meh, wireless usb dongle drivers...

[ben7]

Hey,
I have a desktop that I want to connect to the internet. It has a modem, but my only option is wireless. So:

I have a usb511wb wireless usb dongle
The computer has Windows xp

Windows can't find the drivers for the device, even on the device itself, so is it even possible to get this to work??? There must be a glitch or something I am doing wrong here...

[selldoor]

Re: meh, wireless usb dongle drivers...

Did you try this?
http://drivers.softpedia.com/get/NET...B-Driver.shtml

Load the driver first then plug in adapter then restart.

[ben7]

Re: meh, wireless usb dongle drivers...

Did you try this?
http://drivers.softpedia.com/get/NET...B-Driver.shtml

Load the driver first then plug in adapter then restart.

I haven't yet LOL, I shall download it onto my flash drive using another computer. Oh wait, let's hope it will install the driver for the flash drive...

[ben7]

Re: meh, wireless usb dongle drivers...

Usb drive does work on the computer (phew)

However, the site you linked me to just has redirect loops, that do nothing... lol

[ben7]

Re: meh, wireless usb dongle drivers...

Anyone?

[lti]

Re: meh, wireless usb dongle drivers...

If it is really a StarTech device, the drivers will probably be on their website. You could also try to figure out what chip is being used or who originally made it (StarTech just remarks low-end stuff and sells it for a higher price).

Here is StarTech's product page:
http://www.startech.com/11-Mbps-USB-...apter~USB511WB
They don't have drivers listed, but the manual talks about ZyDAS software.

[ben7]

Re: meh, wireless usb dongle drivers...

Yeah, they don't have drivers, but I will look into that ZyDAS stuff!

[Time2Retire]

Re: meh, wireless usb dongle drivers...

That thing looks to be only Wireless-B. Not only would it be slow, but it only supports WEP encryption, which is easy to crack. You would be much better of just getting a new Wireless-N stick. Then you could use WPA encryption.

[mockingbird]

Re: meh, wireless usb dongle drivers...

Force this driver I have attached in device manager.

[selldoor]

Re: meh, wireless usb dongle drivers...

Usb drive does work on the computer (phew)

However, the site you linked me to just has redirect loops, that do nothing... lol

Sorry, your right - I didnt fully check it
This is the manual
https://cdn.badcaps-static.com/pdfs/...1d286101fd.pdf

It should be plug and play (pray) on windows2000 plus but probaly not 7 or 8

[klkmalik]

Re: meh, wireless usb dongle drivers...

First insert to device.then download http://www.astra32.com/download.htm install this exe file they tell what you have device in Brand name.ofter download this wan driver and install
then will work. This is easy methode finding device driver. I think this will help you.

[ben7]

Re: meh, wireless usb dongle drivers...

Thanks guys, I will try it later when I get back home.

[Fast Alpha]

Re: meh, wireless usb dongle drivers...

Take a picture of the wifi usb and post it here ?
Both sides.

Or you could have Windows XP ( is it 32bit ? )

Go to netwrok connections, then use that to connect.

[y_not]

Re: meh, wireless usb dongle drivers...

That thing looks to be only Wireless-B. Not only would it be slow, but it only supports WEP encryption, which is easy to crack. You would be much better of just getting a new Wireless-N stick. Then you could use WPA encryption.

Time2Retire has a very good point indeed. On top of all that, 802.11b is 11Mb (Megabit). That's 5.5Mb available for each send/receive operation, since it's 1/2 duplex only 1/2 the bandwidth is available at any given time. IE. The total bandwidth in any given channel within the spectrum is added up together as one sum and that is what's listed in the spec. So take 5.5Mb div. by 8 gives you about 687KB/s (Kilobytes) of throughput at theoretical max under ideal conditions. Actual throughput, going back 10+ years in my head, is something like 500K/s at best.
Which means if your internet conn. is anything over about: 4Mb-4.5Mb, you're crippling it and wasting money.
This all assuming that you have excellent signal and ZERO interference. 802.11b has very poor interference handling and bad range /w poor link quality and ranges that are simply across the room not too far. It has to have near perfect line of sight "LOS", or it's all up and down.

Compare this to even 802.11g at 3MB-3.5MB/sec (about half the 54Mbps max bandwidth) and you'd have to have a 24-28Mb internet connection before you'd be exceeding the usable bandwidth of the 802.11g protocol.

