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Driver Repositories for Windows 95 Users?
musselm asks: "I've begun working with a PC-refurbishing operation which provides Win95 machines to folks in need. The most time-consuming part is tracking down drivers for disparate modems and other devices. Does anyone have a solution to this problem? I have a dream of a few CDs with every possible driver for every possible device, but of course that's silly. Thanks for the help."
I've found http://www.windrivers.com to be a valuable resource for drivers that are still available. It's a subscription service, I believe it runs about $30 a year.
seriouslyexcited.net
Talk to the Penguin.
Every windows advocate will tell you that windows has excelent hardware support...
mp3: l33t term for empty.
Especially since you're a 'good cause' it shouldn't be too hard to talk one of the local shops into it! Offer a 'special thank to' on your site or fliers... you may even get more then drivers out of them =)
Good luck!
"1984" was ment to be a warning, not a guidebook. You hear that Kim Jong-il!? BushCo?!
http://www.driverguide.com/
Thousands and thousands of drivers.... and the site is easily found using Google. I swear, you'd think people "smart" enough to read slashdot would be smart enough to use a search engine. I guess I overestimate the intelligence of most people.
It's better to burn out than to fade away
In my business I typically go out to people's houses and fix their computers on site. In rare instances, I have to reformat their drives and reinstall Windows. Finally, after all these years, people generally know to keep their Windows CD handy, but all the other stuff such as modem, and video drivers are no where to be found. When they have Windows 98 or later my life is much easier, but even with W98, it almost never has the drivers for two things the video and the modem.
I now have a CD full of drivers for all of the most common devices I come across. This was built with the help of driverguide.com on the modem drivers section, and from various other manufactuer websites for the video. A collection of all drivers ever made is impossible, but one that has the drivers of most devices you run into is not. Just be sure to come up with a organizational system to put the drivers in any time you have to hunt one down for a new exotic device, and in a few short months driver hunting will be more a diversion than the norm.
Once you are done collecting your drivers, you can then invest time in organizing 2-3 CDs full of Windows Updates and bug fixes so that you are not sending virus prone machines out to be wrecked by some script kiddie.
Maybe using newer versions of windows would be the best option, if hardware support is what you need. From my own experience I have an old creative-based soundcard that nothing (even 2000) would recognize, but xp picked it up right off the bat. Granted, you'd have to tweak a bit to get XP running quickly on older hardware but it won't be as bad as trying to get OSX to run at all on my performa.
The most time-consuming part is tracking down drivers for disparate modems and other devices.
;-) Anyways... Try this link for modem init strings and drivers. Good luck.
"Disparate" modems, eh?
I've begun working with a PC-refurbishing operation which provides Win95 machines to folks in need. Does anyone have a solution to this problem?
I know it's hard, but just stop being a jackass and giving people win95 machines. If people can quit smoking, you can surely quit this atrocious act.
I know more than you drink.
Three easy steps to the Internet:
;)
... Sheeeet, even Red Splat has our friend Kudzu ..............
Step one: Plug in.
Step two: Get connected.
Step three: There's no step three. THERE'S NO STEP THREE!
The beauty of the Mac is that the simple things really _ARE_ simple. The hard things are still hard, but at least logical (i.e. no msgsrv32.dll to fight with
--NBVB
(Yeah yeah, I know, it's a troll. I just can't help myself.)
p.s. "boot -r" works wonders too. Oh wait, damn, can't do that either. How about running smitty? Nope, no go there either! Damn, find a real OS
Good gads, whatever you do stay away from the combo modem sound card that Packard Bell had in their computers. What a nightmare!
I used to goto windrivers.com(when they were free) maybe they would be willing to help you out since this seems to be charitable work but who knows.
OMG this is funny mode parent up!!!11!!!!!
www.driverguide.com is always a good place to look. Get used to yanking the card, looking for the ID on any chips, and then searching for that chip's drivers. Also check out www.google.com and groups.google.com for other excellent places to search.
When you download the drivers, have a network share (or directory) with this file structure: /drivers/type[video,sound,modem,network]/manufactu rer/model/OS. Then, if you keep seeing the same type of card (not uncommon when you realize the machines you are refurbishing tend to come from a specific local manufacturer[s] who use the same hardware in each of their machines) you don't have to redownload it. And you can always burn /drivers/ onto a few CD's if your driver collection gets large enough to be useful.
most machines that ran 95 can run 98 why not upgrade to 98?
ExcelAnd I have the code to run one. It was gonig to be public, with a list of links to where the drivers were available from, or optionally have it on my web sevrer. However, I didn't like the first option because over time, the companies that supply drivers for their products either remove the drivr or go offline completely. The second one introduced licencing issues on redistribution. *shrug*
How many times have you found an odd network card, or even your mobo BIOS, and never been able to find the manufacturer. There are sites that *list* the manufacturer, but dont have the driver. If only drivers could all be freely redistributed, then I'd probably go ahead with my site.... anyone got any suggestions/
They should be using Linux, which has excelLent driver support, much better than windows. Good point, you're comment is so true and not an ignorant statement by a zealot who wants the rest the extremeist linux lovers here to champion him on.
You should probably just throw them out, and put in more modern (but dirt cheap) stuff. Then you can stack those weird devices up in piles, waiting untill you have at least a dozen of a given type. At that time, you may invest time in finding a driver. By working this way, you can also use time to your advantage. Instead of you using your time to find those old drivers, write a letter to the manufacturer, and ask them to dig up the old drivers.
For login, use: drivers. and password: all.
Don't eat your soul to fill your belly.
conesus.com
If you ever come accross an IBM MWave card (combo sound card and modem) - they came with the early Aptivas - do the world a favour and burn it. That has to be one of the worst products ever made. Not only dosne't it work, but the official Tech Support answer for any MWaave question in WinFax Pro was "get a new modem" - after years of work trying ot get the MWave to be compatible, they just gave up on it.
Cue The Sun...
www.google.com
type in the serial number
bob's your uncle.