USB 2.0 Stack for Win98/ME

[waltah]

I've been working on usb 2 on win98 on a Dell 4700 (915G/ICH6) for a few days. Clean install of Win 98 (Setup /p i), ICH23456 chipset drivers are installed, NUSB3.6.  It all works for basic very slow USB. usb20_win9x looks like what's needed but how is it used/installed?  

Y'r basic newbie question but I've got nowhere else to ask it. 

You ever try to get AI to help with something like this?  Hint: Don't -- unless you have lots of time for chasing dead ends and misunderstandings.

[awkduck]

3 hours ago, waltah said:

I've been working on usb 2 on win98

Please, verify if this is Win98 or Win98SE; it does make a difference. With Win98(Gold/FE[First Edition]) Nusb v3.6 is not compatible (try Nusb v3.2 instead). For Win98SE, Nusb v3.6 is fine.

For sweetlow's driver, on Win98(Gold/FE) you would need to use the NOWMI version of file "usbhub20.sys"; found in the NOWMI included folder. For Win98SE, you can use the one provided in the root directory of the zip file (same directory as USB2.inf); It is the same file as in the WMI folder. The one in the VIA folder is a fall back, if using a VIA chipsets; when the others do not work.

To install sweetlow's driver (it's been awhile) you might need to delete the USB2.inf file (from Windows/INF), remove your USB drivers from Device Manager, and then (when re-detecting and installing the new drivers) point to sweetlow's USB2.INF file; ensuring you use the correct usbhub20.sys file (replace the root file with the correct one, if needed). If files cannot not be found during installation, that are also not in the sweetlow's driver folder, they are probably located in Windows/System or Windows/System32/Drivers folders. You can check by guiding the installation manager to those folders, using the browse option.

Alternatively, you could just try copying sweetlow's driver files over the currently installed ones (found in Windows/System32/Drivers). Maybe, back up the old files first (good practice, when playing with things). After copying the files over, reboot.

[waltah]

I got it working.  It was interesting and a little surprising.  

1. Clean install of Win 98SE (Setup /p i), ICH23456 chipset drivers, NUSB3.6.   

2. Remove all the USB devices in Safe Mode, then again after reboot in Windows -- there doesn't seem to be a way to prevent Win from re-adding some of them on re-boot.

3. Swap in a HDD with XP and use that to get the strings for the USB devices -- VEN, DEV, etc.   (There's a software package that'll give you that under '98  but this was easier for me.)  These were different from anything in any USB-for-98SE package I looked at.  Evidently 4700's come in multiple flavors.  

4. Pick a USB2=for-Win98SE package with a convincing story -- there are at least 3-4 of them that substitute various generations of later .sys module ranging from WinME through what loks like recent XP SP3.  I  wound up with an early Win XP version.  I copied the  driver files to C:\Windows\System32\Drivers.   You cannot simply pick up the files from a working system because these later files make references that will be unresolved in your '98 system: The packages have a stub file to take care of those.  

5. Edit the USB2.INF file from the package to match the machine -- additions to [Strings] and a couple of one-line sections for EHCI and UHCI.   Put this file in C:\Windows\Inf.   

6. Restart and after the usual building of driver database and installations WORKING USB 2.  

Working USB 2 THAT WAS NOT A BIT FASTER than the working USB 1.1 I had achieved earlier!.  That is, if I copy a 150 meg file from a USB 2 thumb drive to C it takes nearly a minute.  

???????????

I installed the VIA PCI USB 2 card and drivers.   Worked great -- AT EXACTLY THE SAME SPEED, that is, about the same as USB 1.  

???

I am using the BIOS SATA emulation (of the PATA that Win 98 expects).   Maybe that slows things down?   I will try to install real Win98SE SATA ...

More to come.