Windows 98, a relic of the late 90s, evokes nostalgia for many. If you’re like me and find yourself tinkering with a vintage Compaq desktop running this classic operating system, you might quickly discover its limitations when it comes to modern peripherals. My recent foray into using a Windows 98 SE machine highlighted a common hurdle: getting USB flash drives to work. Initially, my goal was simply to get online using the internal modem, but that led down a rabbit hole of hardware and driver compatibility issues, ultimately underscoring the need for functional USB support.
My first attempt to connect to the internet using the built-in 56k Compaq modem was unsuccessful. Despite the modem appearing in system settings, connection attempts via HyperTerminal and Phone Dialer failed. Suspecting a hardware problem, I decided to experiment with components from a Dell Dimension 8200 running Windows XP. I removed the internal modem and NIC from the Dell and installed them in the Compaq machine. After a couple of power cycles, the Compaq booted, but the “Add New Hardware” wizard, which should automatically detect new devices, didn’t appear. Manually running the wizard also failed to recognize the newly installed modem or NIC. It was becoming clear that driver issues were likely at the heart of the problem.
This is where USB drives come into the picture. My Compaq desktop, being from a bygone era, only supports USB 1.1. While USB 2.0 flash drives are readily available, Windows 98 SE doesn’t natively support them. Fortunately, the retro computing community has developed third-party drivers to bridge this gap, enabling Windows 98 SE to work with USB 2.0 devices, including those essential flash drives. Since floppy disks are a cumbersome alternative, USB flash drive support is crucial for practical data transfer.
To tackle the driver challenge, I downloaded a set of potentially compatible USB drivers and copied them to a floppy disk – the most reliable transfer method available to me at that point. I connected a USB flash drive to the Compaq, and as expected, the “Add New Hardware Wizard” finally popped up, prompting for drivers. I inserted the floppy disk and pointed the wizard to the driver files. I even manually ran the .exe installer for one of the drivers. The system rebooted as expected. However, upon plugging the flash drive back in, the wizard remained silent, and the flash drive was still unrecognized in “My Computer.” Frustratingly, the automatic detection seemed to have stopped working after this initial driver attempt.
While I appreciate the reliability of floppy disks for their time, their limited capacity makes them impractical for transferring larger files, especially driver packages. My primary motivation for getting USB flash drives working is precisely to facilitate the transfer of modem drivers. Troubleshooting hardware issues often involves trial and error with different drivers, and floppy disks simply don’t cut it for this process. The hope of using an external US Robotics 56k modem, potentially more reliable than internal modems, is still on the horizon, but the current situation underscores the critical need for USB drive functionality on this Windows 98 machine.
Among the downloaded driver files, I found a collection of “.sys” files in addition to the executable installer. These likely represent different driver components, but without clear installation instructions or further guidance, proceeding felt like shooting in the dark.
The online guides for enabling USB 2.0 support on Windows 98 SE suggest that drivers are indeed the key. But the question remains: what specific drivers are needed, and what is the correct installation procedure? Is it just a matter of finding the right drivers, or are there other system configurations or updates required to unlock USB flash drive compatibility on Windows 98 SE? For now, the reliable but restrictive floppy disk remains my only consistent method for transferring data to this vintage machine.
