# windows 98 SE Flash drive drivers?



## XPUser1991

i just have one question, does windows 98 SE have USB Flash drive drivers?


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## Mumbodog

No, you would need to go to the flash drive manufacturers website to see if they have them, some do, some don't.

.


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## Ed999

*USB 1.1 DEVICE IN WINDOWS 98*

Windows 98 does NOT have built-in drivers for USB 1.1 (because those were not included in Windows until the release of Windows ME, a.k.a. Windows Millenium).

But many Windows 98 computers nevertheless have built-in USB ports. The USB driver files will NOT be Microsoft drivers. They will be drivers supplied by a third party. Thus the USB driver files will NOT be on the Windows 98 installation CD, so any re-installation of Windows will disable the USB 1.1 ports.

To use a USB 1.1 device with Windows 98, you should ONLY buy a device that comes with Windows 98 drivers. But if the computer has built-in USB ports (i.e. USB ports on the motherboard), you should NOT install any drivers. What you should do instead is plug in the USB device WITHOUT installing any drivers, to see whether the original USB drivers that came with the computer can detect the USB device. They ought to be able to.

An important reason, in that situation, for NOT installing the drivers that came with the USB device is that the computer already contains USB drivers for its built-in USB ports. If you add a second set of drivers, there will be a driver conflict and the USB ports will stop working.

Another important reason, in that situation, for NOT installing the drivers that came with the USB device is that, although device manufacturers typically hide this fact from you, the drivers they supply ONLY work with Windows 98 Second Edition. This will be fatal to a computer that is using the so-called "first edition" release of Windows 98 (a.k.a. "Windows 98 Gold").

Another important reason for NOT installing the drivers that came with the USB device is that such drivers are often designed for USB 2.0 only. This will be fatal to a computer with a motherboard built before 2001, as they cannot use USB 2.0 on a "built-in" (motherboard) port.

The drivers supplied with the USB device are your INSURANCE. They are for use ONLY if the USB driver already in the computer can't run the particular model of USB device you have, or if a computer fault forces you to reinstall either the USB ports or Windows 98 itself.

If the drivers supplied with the USB device don't work (e.g. because you're using Windows 98 "first edition"), or have been lost, you can try instead the so-called "generic" mass storage drivers for Windows 98 that are available on the internet. However, there is no guarantee that those will work with your specific USB device.

You'll need a different type of generic driver, depending which version of Windows 98 you have. One type only works with Windows 98 Second Edition. The other type only works with the original release of Windows 98 (the so-called "first edition", a.k.a. "Windows 98 Gold"). Look here: http://www.technical-assistance.co.uk/kb/usbmsd98.php

Alternatively, you might find a compatible generic driver at http://www.mdgx.com/web.htm#NUS

Alternatively, you can try using the USB 1.1 drivers from Windows ME.

Note that a USB device that is not designed for USB 1.1 won't work on a motherboard USB port. The device will work provided it's labelled "USB 1.1" or "USB 1.1 and USB 2.0". But if it's labelled just "USB 2.0" it won't work.

*USB 2.0 DEVICE IN WINDOWS 98*

Windows 98 does NOT have any built-in drivers for USB 2.0 (because those were not included in Windows until the release of Windows XP).

Therefore any USB 2.0 driver files will NOT be Microsoft drivers. They will be drivers supplied by a third party. Thus the USB 2.0 driver files will NOT be on the Windows 98 installation CD, so any re-installation of Windows will disable the USB 2.0 ports.

Furthermore, computers built before 2001 do not have any hardware on their motherboard to run USB 2.0, so motherboard ports are only capable of recognising USB 1.1 devices. They will not recognise a USB 2.0 device at all. They will recognise a hybrid device (one labelled as supporting both USB 1.1 and USB 2.0), but that device will only work at the slow USB 1.1 speed.

To use USB 2.0 in Windows 98 (or in Windows ME) you must buy an add-in USB 2.0 PCI card, and it must include USB 2.0 driver files for Windows 98. For preference, buy a PCI card that has an NEC chipset: that chipset has the widest compatibility with older motherboards.

However, the USB 2.0 drivers supplied by USB device manufacturers do NOT work with the original "first edition" release of Windows 98 (a.k.a. "Windows 98 Gold"). If you have that, you'll have to use a "generic" driver (if you can find one that works with the specific USB device).


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## SDFOX 7

If you want to buy a flash drive for Windows 98, I would recommend PNY drives.

Here you go: PNY Support for Windows 98SE Users

They seem to be the most legacy friendly and they continue to graciously maintain legacy drivers on their website for Windows 98SE.

And you could always install Kernel Ex on your Windows 98 computer, then run the driver package for a newer drive and select "compatibility mode" for Windows XP SP2. That way you're fooling the driver into thinking its running on a newer system. Of course I've never tried this so it's not guaranteed, but I'm sure it's probably possible since it is just code.

Keep in mind: most software sold today that supports Windows 98 will only support *98SE*. There were some changes made in SE that make it much more feasible to use modern technologythan with just the "First Edition".


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## DaveBurnett

I have a set of Universal USB Storage drivers for Win98SE courtesy of Wintricks
They've not let me down yet.
Hit the download button on this page http://www.wintricks.it/faq/usbpen98_6.html


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## Ed999

In fact PNY have withdrawn support for Windows 9x. Here is what their website says:



> *In July of 2006 Microsoft officially discontinued customer and technical support for Windows 98, 98SE and Me. As a result, it has become increasingly difficult to create and maintain drivers for the Windows 98SE operating system, and PNY has been forced to discontinue Windows 98SE support for recently released USB Drives. Unless your packaging states that Windows 98SE is supported, PNY cannot guarantee compatibility with these drivers on Windows 98SE. If you do choose to upgrade to Windows 2000 or later, your drive should work without issues.*
> *We have been advised by certain customers that third-party drivers may be available for download elsewhere that will allow our drives to work with Windows 98SE, but have not had an opportunity to test them, and can not therefore support or endorse third-party drivers. *


And their remaining USB 2.0 pen drives are not even compatible with USB 1.1 (the only USB format most pre-2001 Windows 9x computers can natively use).


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## blueturtl

Try at your own risk:
http://toastytech.com/files/cruzerwin95.html

I have used many different kinds of memory sticks on Windows 95 with this driver.


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