As for the driver you're trying to get loaded...
You say "Windows can't find the drivers for the device, even on the device itself.."
Are you just assuming Windows has the driver built in? It won't, the device would have to be manufactured prior to XP's release in 4Q-2001. Even then, there are no guarantees.
Or are you using a disc provided by the manufacturer?
If you are using a disc, how are you going about loading the driver?
Install program, manual driver installation using the "found new hardware" prompt where you have to browse for the driver path, or some other way?

Post exactly what it is you are doing to install it & how. This way I can better help you.

Do note that it is highly, highly unusual if not nearly non-existent for a device of that age to have drivers built in. There were some, but rare. Also, the only time you'd ever find it would be on an external storage device. But they aren't exactly "drivers" in the true sense of the word, since they are P&P as an OHCI/EHCI Microsoft Mass Storage. If they weren't, it wouldn't be able to load the driver off the device anyway, as it can't install it without it, so theres no way for it to access it. So it's kind of an egg before the chicken situation.

First insert to device.then download http://www.astra32.com/download.htm install this exe file they tell what you have device in Brand name.ofter download this wan driver and install
then will work. This is easy methode finding device driver. I think this will help you.

With all do respect to the poster, with my nearly 20yrs experience in the IT & PC repair world, I have to respectfully disagree with this recommendation.
This is a no-no!
These programs are baaaaddddd juju!!! They can cause all sorts of problems and many can be next to impossible to fully remove from your machine. Acting as a parasite, or trojan of sorts. NASTY STUFF!!!
People have pushed these things nearly since the dawn of the commercial computing age and they have always been garbage. But they have their supporters & they swear by them. Well, for a tech that spends his days, nights & sometimes weekends cleaning up people's messes. You tend to build a strong distaste for most "System Utilities".
And never, ever, ever use "driver finders". OUCH!! They usually have a trojan, guaranteed.

The 2 that are good, aside from using a Linux boot CD/UFB to probe the HW, are the following.
-- SiSoft SANDRA
-- AIDA64 (Formerly Everest Ultimate)
Neither are free, but they have a trial version.

CPUID, the makers of the venerable and amazingly useful tool that nearly any tech worth their salt uses: CPU-Z & HWMonitor, have a tool called PC Wizard. But I have never used it, so I can't vouch for it's function or system impact. But if it's anything like CPUID's other SW, you shouldn't even have to install it.
Just download the "zip - no installation" version from here. http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/pc-wizard.html

The driver "selldoor" linked to is a dead URL when you actually try to download it. It links to Startech's site, which has long since removed the driver apparently.
The driver "mockingbird" posted should work, forcing it as stated will likely be required. I can give you instructions on how to do that if you need. I'll wait though, as they're a bit involved.
According to this website, that is indeed the wireless radio manufacturer.
http://linux-wless.passys.nl/query_hostif.php?hostif=U
*Tip, do a search of the pg for your WiFi dongle. (CTRL+F)

If that doesn't work out for you, you can find out what I'll need to know about the hardware in order to send you down the right road.

There's a much nicer, built in way to find this stuff out. It appears hard, but it's rather simple.
Perform the following. Not in "Safe Mode".

Simply insert the device, cancel the "add new hardware" wizard that opens when Windows detects the new device.
1. Right click "My Computer" on your desktop.
2. Left click on properties.
3. Click on the "Hardware" tab.
4. Click on the button labeled: "Device Manager".
5. Look for a category labeled "Unknown Hardware".
It'll have a yellow question mark next to it.
6. Expand the category by double clicking the name, or clicking once on the plus sign at left.
7. Double click on the unknown device listed there. There should be only one listed for a WiFi card.
8. Click on the tab labeled: "Details"
9. Change the drop down list, by clicking once on the title to follow, from: "Device instance ID" > "Hardware IDs"
10. Click on the last line 1x. It'll start with: "USB\vid_xxxxx". With the X's representing a string of alphanumeric characters.
11. Hold down the key to the left of your keyboard labeled "CTRL". While holding this key, tap the letter 'C' on your keyboard. Now release "CTRL". This copies the text you highlighted to the Windows clipboard. No visual action happens.
12. Now paste that into your reply here. Simply do the same process you did above to copy the text, but now instead of using the letter 'C', substitute the letter 'V' for it.

This will tell me exactly what hardware is in your device and will allow me to find you a driver.

