious solution. Is there another manager that's compatible with 98SE and supports commands? Years ago there was an obscure manager for file sharing (cloud) sites. The name was "RapidDownload" and it displayed a scrolling text file with commands only. I liked this app! If you were comfortable at the command line, it worked better than any of the feature packed downloaders.

I drift away from 98SE for a few weeks thinking I will never return. The problem is I always think of another way to use this system. It's just too useful to abandon forever. I'm working on a script that can download almost anything without human eyes watching a monitor. I've run dozens of tests. The script handles most problems, but there are still glitches I have not anticipated. I need a single purpose applet that can track a download stream from a manager like FlashGet. If there are no streaming bytes for a certain period of time (maybe 60 seconds), the applet will take some action like launching a file. I have a collection of applets that are great for script building. It seems like there should be a download failure monitor or detector. I've googled for 30 minutes with no luck.

OK. I read the article about "prettified" filenames. Long before the GUI, all commands were uppercase. If I remember correctly, my first "real" computer was designated as the "286." It had a tiny monitor and used floppy disks only. I kind of assumed there was no simple solution to the lower and uppercase problem. The actual problem is switching back and forth between old and new systems. Most people don't do that. I should have googled about those two Registry Keys for monitor power-down. I created a "mini-menu" in the Quick Launch Toolbar. One of the shortcuts in the menu is Power Options, but I never realized how much time I was wasting in the Power Options applet. I can easily create a script that will import the Values needed to change monitor power- down times. The script will launch from a simple shortcut.

One: I know this problem is ancient, but I don't remember the solution. I create a folder in 98SE named "MyCat_Playing." The folder is opened in a newer system like XP. Nothing changes. When I view the folder again in 98SE it's "MYCAT_PLAYING." How do I prevent lowercase letters from becoming uppercase? Two: Is there a rundll command in 98SE to set the time for monitor power-down? I frequently switch between two time settings, and it would be easier with a command line. If not, maybe a command supported app could do the job.

Understandably, no replies. I've got the solution. I forgot about several tweaking apps on my Start Menu. Microsoft's Tweak UI had the fix. Under the "My Computer" tab you select or deselect drives and partitions. I simply unticked the floppy drive (A:). Not 100% sure why this works. The floppy drive is not disabled. It can be accessed from any shortcut. Like most of you, I've got many bootable flash drives. The only time I might use a floppy disk is to restore the CMOS settings when the backup battery (CR2032) is replaced.

I've got a "My Computer" toolbar on the Taskbar. After selecting a menu item the system checks the floppy disk drive about half the time. Why not all the time? I don't know. It happens more frequently when I eject a USB stick. The menu briefly hangs before the the system checks the floppy drive. This is not directly related, but it's the only option in 98SE that effects your floppy disk drive. Years ago I removed the tick from System Properties > Performance > File System Properties > Floppy Disk > "Search for new floppy disk drives each time your computer starts." I haven't googled about this yet, but it seems like a Registry hack is a possible solution. Maybe it's just another quirk that you have to accept with these older Windows systems.

I cannot wrap my brain around Amazon not having enough server capacity. That's impossible! Peform a quick search about the dollar value of Amazon as a corporation. Like all huge corporations, their dollar value is difficult to calculate. They own or are involved with thousands of smaller businesses. How could the Amazon site slow down or stop working completely? Amazon is drowning in cash. Why wouldn't they always have more than enough server capacity?

(I think this post belongs under General Discussion. If it doesn't you can move it or delete it.) I placed an order through Amazon about ten days ago. Everything went smoothly. The last couple of days something is wrong. The Amazon homepage loads sporadically or not at all. If I wait and wait a "timeout" page appears. Can you imagine the capacity of Amazon's mega-giant server farms? They must be more than ready to handle the surge of visitors to their site for holiday shopping. I have four browsers. They all have the same problem accessing Amazon. A few minutes ago I googled "amazon site down." There are 310,000,000 listings about problems with the Amazon site! Look at the first one on the list from downdetector.com. Honestly, I'm completely dumbfounded. Until now, I've never had any trouble with the Amazon website.

Received Intellimouse yesterday. The mapped settings in the MouseWorks software responds perfectly with the PS/2 adapter. I'm going to order another Intellimouse immediately. Thanks dencorso. Hello Nomen. I've never purchased an "ergonomically correct" mouse but I am familiar with several companies that sell this type of mouse, like Evoluent.

