My flash drive won't work on my machine in spite of the instructions with this device 
saying that it will work. I am guessing that this could be due to a conflict of drivers. 
(I must admit that I do have a lot of needless rubbish on my machine, which would 
be a nightmare to remove.) What I want to do is this:

(1) I want to be able to "identify and remove" all other device drivers which can 
support a flash drive.
(2) I want to find a universal device driver, if such a thing exists, and load it 
onto my machine.
(3) If the first two criteria fail, I want to be able to get the correct driver for 
my flash drive which is a Sony Microvault. (It just might also be that the driver 
that came with the device could be corrupt.)

Is there anybody that could please give me some advice? Thanks

Tip: Run a free scan for common Windows errors ad

re: I would like a [Win98 USB] driver Wednesday, August 6, 2008 at 9:48 pm Posted by gewg_ (4444 messages posted) |My flash drive won't work on my machine | Rudy Kreubel | This has become one of the 3 most-asked questions in this forum: http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=annoyances+"forum+win98"+intitle:usb+intitle:drive |in spite of the instructions with this device saying that it will work. | Do the words Windows 98 appear anywhere on what you have? |(1) I want to be able to "identify and remove" all other device drivers |which can support a flash drive. | You deal with device drivers in Device Manager. USB is alpahabetically last there. |(2) I want to find a universal device driver, | cache of http://toastytech.com/files/cruzerwin95.html ++PNP.IDs.for.*.more.devices [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: I would like a driver Thursday, August 7, 2008 at 3:16 am Posted by Keith Stanier (1655 messages posted) Hi Rudy. Well gewg and me have had this discussion many times on here. He says these universal drivers work for him but they don't work for me. You haven't actually said what size this flash drive is. Well doing a web search for this flash drive some are compatable and some aren't. [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: I would like a driver Thursday, August 7, 2008 at 6:40 am Posted by bob wells (1636 messages posted) Rudy, It really doesn't matter what the instructions say if you have not ensured that your Computer is compatible with the Device OR the device is Compatible with your System configuration. Since you posted neither the complete Device ID#'s nor any info on your System Configuration, any answer is a waste of time, yours and ours. Check out this link, you might be able to fix it your self. http://www.usbman.com/win98seusbguide.htm __________________________________________________________ There's nothing to learn from someone who already agrees with you. On Wednesday, August 6, 2008 at 5:23 pm, Rudy Kreubel wrote: >My flash drive won't work on my machine in spite of the instructions with this device >saying that it will work. I am guessing that this could be due to a conflict of drivers. >(I must admit that I do have a lot of needless rubbish on my machine, which would >be a nightmare to remove.) What I want to do is this: > >(1) I want to be able to "identify and remove" all other device drivers which can >support a flash drive. >(2) I want to find a universal device driver, if such a thing exists, and load it >onto my machine. >(3) If the first two criteria fail, I want to be able to get the correct driver for >my flash drive which is a Sony Microvault. (It just might also be that the driver >that came with the device could be corrupt.) > >Is there anybody that could please give me some advice? Thanks [Reply or follow-up to this message] "Universal" USB device drivers for Windows 98 Thursday, August 7, 2008 at 10:22 am Posted by gewg_ (4444 messages posted) |Well[,] doing a web search for this flash drive[,] |some are compatable and some aren't. | Keith Stanier | All USB thumbdrives are *compatible* with any USB *port* they can plug into. The word you seek is **supported** (read: by the LAZY manufacturers). |You haven't actually said what size this flash drive is. | The *size* isn't what is important. W98 doesn't start having problems with any storage device's SIZE until 64GB (though some ancient *BIOSes* crap out at 32GB). What IS important (as noted by Nathan Lineback on his ToastyTech page) is whether that Plug'n'Play ID Number is in the device driver's lookup table. What one should take away from this is: Don't buy OBSCURE brands and expect them to work with Win98.