Member Avatar for minits03

I have a problem with an USB device that I am trying to install on a Windows 98SE laptop. I have downloaded the drivers from driveragent.com and install them into Windows 98. The Device Manager sees the device and it says it is working properly but when I go to My Computer to use the device, it doesn't give me a drive letter to use the device. I should also let everyone know that the laptop dual boots with Windows 2000 Professional. It anyone can help me out with this that would be cool.

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Dani AI

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Given the troubleshooting already described in the thread by and , this is a common symptom on Windows 98 SE: the OS can enumerate a USB device in Device Manager but not mount it because Win98SE does not include a Microsoft generic USB Mass Storage driver. That gap is why many USB sticks and some USB floppies need either an OEM/driver-pack driver or a third‑party “generic” driver for 98SE. (en.wikipedia.org)

Recommended next steps (in order):

  • Clean out Windows 98 USB/drive entries: in Device Manager uninstall any entries under “Universal serial bus controllers”, “Disk drives” and “Floppy disk drives” that relate to the USB device, then reboot so hardware is detected from a clean state.
  • Install the laptop OEM chipset/USB host-controller driver first (the OHCI/UHCI driver). After that, run any manufacturer-supplied driver for the USB floppy (many vendors supplied dedicated Win98 drivers for their external floppy units). ()
  • If no vendor/official driver is available, install a vetted generic Win98 SE USB mass-storage package (commonly referenced as NUSB/NUSB3x). Install this before plugging the floppy in, then plug the drive and let the wizard pick up the driver. Back up the system and scan downloaded driver packages before installing. (mdgx.com)
  • If the device still gets no drive letter: test on a powered USB hub (power can be borderline on older laptops), try booting with the drive attached, and verify the floppy media is a standard FAT formatted disk (Floppy media should be FAT12). Also record VID/PID from Device Manager if available — that helps match a specific driver if needed.

Cautions: prefer official vendor drivers when possible; third‑party generic stacks can alter core files (backup registry and system files first). If the laptop is very old, a hardware/host‑controller limitation (USB 1.1 vs USB 2.0 power/compatibility) may be the final blocker.

Member Avatar for Lime

That is odd. Have you tried unpluging the usb, restarting the computer. And then plug the usb floppy drive back into the computer after you sign in? Or have you tried deleting the driver and reinstalling it again?

Offtopic, have you tried a flash drive? If you did, did the usb flash drive work after you download the driver? If it doesn't work, then the issues might be relate. If it work, then maybe the problem is the usb floppy drive.

Member Avatar for minits03

I tried all of the troubleshooting steps that you describe and the USB Floppy devices still doens't work with that particular laptop. I plugged the USB floppy in other laptops and computers and the device works fine. I will try to delete the device driver from the Windows 98 computer and re-install it with new drivers to see if it works. Also, the computers that I tested the USB floppy in were Windows XP Pro.

Member Avatar for Lime

Let me know if deleting the drive, restarting the computer, installing the drive (double click the file to install it), plugging it in and then restarting the computer work this time. The drive for the window 98 might be corrupt.

Member Avatar for minits03

I will try everything and let you know if it works.

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