USB card

  • Thread starter Thread starter Fred
  • Start date Start date
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Fred

I have added to a friends PC a USB card using one the ubiquitous NEC
devices.

I had expected, perhaps naively, that WinXP would find the card and install
drivers for everything to be hunky-dory.

However there was a problem and although the USB ports and hubs were in
device manager they didn't work and start.

I read somewhere that the BIOS must be USB aware for USB to work. Is this
correct and why?

The motherboard is quite old with an old 333MHz processor, can't remember if
it's AMD or Intel. Unfortunately apart from a "ver3.0" in one corner, there
are no names or numbers to be found. I haven't looked on the reverse side
but really don't expect to find anything there. If I use PC Wizard, it
comes back with motherboard and BIOS manufacturer and model unknown. So
it's not possible to find a appropriate BIOS to Flash it with.

Any ideas? I'd rather not say they should junk it all!
 
A 333??? Unfortunately, I recommend junk it all!!

A motherboard/CPU/RAM upgrade should cost less than £100 - even going up to
1.8 Ghz.
If you can find anyone who still sells them... lol
___________________________________________
The Grim Reaper
 
Fred

Download and run Everest Home from this website.. http://www.lavalys.com

When running, click on the 'motherboard' icon.. so now you know what it is..
there is a link at the base of the window that you can visit to find out
more about your mobo.. if you download the manual, you can then look at BIOS
info relating to your system..

To enter BIOS, tap the 'DEL' key or maybe 'F1' or 'F2' repeatedly as the
system starts up.. the appropriate key varies with make.. you will have
printed off the page relating to the setting, so should be easy enough to
determine how to enable USB support..
 
Grim Reaper said:
A 333??? Unfortunately, I recommend junk it all!!

A motherboard/CPU/RAM upgrade should cost less than £100 - even going up
to 1.8 Ghz.
If you can find anyone who still sells them... lol
___________________________________________
Click to expand...

I was expecting a reply like yours. Yes it's slow but it works. I've done
an upgrade for myself a short while ago. But for some people £100 is not
chicken feed.
 
Are you running XP SP1 or SP2? How old is the USB card, is
it a USB 2.0 card?

The BIOS must be USB aware for USB to start before Windows
boots, but Windows will turn it on after the boot. If the
mobo did not have any USB ports, I doubt if you'll find a
BIOS update that will include USB support.

In device manager, select the USB card and update the driver
from the web or Windows.


--
The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.
some support
http://www.usdoj.gov/olc/secondamendment2.htm



|I have added to a friends PC a USB card using one the
ubiquitous NEC
| devices.
|
| I had expected, perhaps naively, that WinXP would find the
card and install
| drivers for everything to be hunky-dory.
|
| However there was a problem and although the USB ports and
hubs were in
| device manager they didn't work and start.
|
| I read somewhere that the BIOS must be USB aware for USB
to work. Is this
| correct and why?
|
| The motherboard is quite old with an old 333MHz processor,
can't remember if
| it's AMD or Intel. Unfortunately apart from a "ver3.0" in
one corner, there
| are no names or numbers to be found. I haven't looked on
the reverse side
| but really don't expect to find anything there. If I use
PC Wizard, it
| comes back with motherboard and BIOS manufacturer and
model unknown. So
| it's not possible to find a appropriate BIOS to Flash it
with.
|
| Any ideas? I'd rather not say they should junk it all!
|
|
 
I have been into the BIOS but don't recall any relevant setting. I believe
the BIOS is probably B-USB as in before USB and so wouldn't expect to see
any USB support in any setup screen.

This may sound silly but given it's a PCI card with the normal PCI
interrupts and addresses etc, why does BIOS need to get involved?

Many thanks for the link. I have downloaded the EverestHome and will be
installing this next time I make a visit.

I was wondering if the motherboard was a clone of some sort! Just seemed
strange to have no markings.
 
Fred

For some reason, older boards had USB disabled by default.. do you have SP1
or SP2 installed?..
 
Hi Mike,

Even if USB is disabled in the bios, that pertains only to built in ports -
not an add in card that uses it's own drivers or XP supplied drivers.

--
Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!
 
£100 isn't chicken feed to me either - I can barely afford to feed my family
at the moment as it is.

If you did an upgrade "a short while ago", then I dread to think what bucket
of bolts you were using before.
__________________________________________________
The Grim Reaper
 
I've now done that and installed it. Unfortunately the program starts and
then just hangs whilst checking PCI stuff.
 
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