[SOLVED] Windows Error after installing Acer USB Ethernet/RNDIS Gadget Driver

[Cj-tech]

I have a Raspberry Pi Zero configured to allow SSH over USB. By default, Windows recognized it as a Serial COM3 device. I can’t SSH to the Serial COM3 device using Putty, so I installed a driver.

In Windows Update, the Acer Incorporated Driver USB Ethernet/RNDIS Gadget Driver is listed under Optional Updates. Whenever I install it, it sets the driver to the Raspberry Pi device; however, in Network and Sharing Center, it is disabled. Then after a few minutes of trying to enable the device, I get a blue screen with an error. I am then forced to restore from my saved restore point.

I need this (or a similar) driver to be able to connect to the Pi because it doesn’t have internet or Bluetooth built in. Any ideas?

Here is a photo:

https://imgur.com/L3214b4

View: https://imgur.com/L3214b4

Edit: The exact driver name is Acer Incorporated. - Other hardware - USB Ethernet/RNDIS Gadget

 

[Lutfij]

Did you follow through the steps in this article/guide? I got there after reading this. You should see an option to download drivers for the Pi device and you're advised to manually install the drivers from Device Manager, not tell the OS to source drivers it thinks is right for your system. The issue with Windows 10 is that if it doesn't like the environment it's in, it gives a BSOD. I hope you don't have to reinstall the OS, at this point.

 

[Cj-tech]

Did you follow through the steps in this article/guide? I got there after reading this. You should see an option to download drivers for the Pi device and you're advised to manually install the drivers from Device Manager, not tell the OS to source drivers it thinks is right for your system. The issue with Windows 10 is that if it doesn't like the environment it's in, it gives a BSOD. I hope you don't have to reinstall the OS, at this point.

I already reinstalled the OS yesterday, but after that I setup a restore point. I never saw that guide in Google search results and followed this one (which didn't work).

I just followed that guide and literally as soon as I installed the driver it referenced, I got the BSOD with the error again. Time to restore W10 again.

Edit: Did you want me to install the driver referenced in the guide or the one in the forum?

Spoiler: Forum Driver

Below you'll find a new link to the RNDIS driver, since the one mentioned by sarathkumar341(or actually the one in the article he links) IS DEAD

https://modclouddownloadprod.blob.core. ... indows.zip
New link comes from here:
https://wiki.moddevices.com/wiki/Troubl ... onnection
Thanks sarathkumar341, RNDIS driver problems explain A LOT that I was struggling with on my Windows PC connecting with RPi

 

[Cj-tech]

I already reinstalled the OS yesterday, but after that I setup a restore point. I never saw that guide in Google search results and followed this one (which didn't work).

I just followed that guide and literally as soon as I installed the driver it referenced, I got the BSOD with the error again. Time to restore W10 again.

Edit: Did you want me to install the driver referenced in the guide or the one in the forum?

Spoiler: Forum Driver

Below you'll find a new link to the RNDIS driver, since the one mentioned by sarathkumar341(or actually the one in the article he links) IS DEAD

https://modclouddownloadprod.blob.core. ... indows.zip
New link comes from here:
https://wiki.moddevices.com/wiki/Troubl ... onnection
Thanks sarathkumar341, RNDIS driver problems explain A LOT that I was struggling with on my Windows PC connecting with RPi

Neither of those two drivers worked. Both forces a blue screen and system restore. Any other ideas?

 

[Alabalcho]

You say, the driver reads "Acer", and you're setting up Raspberry, which for sure is not manufactured by Acer. Don't install this driver. Enable WiFi on your RPi, and use COM3 to configure it, then SSH over WiFi,

 

[Cj-tech]

You say, the driver reads "Acer", and you're setting up Raspberry, which for sure is not manufactured by Acer. Don't install this driver. Enable WiFi on your RPi, and use COM3 to configure it, then SSH over WiFi,

I have tried to SSH over the Serial COM3 port, which I said didn’t work in my original post. Putty cannot find the device to connect to and gives an error. Wi-Fi can’t be enabled on a device without Wi-Fi and Bluetooth adapters (i.e. the Raspberry Pi Zero v1.3). I probably should have mentioned it was the v1.3 Pi Zero in the main post.

The main goal is to have Windows 10 share it’s internet connection to the Raspberry Pi Zero v1.3 (since it doesn’t have wireless adapters). If anyone knows of any software that can allow that, I am open to suggestions.

 

[Alabalcho]

The main goal is to have Windows 10 share it’s internet connection to the Raspberry Pi Zero v1.3 (since it doesn’t have wireless adapters). If anyone knows of any software that can allow that, I am open to suggestions.

Just scored $5 RPi Zero like yours, gonna try it over the week.

 

[Cj-tech]

Just scored $5 RPi Zero like yours, gonna try it over the week.

I'm curious, have you had any success so far?

 

[Alabalcho]

I'm curious, have you had any success so far?

Not yet, it's been hard week...

 

[Cj-tech]

Not yet, it's been hard week...

I forgot that this thread was not marked as resolved. After doing it again recently, the answer provided by @Lutfij works. It must have been a configuration issue with the Pi. However, it looks like the driver may have also changed, this post has a different download link than the original.

After installing Raspbian to the microSD card, these are the steps I took:

1. On the microSD card, add dtoverlay=dwc2 to the last line in config.txt file.
2. Next, in the cmdline.txt file, add modules-load=dwc2,g_ether after rootwait.
3. Create a new text document and rename it to ssh (make sure to remove the .txt file extension too).
4. Remove the microSD card and place it in the Raspberry Pi. Afterwards, plug the Raspberry Pi into your computer with a microUSB cable.
5. The new device should appear in Device Manager in Windows 10. Right click it, click Update Driver, click Browse my computer for drivers, browse to the driver location, and the driver should install. I'd suggest sharing your internet connection in Control Panel if it is a RPI 0 without wireless capabilities.

Just wanted to update this for those who have the same problem. Thanks guys for the tips!