Re: I did it I did it - USB on 98 - YAY!
In news:%23sZ2dRX4IHA.1200@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl at ,
Peter in New Zealand contemplated and posted:
| MEB wrote:
|> In news:eNGrPkU4IHA.2336@TK2MSFTNGP03.phx.gbl at ,
|> MEB contemplated and posted:
|> | In news:edutvZU4IHA.4988@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl at ,
|> | Peter in New Zealand contemplated and posted:
|> || Dan wrote:
|> ||> Thanks for sharing, Peter. It reminds me of how I was able to
|> ||> use my current HP printer with Windows 2000 drivers because HP
|> ||> did not offer 98 drivers anymore and I wanted to keep 98SE and
|> ||> did not want to use potentially untrustworthy drivers that were
|> ||> not from the manufacturer. It also makes me wonder if this
|> ||> workaround would work with Windows XP drivers to 98 Second
|> ||> Edition but somehow even if it did I think the processes in a
|> ||> workaround may be tougher to execute.
|> ||>
|> ||> "PCR" wrote:
|> ||>
|> ||>> Peter in New Zealand wrote:
|> ||>> | Hi everyone. After so many of you helped me so much recently
|> ||>> | while I was trying to get USB operating reliably on 98 I just
|> ||>> | have to tell you this. Several days ago I posted that I was
|> ||>> | giving up and putting W2K on the laptop, which works fine,
|> ||>> | but is quite sluggish.
|> ||>> |
|> ||>> | Well, I just can't seem to leave it alone. I went back to
|> ||>> | some of your helpful posts in that old thread and used one of
|> ||>> | the suggested links to download NUSB.EXE again. I set up to
|> ||>> | dual boot and installed 98SE again on the spare partition.
|> ||>> | The USB driver installed and runs just fine. No idea what the
|> ||>> | heck was wrong last time.
|> ||>> |
|> ||>> | Anyway, I just wanted you to know that your offered help has
|> ||>> | born fruit - finally, and I am currently running 98 SE with
|> ||>> | USB very happily. It's so much snappier than 2K on the same
|> ||>> | machine that I am hoping it will serve in the longer term. At
|> ||>> | the moment all the indications are looking good.
|> ||>>
|> ||>> Yep, glad to hear it alright! I almost thought we were about to
|> ||>> lose another one to a foreign OS!
|> ||>>
|> ||>> | Thanks yet again for your help and support.
|> ||>> |
|> ||>> | --
|> ||>> | Peter in New Zealand. (Email address is fake)
|> ||>> | Collector of old cameras, tropical fish fancier, good coffee
|> ||>> | nutter, and compulsive computer fiddler.
|> ||>>
|> ||>> --
|> ||>> Thanks or Good Luck,
|> ||>> There may be humor in this post, and,
|> ||>> Naturally, you will not sue,
|> ||>> Should things get worse after this,
|> ||>> PCR
|> ||>>
pcrrcp@netzero.net
|> ||>>
|> ||>>
|> ||>>
|> || One of the things that puzzles me is that the USB socket on my
|> || laptop is not like any other I have seen. Usually (in my
|> || experience) there is a sort of internal "block" in the opening
|> || that has the contact fingers embedded into it, and the plug
|> || slides over that block. This one is just an open USB shaped hole,
|> || with the contact fingers standing naked, so to speak. That was
|> || why the contact was intermittent previously and I had all the
|> || trouble. I carefully bent the contact fingers slightly and now it
|> || works every time. Mind you, I have to be *very* careful inserting
|> || a plug, as it would be very easy to "collide head on" with a
|> || contact finger and buckle it back into the socket. It works every
|> || time, but great care is needed. Has anyone seen a USB port built
|> || like that before?
|> |
|> | Not in my experiance, sounds like it has broken off. I have seen
|> | that occur.
|> | You can "fudge" one in by finding a plastic strip about the
|> | thickness of the slot in the connector, trim to size and length,
|> | and Super Glue [using forceps, needle-nose or other] back into the
|> | socket. You'll still need to be careful as there are no side
|> | protectors, but it does ensure the "fingers" don't get bent or
|> | break.
|> |
|> | --
|> | MEB
|>
|> I should have mentioned that the ports can generally be replaced IF
|> you're handy with low watt soldering gun and understand the
|> difficulties with working on laptops.
|>
|> Kycon or Molex will likely have a replacement.
|>
| After removing my glasses and peering myopically into the socket I can
| see between the root of each contact finger a tiny area of roughened
| plastic that looks as though something was broken off down there. If
| so it was not awfully good engineering design at the start. I might
| just have a go at glueing in a replacement plastic piece some time,
| but in the meantime things are working so nicely (as long as I use
| care in inserting plugs) I am tempted to leave well alone. As far as
| replacing the socket goes, I was a radio tech in our Air Force many
| years ago, and so I know all about fine soldering on congested
| boards. But again, I think I will leave well alone, as my hands at 63
| years of age are not quite as steady as they were back then. In the
| meantime the little laptop continues to stroll along very well, and I
| have not had a blue screen in two days now!
|
| Thanks again for all the suggestions and ideas, which are greatly
| appreciated. You guys are the best!
I can relate to that myopic eyesight,, swear I'm going to get one of those
magnifying lens light one of these days... my guess is the boards are MUCH
more congested than from your radio days. Maybe not though, likely a lot is
now on one or two chips.
Someone threw away a new Sanyo TV because they dropped it and cracked the
board into three pieces,, took me three and a half months to trace and
solder in all the wire replacement traces... works like a charm now, but it
reminds me of an old prototype/experimental board with all the wires
dangling underneath.. and that WITHOUT a schematic
Well, anyway, the less times you disturb the connection the better... glad
your back and chugging along nicely.
--
MEB
http://peoplescounsel.orgfree.com
--
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