Question RENESAS 4-port PCI-E to USB 3.0 add-on card stopped working after latest Windows 10 update ?

[lvt]

OK so I decided to post this in the Windows 10 forum because I believe that it's a Windows issue.

I have this card to use with external HDD as my motherboard doesn't have USB 3.0

The card worked wonderfully on my old Windows XP machine then on my current Windows 10 machine, but a couple of weeks ago it stopped working after a major Windows update to 21H2 version. Since then the card refused to work, be it with the original drivers (come with CD) or on Windows 10 drivers.

I also tried many Renesas drivers that can be found online , none of them really worked.

Sometimes I can see the HDD connected to the card, but just the name, I can't access the HDD.

Most of the time the card got ignored by Windows.

In fact I have another card with VIA VL805 chipset with the exact same problem, but I will just keep this one.

To make the long story short, I tried all PCI-E slots, all available drivers that Internet could bring me....

Hopefully someone with the same card could tell how to get it to work on Windows 10 21H2 ?

Thanks for reading.

 

[BFG-9000]

I have two cards based on the oldest Renesas/NEC PD720200 which work fine in 21H2. Newer Renesas chips though were faster, added xHCI 1.0 and used a different driver so you may have one of those.

 

[Colif]

i wonder what the device is called on here - https://www.renesas.com/us/en/software-tool/usb-drivers#overview

 

[lvt]

I have two cards based on the oldest Renesas/NEC PD720200 which work fine in 21H2. Newer Renesas chips though were faster, added xHCI 1.0 and used a different driver so you may have one of those.

Mine has the uPD720201.

The last drivers they made for the chipset was for Win7. After that we should rely on Win10 built-in drivers. I've read that some big manufacturers like Dell and Lenovo provide their own Win10 drivers for this chipset. I tried them but it didn't work for me.

 

[lvt]

i wonder what the device is called on here - https://www.renesas.com/us/en/software-tool/usb-drivers#overview

I have downloaded some driver packages from this website but it doesn't work for Win10.

 

[lvt]

I put the card back to the old Win XP machine and it worked like before. So the last Win10 update definitely screwed my card.

Of course I can use other method but given my current setup, the PCI-E to USB 3.0 bridge is the only way to make my HDDs function at full speed (SATA 600).

 

[Colif]

i haven't run into problems with PCI to USB converters before but then... they aren't very common.
It would be helpful to know what the driver version number was on original drivers. I could look around and see how old this card is.

I know windows drops support for old WIFI cards as the years go by, so it could be a similar thing. Makers might not have supplied new drivers for signature to Microsoft so win 10 just ignores the drivers. I know some makers reuse signatures but I wouldn't know if they have an end date on that or not. Could be they meant to supply new drivers to Microsoft every few years. Nvidia probably will when they release new cards, for instance. Current nvidia drivers on windows update are Nov 2020.

if its got win 10 and XP drivers... that normally means the drivers are just relabelled win 8 drivers or earlier

I would look for a newer one that doesn't have XP drivers.

 

[Colif]

the drivers I can find for it are 2012

https://www.renesas.com/us/en/produ...pd720201-usb-30-host-controller#tools_support
its getting a little crusty

seems most of the ones on sale probably use old drivers... old hardware. Could aim at one with USB C connectors or USB 3.2. but even then some of those have win xp drivers... something like https://www.sonnettech.com/product/allegrousb3pcie4port.html

 

[Bob.B]

OK so I decided to post this in the Windows 10 forum because I believe that it's a Windows issue.

I have this card to use with external HDD as my motherboard doesn't have USB 3.0

The card worked wonderfully on my old Windows XP machine then on my current Windows 10 machine, but a couple of weeks ago it stopped working after a major Windows update to 21H2 version. Since then the card refused to work, be it with the original drivers (come with CD) or on Windows 10 drivers.

I also tried many Renesas drivers that can be found online , none of them really worked.

Sometimes I can see the HDD connected to the card, but just the name, I can't access the HDD.

Most of the time the card got ignored by Windows.

In fact I have another card with VIA VL805 chipset with the exact same problem, but I will just keep this one.

To make the long story short, I tried all PCI-E slots, all available drivers that Internet could bring me....

Hopefully someone with the same card could tell how to get it to work on Windows 10 21H2 ?

Thanks for reading.

If push comes to shove I see those type cards in the 20 buck area that say they support w10.

 

[Colif]

I would pay more for one that has newer features as its likely to last longer. There are probably millions of old ones out there ready to be relabelled to work with win 12 as soon as its released. I wouldn't trust them. Its the same thing with WIFI cards.

 

[Bob.B]

I would pay more for one that has newer features as its likely to last longer. There are probably millions of old ones out there ready to be relabelled to work with win 12 as soon as its released. I wouldn't trust them. Its the same thing with WIFI cards.

That's because M's get payed the big bucks and have fat wallets.

 

[Colif]

its more likely chip makers aren't supplying drivers to Microsoft for hardware they made 10 years ago. Very few hardware makers support their hardware forever. They want people to buy new hardware, not keeping using old. They don't make any money if people can use 1 card on 7 or more versions of windows.

