Can't install PNY flash drive on Win98SE

[joea64]

I picked up a PNY Attache 1GB USB flash drive this evening to use as a more convenient method of moving files between my Win98SE laptop (IBM Thinkpad 600E) and my WinXP Pro SP2 computer than the USB-to-USB cable I've been using the last few years. The model is P-FD01GU3-RF. I downloaded the Win98SE driver zip file from PNY's website and unzipped it according to what the PDF manual on the PNY site said (to c:\temp), but when I plugged in the flash drive, the following happened;

1) the system recognized the new drive
2) the "search for driver location" window came up
3) I inputted the correct location for the driver files (all according to the manual)
4) the system said it couldn't find a driver, and in Device Manager, the flash drive came up as a USB Flash device without a driver installed.

I tried this several times with the same result. I even downloaded a Win98SE driver for an older version of the drive from the PNY site, and tried installing it, but that didn't work either.

Anyway, I'm confused as to why the install isn't working. The "Add New Hardware" setup routine looks for an .inf file for the new device, and the driver zip file does include an .inf file (correct suffix - I checked), so I have no idea why setup isn't finding the file. Can anyone help me figure this out?

-Joe-

[PrntRhd]

Win98 does not have the flash drive device driver included in the OS, so a specific driver for it would have to be supplied by the mfg of the flash drive. If no 98 driver was included or available for download at their website it becomes more problematic.

[joea64]

I don't think I made myself clear. As I said in my original post, PNY specifically says that the driver IS for Win98SE for this particular model of flash drive:

http://www.pny.com/support/drivers/?prod=attache

The problem is that the installation will not work though I followed the instructions in the online PDF manual precisely:

http://www.pny.com/install/attache/P20_new.pdf

Again, it stops with a message stating that the driver could not be found even though I pointed the system to the directory with the .inf file precisely as stated in the manual. This is probably the most frustrating thing. I downloaded what the manufacturer says is the correct file and installed it according to the manual, but it won't work.

-Joe-

[Fruss Tray Ted]

Possibilities:

Are any of the unzipped files .exe files? If so, run it before attaching the memory stick. Also if you installed 98SE without transferring the install files to hard disk and installing from there, there may be a usb driver needed from the 98 cd. This may be the inf it is looking for.

Either way and each time you try, you will need to remove your usb devices from Device Manager and reboot between each attempt.

When you finally are at the point of attaching the drive, you can tell it is correctly done because you will see something like, "Windows has found a new device and is installing the neccessary files (or drivers) for your it". If Wi9ndows opens the wizard asking for drivers, it is a sign of the need for the cab files from the 98cd

[joea64]

Possibilities:

Are any of the unzipped files .exe files? If so, run it before attaching the memory stick. Also if you installed 98SE without transferring the install files to hard disk and installing from there, there may be a usb driver needed from the 98 cd. This may be the inf it is looking for.

Either way and each time you try, you will need to remove your usb devices from Device Manager and reboot between each attempt.

When you finally are at the point of attaching the drive, you can tell it is correctly done because you will see something like, "Windows has found a new device and is installing the neccessary files (or drivers) for your it". If Wi9ndows opens the wizard asking for drivers, it is a sign of the need for the cab files from the 98cd

There are no .exe files in the zip file. The names of the files are as follows:

musb6E.inf
Pu20dsk.pdr
Pu20sysd.sys

My laptop (a refurbished one) came with 98SE pre-installed, so I have no idea what, if any, USB .inf file might be missing. Moreover, I have already installed several USB devices (the aforementioned USB-to-USB cable, a card reader, etc.) without this kind of trouble happening. I've already worked out that I need to remove the nonfunctioning USB device from Device Manager before making a new attempt (this is in one of the FAQ's from PNY). I do not get a message asking me to insert the 98 install CD for the drivers from the wizard after the "could not find drivers" message, just the "unknown device" message.

-Joe-

[Sylvander]

I wonder if THIS (http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?t=48095) similar problem I had some time back relates in any way?

When I tried to install the USB driver, that I knew was the right one, the wizard would keep saying it couldn't find any suitable driver.
This had me scratching my head in consternation, just like yourself.

I used "Unknown Device Identifier" to provide a detailed description and name of the problem item and eventually...
Found that it was caused by a fault in the OS = Win2000Pro.
Apparently the original issue of Win2000 didn't fully support USB 2.0 and Microsoft had issued a fix.
I found all this [at Microsoft webpages] by searching for the name of the item described by "Unknown Device Identifier".

The fact that your "Device Manager" reports the problem item as an "Unknown Device" means there is no inf file [plus all the other driver files that accompany it] installed on the PC, that matches the hardware item.
[The identifier in the inf file would need to exactly (or acceptably closely) match the identifier read by the BIOS (and passed on to Windows) from the memory chip on the hardware].
Normally you would fix that by clicking on "Update Driver" and supply the wizard that then runs with the correct driver files, but it may not be so simple as that if there is a similar problem to the one I fixed.

Don't know if Unknown Devices (http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/System-Info/Unknown-Devices.shtml) is the same or a similar program.

[joea64]

Yes, I did get a "code 28" when I looked up the device in Device Manager. I don't know if there's a fix for 98SE as opposed to 2000, but I'll take a look at those pages.

-Joe-

UPDATE: I also had a tech support request in to PNY. They have suggested using this generic Windows 98SE USB device driver:

http://www.technical-assistance.co.uk/kb/usbmsd98.php

Does anyone have any experience with this driver? (I did some googling last evening and found that some other people had had similar problems and had successfully installed the flash drive after installing a generic update driver.)

[Paul Komski]

By all means try the generic drivers. You could also try changing the driver from the properties of the incorrectly installed device in device manager and point it to the driver files. Avoiding the hardware wizard in this way can sometimes be successful.

[joea64]

I installed the generic drivers on my laptop a few minutes ago, and the flash drive successfully installed. It's in my main (XP) system right now collecting some files for transfer to my laptop, which should be the acid test.

(A few minutes later) Success!! :D I think I can move my old USB-to-USB cable to "emergency standby" status now; it was always slightly cumbersome to connect the thing and start the associated software. This will be a lot more convenient.

Those of you who still run 98SE and are having trouble with USB devices too might want to take note of the available bookmark; I can testify that the drivers work.

-Joe-