I have a Windows 98 computer and want it to be able to access the Internet. I bought an Ethernet card, but it had no drivers for Windows 98. I purchased a different card with the appropriate drivers but the 3.5 floppy disk is blank. Next, I downloaded the driver off the website onto my USB 2.0 removable hard drive. However, my Windows 98 machine says it needs compatible drivers to read the USB hard drive which didn’t come with software. Where or how can I solve this problem?
Aye, this is tricky indeed! I assume that your Windows 98 machine doesn’t have a CD-ROM drive either? If it does, I’d try burning the Ethernet drivers to CD and then installing them off of that disc. The other easy option is contacting the manufacturer of the Ethernet card for a replacement 3.5″ floppy. If neither of those are options, we do have a few other steps we can try.
USB and Windows 98
Windows 98 does support USB, so technically, you should be able to attach an external USB hard drive to the system. USB devices are plug and play devices, so the hardware is theoretically already on your computer. However, because this is an old operating system, it’s questionable that your new hard drive supports Windows 98. Even if it does, since your Windows 98 computer does not currently have Internet access, it most likely lacks the required drivers. That’s because plug and play drivers arrive on your machine as they are released via Windows updates. If your computer hasn’t been updated, it will lack drivers.
First, I’d check with your hard drive’s manufacturer to see if Windows 98 drivers are even offered. Even so, you’d still have the dilemma of how to get the drivers from here to there. If it does support Windows 98 or use generic drivers supplied with Windows 98, the next thing you can try is a different USB cable. Are you using a high speed hard drive with a low speed USB cable? Next, if you’re using a hub, try connecting directly to the computer, completely bypassing any hub.
Another option is to try an inexpensive USB flash drive that supports Windows 98. But again, you will need to deal with getting the drivers on your Windows 98 machine.
Windows 98 Modem and Dial-up
Does your Windows 98 machine have a modem? Have you ever set up a dialup account with this machine? If you can get online using dial-up, then you’ll have more options.
For example, if you can find a free dialup service such as Netzero, Juno, or AOL on floppy disk (check your computer, you may already have a trial version installed from the factory), try connecting to the Internet temporarily. Once online, you can download the drivers you need directly from the manufacturer’s Web site.
Is the 3.5 Floppy Really Blank?
Some older 3.5 drives can’t read the data created by newer 3.5 floppy drives. This could mean that the disk has the drivers you need, but your drive can’t read the disk. If you have a friend with a computer that has a 3.5 floppy drive, see if his computer can detect anything on the floppy. If so, have him copy the files to a new floppy disk, preferably one formatted by your drive, and see if your computer can read that one.
This is a tough one made harder due to incompatibility issues. Hopefully it will be a simple matter of getting a replacement floppy that isn’t blank from the Ethernet card’s manufacturer.