[1] (This advice goes beyond thumbdrives.) [1] All you really have to do is read the packaging; if it doesn't say it supports W98, IT DOESN'T. Give your money to someone who has made the effort to support you. ...and I say again: If you want good hardware support, Linux does it better than any other OS. There's little reason to mess with a 9 - 10 year old M$ OS when you can get a FREE and more modern OS that almost always does hardware support in its out-of-the-box configuration. [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: "Universal" USB device drivers for Windows 98 Thursday, August 7, 2008 at 1:44 pm Posted by Keith Stanier (1655 messages posted) gewg_ wrote: | Keith Stanier |You haven't actually said what size this flash drive is. | |The *size* isn't what is important. Size is important for Win98SE the bigger the drive the less chance of it working with Win98SE. I know when I search for drives it has to be 2GB or less thats why I have 10 of them. [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: I would like a driver Thursday, August 7, 2008 at 2:23 pm Posted by Rudy Kreubel (150 messages posted) Hi Keith, My operating system is Win98SE. The flash drive that I bought is a Sony Microvault 4GB USB drive. It stated on its packaging that it was compatible with the Windows 98 system. [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: I would like a [Win98 USB] driver Thursday, August 7, 2008 at 2:25 pm Posted by Rudy Kreubel (150 messages posted) Thanks,gewg. I will peruse the sites you have given me. [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: I would like a driver Thursday, August 7, 2008 at 2:28 pm Posted by Rudy Kreubel (150 messages posted) Thanks, Bob, I will look that up. [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: "Universal" USB device drivers for Windows 98 Thursday, August 7, 2008 at 2:30 pm Posted by Rudy Kreubel (150 messages posted) Hi again, gewg, There was virtually nothing on the packaging. All it said was that it was "compatible" with W98. There was also its name: micorvault. But there was no "Sony "attached to the name. I had to hunt around on the Net for that. It was as if the manufacturer was ashamed of his product. There were also no contact addresses, no phone numbers - nothing else. [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: "Universal" USB device drivers for Windows 98 Thursday, August 7, 2008 at 2:37 pm Posted by Rudy Kreubel (150 messages posted) Now don't tell me that 4GB flash drives won't work with W98! I bought 3 of them to use on various computers as a transfer medium. [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: "Universal" USB device drivers for Windows 98 Thursday, August 7, 2008 at 3:48 pm Posted by Keith Stanier (1655 messages posted) Rudy Kreubel wrote: |Now don't tell me that 4GB flash drives won't work with W98! I bought 3 of them to |use on various computers as a transfer medium. Bad move Rudy. I have seen some 4GB for Win98 but they aren't very common. [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: I would like a driver Thursday, August 7, 2008 at 7:06 pm Posted by bob wells (1636 messages posted) Rudy, Windows98SE, as it comes from the CD, does not support USB 2.0. In order to get support for USB 2.0 an add on PCI Card or External USB HUB (extra Ports) is usually required. Some MFG's ensure backwards Compatibility with USB 1.0, but the Older W98SE gets, the less likely it is that Backwards Compatibility will be very important to the MFG's. Does the Device come with a Driver CD. If yes, search the CD for Win98SE Driver. If no you're stuck with what is on the MFG's web site. BW __________________________________________________________ There's nothing to learn from someone who already agrees with you. On Thursday, August 7, 2008 at 2:23 pm, Rudy Kreubel wrote: >Hi Keith, > >My operating system is Win98SE. The flash drive that I bought is a Sony Microvault >4GB USB drive. It stated on its packaging that it was compatible with the Windows >98 system. [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: I would like a driver Monday, September 15, 2008 at 11:42 pm Posted by Aengus (1 messages posted) Bob, THANK YOU for the response to the topics question! I can't wait to download and try the unofficial service pack. Not only am I having major issues with a generic 1 gig usb stick in win98 boxes I am also having issues getting them to work with Citrix/WYSE thin clients. THAT is another story and thread. For now I will try what you posted asap! On Thursday, August 7, 2008 at 6:40 am, bob wells wrote: >Rudy, > >It really doesn't matter what the instructions say if you have not ensured that your >Computer is compatible with the Device OR the device is Compatible with your System >configuration. > >Since you posted neither the complete Device ID#'s nor any info on your System Configuration, >any answer is a waste of time, yours and ours. > > >Check out this link, you might be able to fix it your self. > >http://www.usbman.com/win98seusbguide.htm > > > __________________________________________________________ > >There's nothing to learn from someone who already agrees with you. [Reply or follow-up to this message] re: I would like a driver Thursday, September 18, 2008 at 8:02 am Posted by Ed (741 messages posted) Windows 98 