I will tell you this right up front. Finding drivers for "old hardware" is difficult at best and is often an art form. As most of it is either not on the company's website anymore, the company went out of business, got bought out, merged, etc... and there's nothing left about your device. Hunting it down on the web can be absolute trial & error. They "say it works", but it doesn't.
Back in the day, I have spent hours and hours and hours trying to find drivers that work properly for people's modems. Win98, ME, Win2k, XP, NT4, etc.. They're (modems) the WORST!!! I'd say old WiFi cards are second worst, followed by off brand NICs and probably closely tied with on board audio from no-name board makers or OEM PCs /w abandoned support and no download archives.

[mockingbird]

Re: meh, wireless usb dongle drivers...

The driver "mockingbird" posted should work, forcing it as stated will likely be required. I can give you instructions on how to do that if you need. I'll wait though, as they're a bit involved.
According to this website, that is indeed the wireless radio manufacturer.
http://linux-wless.passys.nl/query_hostif.php?hostif=U
*Tip, do a search of the pg for your WiFi dongle. (CTRL+F)

Will definitely be required... I checked the .inf, his dev_id isn't in it. I had to extract the driver manually from the CAB. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't believe those Wireless B dongles will do WPA...

[y_not]

Re: meh, wireless usb dongle drivers...

Yes, that's correct. To my knowledge, there is no WPA support for 802.11b. It's just too old, it requires HW support in the WiFi radio and it just doesn't have it. So to my knowledge, there's no "SW" emulator or hack for it anyway.
Besides, it'd be slower than snot as there isn't much bandwidth headroom in the 1st place. Being that encryption slows things down, and the stronger the slower. Well WEP<WPA anyway. WPA and all its variants, not really, they're all basically equal when compared to one another.

Will definitely be required... I checked the .inf, his dev_id isn't in it. I had to extract the driver manually from the CAB.

Figures!! LOL

BTW, there is no CAB file in the ZIP archive you posted. To name a few; INFs, DLLs, a CAT file for the digital sig, a config exe file that's likely junk and what appears to be an uninstaller util.
28 total files adding up to 3.26MB extracted.

As for doing it manually, if modding the driver doesn't work...
This ain't gonna be easy.
Is the OP still around, or did they go MIA?
I'll need to know if the OP is even willing to mess /w this at this point, plus I need answers to some of my questions before I can proceed with things.
Not to mention, if the OP ends up having to do this the hard way, well.... it's not easy and requires at the very least, a lot of technical gumption and the determination, plus perseverance, as well as the desire to conquer anything tech.

But neither is it rocket science. LOL
Or should I say... "Aerospace Engineering".



BTW,
Sorry for my belated reply.
Apparently this forum doesn't have a "your posts" page. Well, it does, but nothing auto subscribes and if the setting is there to toggle that, I certainly haven't stumbled upon it. But neither have I exhaustively looked for it.
So in any event, I have to check them all manually until I get in the habit of subscribing "manually" to each one. OY'VEY!!

[cheapie]

Re: meh, wireless usb dongle drivers...

*sigh*

Why can't manufacturers use mode switching to make a device that presents itself as a read-only flash drive (with the drivers) until they are installed and command it to switch?

[Rulycat]

Re: meh, wireless usb dongle drivers...

*sigh*

Why can't manufacturers use mode switching to make a device that presents itself as a read-only flash drive (with the drivers) until they are installed and command it to switch?

The Huewei 3G dongle I've got does exactly this!

[Time2Retire]

Re: meh, wireless usb dongle drivers...

*sigh*

Why can't manufacturers use mode switching to make a device that presents itself as a read-only flash drive (with the drivers) until they are installed and command it to switch?

In Linux usb_modeswitch does this. Since the drivers are in the Linux kernel, there is no need for the Windows ones on the device. Once usb_modeswitch is set up for your device, it will always do it automatically.

[y_not]

Re: meh, wireless usb dongle drivers...

In Linux usb_modeswitch does this. Since the drivers are in the Linux kernel, there is no need for the Windows ones on the device. Once usb_modeswitch is set up for your device, it will always do it automatically.

I can see it now, yet another way for the HW manufacturers to make it so Linux can't come out and play with the other kids. Watch, MS will make it a "requirement" for all future PnP USB devices to enable & support this by default.
On top of it, they'll make it even harder for Linux to access it. GRRRR

PS. The fact that cell phones do it didn't even cross my mind. As they aren't a PC hardware peripheral in the traditional sense at least.