The card makers quite happily keeping making cards with the chips on them though. If people buy them, they will sell it. Its the chip makers who might want to release new chips and not support 10+ year old hardware they don't make much on anymore. I can expect the chips don't cost much per thousand

 

[lvt]

the drivers I can find for it are 2012

https://www.renesas.com/us/en/produ...pd720201-usb-30-host-controller#tools_support
its getting a little crusty

Those things are likely for business partners (card makers?), not end users like us.

seems most of the ones on sale probably use old drivers... old hardware. Could aim at one with USB C connectors or USB 3.2. but even then some of those have win xp drivers... something like https://www.sonnettech.com/product/allegrousb3pcie4port.html

I checked the USB 3.x cards, they say the drivers are not compatible with Win8 and Win10.

And they have different chipsets.

 

[Colif]

I checked the USB 3.x cards, they say the drivers are not compatible with Win8 and Win10.

And they have different chipsets.

Did you look at link I showed and then click on tech specs as it lists 7,8,10,11

Not trying to sell it to you but it was one that doesn't support anything below 7, which at least means the drivers aren't any older than 7... it mentions 11. Most of the ones I saw don't.

its likely a minefield out there, I would expect there are 100's of them all based on old chips. Its the same with WIFI cards. At least with them there is a way to tell if its new or not - what wifi standard it supports. I don't really know how you work it out with these cards.

You can't rely on connectors to tell you anything. Type C doesn't automatically make it new, you can put those on USB 2 devices and it doesn't make them faster.

 

[lvt]

Did you look at link I showed and then click on tech specs as it lists 7,8,10,11

Not trying to sell it to you but it was one that doesn't support anything below 7, which at least means the drivers aren't any older than 7... it mentions 11. Most of the ones I saw don't.

its likely a minefield out there, I would expect there are 100's of them all based on old chips. Its the same with WIFI cards. At least with them there is a way to tell if its new or not - what wifi standard it supports. I don't really know how you work it out with these cards.

You can't rely on connectors to tell you anything. Type C doesn't automatically make it new, you can put those on USB 2 devices and it doesn't make them faster.

Yes I did try installing the Fresco drivers package (FLUSB3.0-3.8.35514.0), but an error message popped up saying "The FL1100 USB 3.0 Host Controller is not found".

 

[Colif]

I am not telling you to install drivers for other devices, I am looking for new devices to buy. Its not exactly easy task as very few have any identifying marks to tell me who actually makes them. That and most on ebay or Ali Express and I don't trust either site.

If you can't find drivers that work, you don't have a lot of choices.

You can't install drivers for hardware you don't have.

 

[lvt]

I am not telling you to install drivers for other devices, I am looking for new devices to buy. Its not exactly easy task as very few have any identifying marks to tell me who actually makes them. That and most on ebay or Ali Express and I don't trust either site.

If you can't find drivers that work, you don't have a lot of choices.

You can't install drivers for hardware you don't have.

I know that I don't have the hardware, just trying to see whether it's a generic but newer drivers that can tell something... But as it's an EXE file I don't have the driver files to try manually.

I'm currently looking at another card with the ASM1042a chipset, it's the only chipsets having Windows 10 drivers officially, but I still hesitate because they only mentioned the ASM1042 while the card in question has the ASM1042a (with USB Attach SCSI Protocol).

 

[Colif]

ASM1042a

always fun trying to find it on the Asmedia website

they don't list any 3.0 cards though... they moved on - https://www.asmedia.com.tw/products-list/d8cyq6FXzaUH8XJa/1C8Yq95SX9YT1zy8

their newer chips are 3242 - https://www.asmedia.com.tw/product/E0CYQ4fSpaQxdjzA/f32YQ14SmApn1wNA
buy old and cheap and you run into same problems again.

i can find it elsewhere - https://pdf1.alldatasheet.com/datasheet-pdf/view/934484/ETC2/ASM1042A.html but not on Asmedia website.

things advertised once as Next Generation remain labelled it. I see 1042a as next gen everywhere. This things need time limits.
I don't know what difference would be between it and 1042 but I would be looking at 3242 instead.

ASM1042A data sheet - http://images.100y.com.tw/pdf_file/35-Asmedia-ASM1042A.pdf
almost every result for ASM1042 ends up as ASM1042A or wants an email address.

 

[lvt]

This is the ASM1042a powered card with SATA power connector.

 

[Colif]

I don't think there is a difference between A and non A. Almost every search for one comes back with the other. There is no B model so its possible its the same thing.

 

[lvt]

I don't think there is a difference between A and non A. Almost every search for one comes back with the other. There is no B model so its possible its the same thing.

I think I will end up with the A version.

BTW I found the drivers for W10 here :

https://www.usb3-drivers.com/download-asmedia-usb3-driver-for-Windows10-64bit.html

 

[lvt]

OK now comes the fun part LOL

I have to make a choice of the chipset, the card comes in two packages, QFN64PIN and QFN48PIN, the 64-pin chipset is larger than the 48-pin chipset.

The bigger the sexier?

I think I will pick the QFN64, the larger chipset surface will allow me to install a small heat-sink, I have used those cards for many years and I know how hot the chipset could be.

 

[Colif]

You might trust them but I only go to source for drivers. I don't like the driver download sites as I don't believe them all the time. They would be my final choice**

its possible Microsoft have drivers for it already. I would buy card and see if windows identifies it without needing drivers
hard to say what these are: https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=asmedia

**wait, no, my final last ditch try would be a 3rd party driver updating software but they are just as bad as the websites and might use them as a source.

 

[lvt]

ASMedia card has been ordered and is on its way.

The card only has 2 USB 3.0 ports and no internal header, so for my 3rd external HDD I bought a special SATA cable (the cable goes through a PCI braket connector).

 

[lvt]