has built-in support only for USB 1.1; but a USB device that is designed to work with *both* USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 will work, though only at USB 1.1 speeds. If you want to use USB with only the chipset on your motherboard, you therefore need to buy a USB device that is *specifically* stated to be for USB 1.1 (whether or not it is also for USB 2.0). Windows 98 does not have built-in support for USB 2.0. To use USB 2.0 in Win 98 you must buy an add-in USB 2.0 PCI expansion card. It is prudent to buy one that (a) has an NEC chipset (as this chipset has the widest compatibility with older motherboards), and (b) comes with a driver file for Windows 98. In practice, such PCI cards are ONLY available for Win 98SE, not for the original "first edition" release of Windows 98 (a.k.a. "Windows 98 Gold"). Real Mode drivers: It's a mistake to have any DOS real mode drivers loaded by the AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS files. Remove any such, and load only protected mode (i.e. Win 98) drivers, which you add using the "Add New Hardware" function in Windows 98's control panel. Driver conflict: If you suspect a conflict with your existing hardware, a device driver fault can be identified by opening the Device Manager screen (Start > Settings > Control Panel > System > Device Manager). Look at the entry for the USB device. Is there a yellow exclamation mark or a question mark against it? If so, proceed as follows. The reason why there is a question mark or exclamation mark is that Windows 98 needs to update the driver, because you are currently using the WRONG driver file or because no driver file has been installed. You may need to obtain a driver file from the Card's manufacturer, a file that is actually *stated* to be for use with Windows 98. If there is not one, see the other postings in this thread for any available so-called "Universal" drivers for Win98SE. The current driver file you have (if any) is NOT for Windows 98 if it is not being recognised by Device Manager. Manually update the driver: Go to the website of the Card's manufacturer and download a driver file for Windows 98 to your Desktop. Highlight the device in question in Device Manager, then click PROPERTIES and go through the procedure for manually updating the driver. Manufacturers typically supply several driver files, and it is possible you have installed the wrong one. The newest driver is NOT necessarily the one to go for. You may need to install an older one, dated prior to the release of Windows XP. Some possible locations to point the update function (i.e. the update wizard) to, when trying to find the correct file, are: C:\WINDOWS C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM C:\WINDOWS\IOSUBSYS C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\DRIVERS An alternative: Delete the Card's entry in Device Manager, and reboot. On the reboot the plug-and-play wizard will automatically re-install the Card with the correct drivers, if they exist on your system. Another alternative: Reboot into SAFE mode (press F5 or F8 on restarting the computer) and open Device Manager. Delete any "ghost" entries (those which only show up in Safe Mode), as they can cause a conflict with other installed device drivers. Then reboot normally. Note - Sometimes a deletion of ONLY the "ghost" entries is not effective, in which case a possible solution is to delete ALL devices, *including* the "ghost" entries, from Device Manager, while in Safe Mode; and then reboot normally. You MUST have all of the disks that came with each device on hand, in order to reinstall the devices! In the event that something goes wrong, you will be able to reload one of the five backups of your Windows Registry, using the command SCANREG /RESTORE at the DOS prompt. Ed On Wednesday, August 6, 2008 at 5:23 pm, Rudy Kreubel wrote: >My flash drive won't work on my machine in spite of the instructions with this device >saying that it will work. I am guessing that this could be due to a conflict of drivers. >(I must admit that I do have a lot of needless rubbish on my machine, which would >be a nightmare to remove.) What I want to do is this: > >(1) I want to be able to "identify and remove" all other device drivers which can >support a flash drive. >(2) I want to find a universal device driver, if such a thing exists, and load it >onto my machine. >(3) If the first two criteria fail, I want to be able to get the correct driver for >my flash drive which is a Sony Microvault. (It just might also be that the driver >that came with the device could be corrupt.) > >Is there anybody that could please give me some advice? Thanks [Reply or follow-up to this message] Tip: Use one of the [Reply or follow-up to this message] links above to add a message to this thread Search this forum Start a new thread on a different subject Report abuse of the forum Return to the Windows 98 Discussion Forum