add usb

[Bic]

I have been studying the manual for my mother board. The picture of the board in the manual shows to spots to connect a USB. where would I get one to connect? I looked in a couple of stores and the ones they have go into a pci slot. Would those do and then connect to that usb connector?

Bic

[Peter M]

What you see in the manual are USB connector headers for the USB controller that already is on the board.

To use that, you need to enable the USB controller in system BIOS setup, and buy a USB connector slot bracket that suits the board model you have there. These go for well below US$10 usually.

However, if that board is from the early stages of onboard USB, then it might well be that it's useless (because it follows a pre-1.0 USB standard). In that case, add a PCI USB card - these have a current USB controller on them that adheres to the final USB standard 1.0 or 1.1.

So, this boils down to what board you have there. Tell me, and I'll assist further.

Regards, Peter

[Bic]

Peter,
The Title on the manual says PENTIUM P51430VX-250 Explorer. I have a Intel pentium 166s chip on it.
Thanks Bic

[Bic]

will the pci usb work with in95?

[Peter M]

The integrated USB also is a PCI USB component - no difference to add-on USBs. (Other than that modern BIOSes can run USB keyboards and mice off the integrated one, but not off an add-on USB.)

Windows 95 is useless for USB, integrated or add-on. Very very few devices have W95 drivers.

If you have an Intel 430VX chipset, then see to it that the Intel 82371SB chip (the PIIX3 south bridge containing the USB controller) has SU093 marking not SU052. The latter is one of the useless early pre-USB 1.0 controllers.

Regards, Peter