You can make USB 2.0 drivers work with Windows 98SE

YESTERDAY I received an "el cheapo" USB 2.0 pcmcia controller (32-bit Cardbus, to be exact) that I mail-ordered a few weeks ago to bring USB compatibility to my ancient but trusty IBM Thinkpad 380ed. Due to its memory constraints (80mb) and slow CPU, this seems destined to end its days still running Windows 98 SE.

The no-name, no-brand card, in a plastic blister, only has text on it saying "USB 2.0 Cardbus", "Made in Taiwan", and "This device complies with all FCC regulations". It arrived with no drivers, and while the package was badly damaged, I don't think a 3.5" diskette could have slipped out out of the envelope unnoticed..

No problem, I thought. "Maybe there is an USB 2.0 update pack at Microsoft.com which I can download, as there is one for Firewire support". So I headed to google.com with a bit of hope and a bit less confidence and searched for some random mix of "Win98se" "USB 2.0" and "drivers".

I read the results, looking for links with the microsoft.com domain name. My eyes landed on a link that seemed to be just what I needed, a document appropiatelly titled "USB 2.0 and Windows" so I clicked on it.

The document in question, available here, and dated January 13, 2003, includes a nice overall picture of Microsoft's USB 2.0 support across its Windows family of operating systems.

While it reads "This article provides details on Microsoft plans for USB 2.0 support", users of "legacy" Win32 platforms like myself are given the bad news without any attempt to be diplomatic. "Microsoft will not provide USB 2.0 support for the Windows 9x platform".

I can't say I was surprised by this, as Microsoft's business model is based on continuous upgrades and planned obsolescence. I was just puzzled by the fact that I had seen a Firewire update for Win98SE from Microsoft, and I thought that USB 2.0 would also be supported with oficial drivers. But the words on this Jan 2003 Microsoft document detailing "USB 2.0 plans" didn't gave room for speculation: "Microsoft will not provide USB 2.0 support for the Windows 9x platform". That means never. Forget it.

At this point, and after reading this, I guess many users in my situation will just conclude that they have to upgrade the OS to Win2k or XP. But I don't take "no" for an answer, at least not until I hit my head against a wall several times. So I decided to keep looking...

Asking for help
So, as a last try I phoned a local acquaintance who's a MCSE and has bragged in the past about "knowing "indows inside-out", he's also subscribed to Microsoft Technet. Instead of answers, I was given a speech from the pulpit and interrogated on why-oh-why was I still running Win98se. I gave him my reasons, and he still wasn't happy, but I pressed him for an answer of my pressing problem: the availability or not of Microsoft USB 2.0 drivers for Win98se: he told me once again that I should move to Win2000. As the conversation was going nowhere, I gave him my sincere thanks and regards and said goodbye.

I decided to insert this mysterious no-brand "el cheapo" card into the cardbus slot in the back of my IBM port replicator (the 380ed only included 16bit PCMCIA slots on the side, to get cardbus you need a 10" x 5" x 2" port replicator attached to the back/bottom of the portable, that adds two extra 32-bit Cardbus slots).

On my own
Win98se detected the card as "NEC USB Open Host Controller". At least I now knew what brand the USB 2.0 chipset was. Once more, Google gave me the answers I was seeking, and I found the web sites of many Cardbus and PCI USB 2.0 manufacturers which listed their chipset used as "NEC ".

I hit the first "download" link on the google results list, and I got a drivers installer file named "USB2.0_v2.06.exe" from SIIG.com's web site. I double-clicked blindly on the exe file on my desktop without much thinking and hoped for the best. After all, this was a no-brand card, and Microsoft's USB 2.0 plans document dated Jan-2003 said that the Vole didn't plan to provide drivers for my lousy-ancient-legacy platform.

Lesson of the day: Don't believe everything you read, especially on Microsoft.com - and don't jump to conclusions about driver availability.

After the installer copied a dozen files to windowssystem and repeated the "ask for drivers" annoyance and file copying dance for each three of the card's USB 2.0 ports, I rebooted and... yes the card was recognised!

Moral of the story
If you have an NEC chipset based USB 2.0 card, either desktop PCI or Cardbus), don't have a drivers diskette/cd from the manufacturer or you picked the card at an auction or another other second-hand venue) and for some reason you're stuck running Windows 98SE (or ME):

1. don't believe Microsoft's USB 2.0 papers about "lack of win98 usb 2.0 drivers", and
2. don't waste time asking your local MCSE acquaintance.

Instead, try the following driver, it worked for me and might work for you as well. You can download it here - but at your own risk, of course. µ