Problem enabling USB 2.0 in Windows 2003 (nForce4 SLI-F)

[Egon_Freeman]

I have searched the forums well enough (I think - someone might prove me wrong), and I found a handful of threads about Windows 2003 (none of them containing "USB" - but since the search is kind of limited to 4-letter words...)

I'm having a problem with EVERY VERSION of any kind of nForce driver packages. The problem is: I have a nForce-4 SLI-F-based motherboard (MSI K8N SLI, to be exact), and it features USB Hi-Speed devices (USB 2.0). However, I am unable to enable USB 2.0 support in the system.

From one other thread I've googled here from (yes, I used google!), I found this:

"Installation Notes

Windows XP users must install Service Pack 1 prior to attempting to install this package. Failure to do so will result in the inability to support USB 2.0."

This is exactly the problem, even though it WAS the problem for Windows XP - Windows XP was released before USB 2.0-compliant hardware was present and tested, therefore the support for those devices has been added in SP1, as we can find out here: http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system...intro.mspx#EBB

"Windows 2000 and Windows XP were released before USB 2.0 hardware was available, so the drivers were released for those operating systems in the service packs."

My problem is this: whenever I install the nForce drivers, I get a small dialog box saying that USB 2.0 is available after installing Service Pack 1 for Windows XP.

The problem is: I'm running Windows Server 2003 (Enterprise). I've tried Service Pack 1, but it doesn't help (the dialog box still pops up). So, apart from finding a way to force Service Pack 1 for Windows XP onto Windows Server 2003, is there a way to enable USB 2.0 support? (Theoretically Windows 2003 supports USB 2.0 'out-of-the-box', without the need for any service packs; and don't ask why I'm running 2k3 on a standard desktop - it's a little project I have underway @ my workplace - I figured since we had one license laying around... )

Heh, and to think that certain apps don't recognize Windows 2003 (they say I either need 98/2000/ME/XP [while 2k3 is compatible]) and You have to modify .msi files, the wrong programs DO identify it as an XP-based kernel and f*ck up... (You can get pretty iritated after a loooong operation of copying 1 GB of data from a USB hdd on USB 1.1...)


Which millenium were we living in, again?

[Darthtanion]

Re: Problem enabling USB 2.0 in Windows 2003 (nForce4 SLI-F)

Is this a SP for 2003? If so you may have to do the same trick you had to do in XP to make it work. I'll detail the XP trick and hopefully it will be helpful to you... don't know but it may be worth a shot.

After installing the Service Pack and the required reboot has been accomplished, go into the Device Manager and delete the USB entry. Close Control Panel and reboot... the new USB 2.0 drivers will then load and the system will recognize new devices.

Again, I don't know if this will work in 2003, but it is a simple fix in XP to enable the USB 2.0 capabilities of hte mainboard.