Windows 98 and USB

debodun · 06 Mar 2020

I have an old computer with Windows 98se as the OS. Sometimes I like to boot it up to play some of the games that work on it. However, the keyboard and trackball mouse connect via a PS2 port. They are not working very well, either. I do have a spare optical mouse and keyboard that connect via USB, but this system doesn't recognize the peripheral hardware connected through USB. In other words, I assume that Windows 98 doesn't have plug and play capability for USB devices. Is there some driver I need for that?

Barman58 · 06 Mar 2020

There are adaptors that you can get that convert USB to PS/2

not sure if you need any additional drivers, but Win98 should have basic generic mouse and keyboard drivers for PS/2

Take a look here ...

USB -PS2

They are not expensive so would be worth a try

Bree · 06 Mar 2020

debodun said:

Windows 98 doesn't have plug and play capability for USB devices. Is there some driver I need for that?

Yes, but there are none available from MS. There is a 3rd-party generic USB mass storage driver though...

How To Install USB Mass Storage Device on Windows 98 • Raymond.CC

debodun · 17 Mar 2020

Unfortunately, I can't order online (no credit card). I looked in WalMart when I was there last week and didn't see any of those adapters.

sheffieldyorky · 20 Mar 2020

debodun said:

I have an old computer with Windows 98se as the OS. Sometimes I like to boot it up to play some of the games that work on it. However, the keyboard and trackball mouse connect via a PS2 port. They are not working very well, either. I do have a spare optical mouse and keyboard that connect via USB, but this system doesn't recognize the peripheral hardware connected through USB. In other words, I assume that Windows 98 doesn't have plug and play capability for USB devices. Is there some driver I need for that?

Hi there
If you have an eBay account [ eBay.com ]you can obtain this New Useful Female To Male Converter USBPS*2 Adapter Keyboard Mouse USB To PS2 ,
no software needed as it is "plug and play" and the feature of this it will cope with "keyboard & mouse".
Just checked the image it is not clear enough $2.61 free p&p
Good luck
Tony

iko22 · 20 Mar 2020

You can use a Debt Card via PayPal, should you have one of those cards at hand. Otherwise, some sellers on eBay may accept Cheques, or other methods of Payment.

debodun said:

Unfortunately, I can't order online (no credit card). I looked in WalMart when I was there last week and didn't see any of those adapters.

Do you have a local computer repair shop? You could check there and see if they could order you a USB-PS/2 converter. Just make sure the gender of the connector is correct, as you want to plug a new keyboard+mouse into two older PS/2 ports.

Barman58 · 20 Mar 2020

Its also possible to get pre-payment Cards to enable online transactions I know mastercard do them, you simply add cash to the card, (methods vary), then you use the card for online purchases as you would any other card. some people who have conventional debit/credit cards use these prepaid cards, as a safety measure, if you only put the amount of money you need for you purchase onto the card there is no way that a dishonest seller can take more than the set amount.

These cards will usually have a transaction fee per use, and possibly an initial upfront cost, but conventional cards are not free to use either

townsbg · 20 Mar 2020

sheffieldyorky said:

Hi there
If you have an eBay account [ eBay.com ]you can obtain this New Useful Female To Male Converter USBPS*2 Adapter Keyboard Mouse USB To PS2 ,
no software needed as it is "plug and play" and the feature of this it will cope with "keyboard & mouse".
Just checked the image it is not clear enough $2.61 free p&p
Good luck
Tony

PnP was implemented in 95 but wasn't fully stable until Windows 2000. The OP needs to keep OS compatibility in mind. At that time if was fondly referred to as plug and pray. There where known compatibility and stability issues.

Is Windows 98 a Plug and Play OS? - Windows - Linus Tech Tips
Plug and play - Wikipedia