I just googled "Microsoft Intellimouse Optical 1.1." You're correct, dencorso. A very popular model! I can understand why Microsoft wants to use a different word for two or more of the same item. In this case, a computer mouse. Still, when people are talking about computers I don't think there is a problem understanding the plural of "mouse" is "mice." I've never heard anyone say "mouses." I don't know if this is positive or negative, but without this support for old Windows systems I'm almost certain I would have stopped using 98SE. I'm constantly amazed how you guys find solutions to impossible problems. I'll return to this thread after I receive my Intellimouse.

I did not expect so many great replies. Thanks! Hey Drugwash. I feel the same way about a few of my older mice. Unfortunately, it's not possible to fully repair my Kensington 72121. Replacing the microswitches is only a partial fix. There is a very slight warpage inside the mouse. When you operate an exterior button, it may not fully depress the microswitches. I tried shims and a dozen other fixes. There is no way to correct this problem. This post from dencorso seems like the solution: http://www.msfn.org/board/topic/146199-which-optical-mouse-for-windows-98-se/#entry937604 dencorso is using a Microsoft Intellimouse Optical with a PS/2 adapter and MouseWorks_v6.11. That sounds good to me! jaclaz, that link you provided to Kensington Pro Fit K72323WW has got me excited! When my 72121 began to fail, it seemed like I would never find another mouse with a single thumb button. I'm assuming that thumb "gesture button" could be used as a simple double-click, which is what I really want. Like you said, there is no way to know for sure if this Windows 8 mouse is mappable with an old version of MouseWorks. Guys, I want to be 99.9% certain the mouse I purchase will work with MouseWorks_v6.11. A Microsoft Intellimouse recommended by dencorso seems like the way to go. denscorso has already proven these models will work with MouseWorks. Can you provide me with a couple of links for wired Intellimouse models that are compatible with MouseWorks_v6.11?

I need a new mouse that's compatible with 98SE. Kensington 72121 is the model I'm using now. MouseWorks_v6.11 is the software. Several months ago the microswitches began to fail. I have an extensive background in electronics, so I was able to repair the mouse. It seemed like I was trying to repair gum after being chewed, but the repairs have kept it functional. I don't want to tinker with this old Kensington mouse again, so I really need a new mouse. Just a basic full size mouse. The only requirement is a corded (wired) model. 72121 has a single big thumb button which I like a lot. These days, all 5-button mice seem to have two small thumb buttons. That's ok. If it's compatible with 98SE, I'll buy.

Yes, I understand. Thank you jumper and dencorso. My friend was not the owner of that expensive camera. The pictures were taken by a professional. They were reduced in size for a trade magazine. He has a few full size framed prints hanging on his office wall. That's why he was puzzled when the smaller images couldn't be enlarged.

My image editing skill is limited to adding captions to pictures. Really, that's about all I've ever done with a picture. If I take several very large jpegs and reduce them in size, a simple mouse click will restore them to their original size. No harm done. My friend sent a collection of razor sharp small images taken with a multi-thousand dollar camera. Their original size would have easily filled a standard sheet of copy paper, if printed. They were reduced to fit several images on a single page. Restoring them to their original size should be easy, but it's not. As you enlarge these images you see jagged rows of densely packed pixels, not the clarity you would expect. Because I helped him with a few complex computer problems, he thinks I can explain or fix the problem with these images. Maybe someone at this forum can provide a solution. I'm guessing it might be possible to restore the original clarity of these images with the right app. Is there some newbie friendly freeware that could do the job? If expert level software is required like Adobe Photoshop I'm out of luck. A simple app with a name like "Blowup Your Images" would be perfect.

With early Windows systems it's best not to use desktop wallpaper or screensavers. I don't use either. I try to run my copy of 98SE clean and simple. Keeping the number of background processes to a minimum reduces the appearance of the BSOD or complete system crashes. I installed KernelEx disabled. It's enabled selectively when needed. Whenever there is a problem with no obvious solution, I try to create a script that will work around the problem. I'm not sure how to do it right now, but I might be able to create a monitoring script that will extinguish the "ghosts" when they appear.

If you listed 50 flaws with these early Windows systems, "ghosts" in the taskbar probably wouldn't make the list. Nevertheless, that's the problem I've got. With some of my apps, the rectangular image in the taskbar leaves a ghost behind when the window is closed. The worst offender is an app called PrintScreen. Each screenshot creates another ghost in the taskbar. So, if I take 20 screenshots I have to click the taskbar 20 times to make them disappear. This happens occasionally with many different versions of Windows, but with my copy of 98SE it's become a chronic problem. I don't know the cause or the solution. If you do, please let me know.