My 10 year 9x Mystery ;)

[tekix]

I have steered clear from Windows 9x for many years now which is unfortunate as it is crucial for classic gaming. Virtualization tends not to be optimized for gaming nor support sound blaster or its dos drivers ...so to the point

Why does windows refuse to see drivers or even its own install files when im pointing it right at them (i.e. specifying location, using 'have disk.') Then at some point through some arcane god of mischief decide to re-gain 20/20 vision

Used to really drive me insane, regardles of what PC. So why does this happen, is there a way to deal with it.. I can't find any reference to it here or on google, as far as I was aware it was a common issue. Can anyone help me heal and move on from the pain!

Cheers

Edited November 1, 2007 by tekix

[twig123]

lol 9x was horrible at asking for the right source files... it would almost always ask for the 9x source disk... when in fact, it really wanted something like a driver CD...

Easy way to eliminate it possibly looking for the Windows 9x cd... Copy the Win9x folder to the C: and then there is a Registry entry that needs to be changed to reflect the source files not being on cd anymore. I dont remember the exact path since it has been a while... but it should be located in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup\SourcePath

change the key to reflect the location where you copied the files. ... if is still asks for the source disk after that... it really doesn't want files for windows but rather from some other source media such as a driver CD.

...even sometimes when in the process of copying drivers it will stop and ask for their location again. My buddies and I make fun in Win9x... "Where was that driver again?...O wait, I forgot... where again?"

[tekix]

Although that was fun that wasnt the issue. I would copy the win98 directory off the cd onto my hdd and if needed manualy point things there.

A perfect example was my D-Link 550TX NIC, what a pain. I would manual point to the correct inf folder within the unzipped drivers and windows would only show 1 driver which wasnt for the nic and didnt work, multiple reboots and some faffing about and it would then show 3 more drivers (one of which being the right one) when pointing it to the same inf folder.

It wasnt just windows forgetting, it was me shoving windows face infront of the drivers and windows doing a monty python and saying 'what drivers?' then me thrusting my sword into the tower and windows insisting 'it was only a flesh wound.' Then me trying to explain to my computer it wasnt alive and was made of man made materials to which it would reply 'no Im not'.....

Edited November 1, 2007 by tekix

[twig123]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Win9x

[North of Watford]

Just to add another similar story, I had real trouble getting a PCMCIA network card to run on a Toshiba laptop with Win98. No matter how many times I tried to remove it, and re-install there was still no action. Until I discovered that it was automatically picking the Win2K driver, regardless of which one I told it to use.

The only way to resolve the difficulty was to put the Win98 driver and other necessary stuff in isolation, a folder of its own. Then it worked correctly, and the card has been earning its keep ever since.

Jeff

[bizzybody]

Since the original release of Windows 95, I've called it the "Add New Hardware Id10t". First it asks where the device drivers are, so you show it, then it wants to know where the Windows install files are, then it forgets where the device drivers were, then can't remember where the Windows files are... back and forth until finally the device is installed.

I'd like to know why that stupidity has been allowed to persist for so long. Windows stores the last several accessed paths in the Registry in the MRU keys, but DOES NOT SEARCH THEM when it goes looking for things like drivers or its own install files.

The MRU keys are only used to fill in the drop lists for the user to do what Windows should be doing on its own.

What's only been made WORSE over the years is it's been made more and more difficult to get to the point where the user can "shove the drivers in Windows' face" so you can get to making things work. You have to wait for Windows to search where you know the driver IS NOT LOCATED, then it wants to check online before FINALLY deigning to allow the user to click a button to grab Windows by the ear and poke its nose into where the drivers are.

What always should have been is to have the option right at the beginning for the user to tell Windows where the drivers are rather than treating the user like an id***.

So there's a project for Win9x wizards, program a replacement for the "Add New Hardware Id1ot" or find a way to hack directly to "Have Disk" so people don't have to wade through all the useless crappage. (And while yer at it, make the flinking thing default to C:\ rather than A:\ so we don't get those stupid no disk error messages.)

Edited November 19, 2007 by bizzybody