USB port installation 1

[gawdknows]

Hello all

My desktop has no USB port and thus I bought one today.
I have to open my desktop(a Win 98, pentium 350, 64 meg Int RAM) and install it, something I have never done myself.
The software part should be just a few clicks on "next" and then "finish", but it's the hardware part that's giving me the creeps. which wires go where and which slots fit where...I'm lost and what scares me the most is, once I come out from the hardware installation, my PC refuses to boot....Brrrrrrrrr....

Anyone out there can write in a step-by-step installation, something which a novice can also understand ?

Thanks for any help.

Regards
shovon

 

[WheeDoggy]

http://www.ramelectronics.net/html/usb-howto.html

 

[sunspore]

I'm not sure by your description whether your USB card is PCI (plug and play) or ISA (legacy), in which case you will need to configure the IRQ for the device. If your card fits into one of the shorter white expansion slots, it's PCI and you don't have to worry about IRQs. I'll assume that's what you have. Let me know if this is wrong.

1. unplug computer.

2. You should install the card before the drivers, so open the case and install it, making sure to discharge yourself frequently by touching the metal frame of the case or the power supply so you don't zap your system with ESD (electrostatic discharge). The surest way to do this is to get an anti ESD wristband. Make sure the card is all the way into the slot and screwed snugly to the frame. Make sure to touch only the edges of the card.

3. Follow the directions for the card concerning wire connections - they are all slightly different. Have a flashlight handy for finding the socket on your motherboard for any wires that need to be plugged into it. This can be a little tough, but look for writing on the MB near sockets.

4. After the card has been installed securely, boot up and put the disk in when your system detects new hardware. If it doesn't do this automatically, go to Start | settings | control panel | add new hardware, and follow the wizard. If you can't do it like this, a last resort is to browse your driver disk for a file called setup, and double click it.

5. Check device manager to make sure it has been properly installed and is working properly. Start | settings | control panel | system | device manager. Find your device in there and make sure that there are no funky icons next to it, like red x's or exclamation points. Double click on the device and make sure the blurb in the window says that "this device is working properly". It should begin to install. You should be good to go at this point. Let me know how it goes.

Good luck,
Drew

 

[gawdknows]

Dear Drew(sunspore) and others who replied

I opened up the computer and located the PCI slot. This was okay to find, since the USB card has this a lock and key design , so all I had to do was to click the card in a free slot. I boxed up my machine and was quiet happy with this minor surgical operation. Contrary to my hardware 'angst' now I faced a software dilemma.
On starting windows 98, windows automatically detected the new USB card and after accepting some defaults, it asked for the Win98 CD rom. Now here's one thing I would like to clarify, I have win98 SE cd rom(which came in with my laptop), whereas my desktop has the initial version of Win98 (I think a date of 14 -7-1998 ..) This is because I never got an official win98 CD rom when I bought this desktop from a 'hobby-assembler'...the deal was cheap (ignorance !)

anyway I carried on and checked my device manager. I have a screen shot but I don't assume I can send it..,and BTW is there any way one can send attachments on this Forum ?

okay back to business..and this is what I saw(among other devices):


Universal controller for serial Bus
|
|
|--Intel 82371AB/EB universal host controller for PCI to USB
|--OPTi82C861 PCI to USB open host controller
|--USB Root Hub

at this moment, there was a funky yellow exclamation mark on the top one(Intel 82371AB...) and the bottom one(USB Root Hub). The middle one was okay.

So I went to the properties of the 1st one and let windows go for the device driver from the wizard. All went nicely and the funky yellow exclamation mark vanished from the 1st one (Intel 82371AB...). All that was remaining was the last one(USB Root Hub). I went ahead with the same logic with the wizard, but every time I reach the point where the 'progress bar' shows up for the installation, I get 'blue screen' fatal error...press any key to go ahead. Pressing any key, shows up a message box ('close' or 'details'and I guess everyone working with Windows has seen this message), on the 'details' section it says:-->, 'rundll' failed because...and thereafter a lot of hex symbols....which don't make any user, wise. I tried this a couple of times, but always the same blue screen at the same point... and now my computer has a funky yellow exclamation mark for the last option "USB Root Hub".

I tried to connect my digital camera with the USB port(BTW it's a card with 2 ports....and I tried both in turn). Nothing happens, and after some time my Camera says,"no communication". This is evident, because on switching the camera itself, it should kickstart it's installed software on the desktop and windows should have asked me to register that camera. As it happened on my laptop(on the laptop all is fine, since it had a built in USB port ...saves a lot of hassles).So my 'test' if my installed USB card works has failed :-(

so that is my situation now. To summarize:
1 USB Root Hub has a "!"
2 installing gives Blue screen

and maybe that part about the 'SE' cd-rom with my 'old' 98 may be a red-herring.

Hope someone can diagnose this.

Thanks for any help.

Shovon

 

[wolluf]

Try

http://www.usb-drivers.com/drivers/46/46574.htm

(user name is 'drivers', password is 'all'.

 

[gawdknows]

Hi there

I have downloaded the driver and now the ahem..stupid ..question. "what do I do with this file":

1st option: I cut and paste them in place of the SE ones on my '4.10.1998' edition. and reinstall from the wizard again.(But if Win98 keeps asking for the CD, what sence does it make?)

OR

2 take out the USB card and install it again. and make sure this file is cut and paste in some directory.

OR

3 something else.

Thanks for these help tips. I can see some light at the end of the tunnel(hope it's not a train )

**PS: THE USB-drivers.com says "The Win98SE drivers (version 4.10.2222) won't work on FE, and will screw up your USB".....since I've already done this...does it mean that my card is kaput(gulp!)

 

[wolluf]

You could just try replacing the existing drivers in \windows\system32\drivers and rebooting. Sorry - didn't look in detail when I found that site.

 

[gawdknows]

Hello Everybody

Firstly, thanks for the on-going tips.

Well, I did replace the 3 files(windows\system32\drivers) and rebooted and then came this.

"security problem ,restart your computer", and a cursor just keeps blinking.....bizarre Uncle gates.

I 'reset' the machine and thereafter the computer will only start on "Safety" mode[option # 3]. Once inside in safety mode, I renamed the 3 new files (to bla bla ) and again rebooted. Computer starts up all fine,but does not recognise the USB because of the obvious(3 files are renamed)

So I'm in a classical 'chicken and egg' situation. If I make use of the 3 files(FE) then my computer only starts in "safety" mode and if I rename those files, computer starts up fine but then no USB.

More and more I am getting to the point that I need that elusive FE cd-rom.

Well for the moment, I am back to square one.

Shall hope to hear any tips.

Thanks
Shovon

 

[Davix]

Are you running win98_SE? Have you downloaded any updates for your operating system?

 

[gawdknows]

Thanks to All and you too Davix. The issue has been resolved. Indeed it was the FE v/s SE story. I then installed ME over everything and now we are sailing.

Thx

 

[Win98User]

I hope you haven't boarded the Titanic by switching to Windows ME

Good luck.