Question Driver issues (no USB drivers), Dimension E520

[Powerbook165]

Hi, I have a Dell Dimension E520 that is running on XP. I have no USB drivers for it installed on it already. There is no PS/2 ports on it. I installed Puppy Linux on a bootable USB and they work there, confirming it's a driver issue. When I start up the system I get the Found New Hardware wizard but I have no way of clicking on anything at all. I want to keep XP on this system. Is there anyway to install the drivers from Linux, or from the BIOS, or something else?

 

[ImWolf]

Have you checked Device Manager? If there are any yellow exclamation marks under Universal Serial Bus have you tried updating drivers from there?

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

Is there anyway to install the drivers from Linux

not from Linux into Windows.
but you can just download them and use them from within Windows.

Windows will always have generic USB drivers available that have always worked in my experience.
are you sure that this isn't just some corrupt XP install failing to properly load drivers/hardware?

you don't mention that you've actually searched and found XP USB drivers for this motherboard.
or if you've contacted manufacturer support requesting them.

 

[stonecarver]

I want to keep XP on this system. Is there anyway to install the drivers from Linux, or from the BIOS, or something else?

On a long shot if like you say can boot computer from the live Linux " not installed" and have access to the XP OS you might be able to drop the Dell USB driver into ---Windows---System 32---Drivers

Or ---Windows---System 32---DriverStore---FileRepository

Reboot the PC with out the Linux and see if Windows can sniff out the driver for the USB and install.

Just make sure the USB driver is unzipped and in those places.

 

[Ralston18]

You need to connect a PS/2 device into a USB port - correct?

What is that USB device? Make, model? USB plug?

Try a PS/2 to USB adapter.

PS/2 device -----[PS/2 port] ADAPTER [USB port] -----USB cable ----->[USB port] Dell E520

Perhaps something like this adapter:

PS/2 to USB adapter

Just be sure to double check all plug and port genders.

 

[Powerbook165]

not from Linux into Windows.
but you can just download them and use them from within Windows.

Windows will always have generic USB drivers available that have always worked in my experience.
are you sure that this isn't just some corrupt XP install failing to properly load drivers/hardware?

you don't mention that you've actually searched and found XP USB drivers for this motherboard.
or if you've contacted manufacturer support requesting them.

Could be. The main issue is there is a lot of data on here I want to keep.

You need to connect a PS/2 device into a USB port - correct?

What is that USB device? Make, model? USB plug?

Try a PS/2 to USB adapter.

PS/2 device -----[PS/2 port] ADAPTER [USB port] -----USB cable ----->[USB port] Dell E520

Perhaps something like this adapter:

PS/2 to USB adapter

Just be sure to double check all plug and port genders.

USB device, I'm not sure. I know the mobo is a WG864. Also - the adapter - would that require USB drivers?

Have you checked Device Manager? If there are any yellow exclamation marks under Universal Serial Bus have you tried updating drivers from there?

I can't access Device Manager without a mouse and keyboard. I also am unable to boot into safe mode because they don't work as soon as XP starts booting at all.

 

[Powerbook165]

On a long shot if like you say can boot computer from the live Linux " not installed" and have access to the XP OS you might be able to drop the Dell USB driver into ---Windows---System 32---Drivers

Or ---Windows---System 32---DriverStore---FileRepository

Reboot the PC with out the Linux and see if Windows can sniff out the driver for the USB and install.

Just make sure the USB driver is unzipped and in those places.

I found the drivers. I am wondering how to install these without a mouse and keyboard or from Linux. Note that I do have another Windows system. Would it be possible to unzip these to a folder and drop them into these folders? https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us/product-support/product/dimension-e520/drivers
These are all .exe files.

 

[stonecarver]

Use 7-zip to unzip them if you can.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

I do have another Windows system...
Would it be possible to unzip these to a folder and drop them into these folders?

if you can connect the disk containing XP to the other system, you could.
but, booting with both OS drives installed may prove a problem.

you should be able to boot with Linux and extract the files directly into the XP installation though.
you can access the XP disk from within Linux, correct?

 

[Powerbook165]

if you can connect the disk containing XP to the other system, you could.
but, booting with both OS drives installed may prove a problem.

you should be able to boot with Linux and extract the files directly into the XP installation though.
you can access the XP disk from within Linux, correct?

Yes.
I looked at that driver page again and noticed that there was no USB driver.

 

[BFG-9000]

I also am unable to boot into safe mode

Just boot into Linux and edit boot.ini so the first operating system line has /safeboot at the end of it.

XP SP3 from 2008 should include drivers for G965/ICH8 which came out in 2006. But if you are trying to use an older XP service pack, the driver you are looking to install while in safe mode is ICH8 Family USB Universal Host Controller.

 

[Powerbook165]

Just boot into Linux and edit boot.ini so the first operating system line has /safeboot at the end of it.

XP SP3 from 2008 should include drivers for G965/ICH8 which came out in 2006. But if you are trying to use an older XP service pack, the driver you are looking to install while in safe mode is ICH8 Family USB Universal Host Controller.

Is there a default USB driver cache located somewhere in the system files? I could delete that or something.

 

[Powerbook165]

Alright, I copied all the data I needed off the drive, but I really want this system running on XP. How do I format the drive (SATA) for usage on XP without the setup bluescreening? I see the driver folder for the SATA disk inside Linux, but how do I add that folder onto the installation? I know to use either nLite or easy2boot but I am having no luck detecting the disk. I find it kind of interesting that Dell, by default, shipped this system on a SATA disk, which makes reinstalling XP very difficult. Note that the drivers themselves were not on the Dell website.

