I know that the USB 2.0 interface is backward compatible with USB 1 devices, but not sure about usb 1.0 interface working with USB 2 devices. I know that a hard drive won't perform properly with a 1.0 (from my son, a EE that is heavily involved in computers for his work). You might or might not depending on the firmware in the drive, but if its in a third party enclosure with a standard name drive (Maxtor, Wester Digital, etc) then it may or may not depending on the firmware in the external enclosure. As 98 is much pickier with usb connections, the chances of success with a 2.0 device is much less than with xP. I have dual boot on my machine (98 and xp pro) and have been able to write to one of my external drives, but that was after I had installed a 2.0 interface board and win 98 asked for the new drivers.

Keith Thompson

Support-OrpheusComputing.com wrote:

I can't recall, but USB 2.0 is backward compatible with USB
1.1, so a USB 2.0 device should work as 1.1 on Win9x if it
doesn't support 2.0 .

I don't have the '98 PC anymore so I can't try anything else.
Any kind of external (or even internal like an internal USB
card reader) is going to be seen as a "mass storage device".  I
have an internal combo floppy drive and media reader, and the
media reader portion is USB 2.0 (for CF cards, SmartMedia,
MicroDrive, etc), and on XP the card slots are seen as a "mass
storage device".  XP usually sees USB devices with no problem,
but I DO have problems with FireWire devices.  It usually takes
several tries of unplugging, plugging back in, back and forth,
turning the device on/off, on/off, etc., before it shows up.
I've never been able to find ANY FireWire drivers for XP, they
appear to be only built in the to the OS, so they are generic
and that's probably why they are problematic.  The FW ports on
my mobo had no drivers and still have no drivers, only XP SP1+
installs them.  VIA's website incredibly, has no FW drivers for
XP.  They say something like "licensing restrictions" prohibit
them from placing them at their site.  Texas Instruments (who
also makes a FW chip) is probably the same way.

I never tried anything like this on '98 when I used it, I only
tried it the first time a few days ago and this was SE, but
with no updates.  The external enclosure just "sat" there.  I
remember that some USB devices demand you install the drivers
FIRST, THEN hook up the device, and some require the other way
around.  I only tried one way so that may have been the
problem, or it may have needed an update.
-Clint

Merry Christmas to all & God Bless
Clint Hamilton, Owner
http://OrpheusComputing.com )
http://ComputersCustomBuilt.com

----- Original Message ----- From: "Keith Thompson"


First, I don't think that you can get usb 2.0 to work in straight 98. I was running usb 1.x. My problem was that according to the instructions, I was supposed to load the card reader driver, which I tried several times. each time, I had to take out the driver, reboot and then I would try to follow the somewhat obtuse instructions again. For whatever reason, on one of the last tries, I tried the Mass Storage driver and then rebooted, plugged in the reader and it was there (viola !). It did not have the stability that I now have in XP, but would usually read the card, if I inserted the card into the reader before plugging it into the usb port. I never tried a hard drive unit with the win 98 as they all read usb 2.0 and firewire. I had neither at that time. I did finally put in a usb 2 card and now have 4 external usb 2 drives running. Three of them are with Nexstar enclosures and the fouth is with another 'generic' usb 2 enclosure. That one gives me problems in startup even with xp. I'm in the process of replacing that enclosuer with another Nexstar as these will always start no matter how its connected, whether power first, before usb connection or power after usb connection, they are always recognized. This tells me that various usb devices do have different characteristics in their firmware and this may make the device easier or harder to start. No matter what, win 98, without the updated usb drivers won't read or at least not very easily read a usb device. 98 SE had those added into the upgrade.

Keith

Support-OrpheusComputing.com wrote:



I tried an 80gb HD in an external USB 2.0 enclosure on


'98 and even


after installing the drivers it never saw the device.


The same mobo on


XP saw it fine as a USB 1.1 device since the mobo isn't


USB 2.0 . I


didn't spend a lot of time on it though.
Just which "hoops" did you jump through exactly Keith?
-Clint






----- Original Message -----
From: "Keith Thompson"


I have a photo card reader that I used on windows 98.


Its a usb


device. I will say that I had to jump through many


hoops to get it to


read, but did finally when I found that I had to use


the Mass Storage


driver rather than a Card Reader driver. Once I got


that straightened


out, it worked just fine. The trick is to get the


right software,


install it first THEN plug in the usb device. Any


other order will


result in failure. I had to remove the software


several times in


finding out that the usb device could not be plugged in


first or it


would upset the whole installation.

Keith Thompson

Ben Moore wrote:





OK, I've found some info that Win98 doesn't support


USB mass storage


devices. What is the name of the storage pen? Have


you tried going to


the web site of the manufacturer of the USB device and


looking for


drivers?
Apparently you are going to need one.

Ben Moore



--
Keith Thompson, Worthington, OH Home Web Page: http://freepages.family.rootsweb.com/~kthompson/
Genealogy Web Page: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~kthompson
The only thing worse than a sorcerer is his apprentice.
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