 

[BFG-9000]

Is there a default USB driver cache located somewhere in the system files? I could delete that or something.

In XP, driver files that have been installed should be in Windows\System32\Drivers and the .inf files for those in Windows\INF

The drivers that came with Windows or any service packs should be in Windows\Driver Cache\i386 so if you see sp3.cab in there it's the driver cache for SP3 so you will know that you have SP3 installed. If the latest in there is sp2.cab then only SP2 is installed.

But the problem is likely that there is no correct driver in there, so you get stuck at the dialog box to search for one from a local folder or WindowsUpdate. If there was, it would eventually install itself and fix the problem if you just left it alone for long enough.

In any case the mouse should work in Safe Mode because USB is controlled by the BIOS then rather than handed off to any driver.

 

[BFG-9000]

How do I format the drive (SATA) for usage on XP without the setup bluescreening? I see the driver folder for the SATA disk inside Linux, but how do I add that folder onto the installation?

It's pretty simple, you just go into the BIOS and change the SATA controller setting to IDE mode or Compatibility Mode (rather than RAID or AHCI) and then you shouldn't need any drivers. If you want it to run in AHCI mode, then you'll need a floppy drive and the Intel AHCI F6 Floppy driver for XP32, on a floppy disk. No the XP installer doesn't let you browse to any folder.

Best to use a XP SP3 disc, or you may want to try the unofficial SP4 where someone has slipstreamed all of the updates after SP3 into the iso

 

[Powerbook165]

In XP, driver files that have been installed should be in Windows\System32\Drivers and the .inf files for those in Windows\INF

The drivers that came with Windows or any service packs should be in Windows\Driver Cache\i386 so if you see sp3.cab in there it's the driver cache for SP3 so you will know that you have SP3 installed. If the latest in there is sp2.cab then only SP2 is installed.

But the problem is likely that there is no correct driver in there, so you get stuck at the dialog box to search for one from a local folder or WindowsUpdate. If there was, it would eventually install itself and fix the problem if you just left it alone for long enough.

In any case the mouse should work in Safe Mode beca

It's pretty simple, you just go into the BIOS and change the SATA controller setting to IDE mode or Compatibility Mode (rather than RAID or AHCI) and then you shouldn't need any drivers. If you want it to run in AHCI mode, then you'll need a floppy drive and the Intel AHCI F6 Floppy driver for XP32, on a floppy disk. No the XP installer doesn't let you browse to any folder.

Best to use a XP SP3 disc, or you may want to try the unofficial SP4 where someone has slipstreamed all of the updates after SP3 into the iso

use USB is controlled by the BIOS then rather than handed off to any driver.

The BIOS has no compatibility mode. Just an RAID/ATA mode which then just bluescreens the system. Also, the boot /safeboot didn't work at all. I think there's a very specific unfortunate set of circumstances here. Dell installed a SATA drive, then by default installed drivers only onto their boot, and also then didn't include a compatibility mode in the BIOS. Do you have any idea if a USB to PS/2 connector would work or would it require the same drivers and have the same issue?

 

[BFG-9000]

The BIOS has no compatibility mode. Just an RAID/ATA mode which then just bluescreens the system.

Then you will need the RAID F6 floppy driver for Intel RST (Rapid Storage Technology) for XP32 on the ICH8R. Press "F6" to load additional storage controller drivers from floppy disk when you get to the part in XP setup where it asks where you want to install Windows to.

These things apparently shipped with RAID enabled, which that means even if you only have one drive, you have to first invoke the RAID configuration utility option ROM (usually it's Ctrl-i but there should be a message how on the POST screen) and create a single-drive "array" for the disk to be used

 

[Powerbook165]

Then you will need the RAID F6 floppy driver for Intel RST (Rapid Storage Technology) for XP32 on the ICH8R. Press "F6" to load additional storage controller drivers from floppy disk when you get to the part in XP setup where it asks where you want to install Windows to.

These things apparently shipped with RAID enabled, which that means even if you only have one drive, you have to first invoke the RAID configuration utility option ROM (usually it's Ctrl-i but there should be a message how on the POST screen) and create a single-drive "array" for the disk to be used

Alright, thank you. I think this is the solution. Should I get an external floppy drive? I don't have one currently as my other one broke and this system is from the era when they were going away from floppy drives internally, although there is a 3.5in bay.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

Should I get an external floppy drive?

it shouldn't necessarily matter what type of storage is used to house those drivers.
just that they would be accessible at that point in the installation process.

 

[BFG-9000]

That's a tricky one, as it will only work if the BIOS can control it (usually this means "USB-FDD" will show up as a bootable option in there like it does for similar era Dell laptops--but then even the internal bay floppy drives on those are attached via USB). If it requires drivers in an OS to work, then it's not going to work any different than a USB flash drive for Windows setup--i.e. works just fine in later Windows, but not in XP.

GM965 was the last Intel chipset with native floppy drive support so no jmicron 3rd-party controller like later chipsets used, and you do have a header for an internal floppy drive. You'd think it's kind of strange though that a system that originally shipped with XP MCE and RAID actually made the floppy drive optional, but Dell had those restore disks and partitions so a customer wouldn't necessarily ever need to actually reinstall XP from scratch.