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View Full Version : Adding an external USB hard drive to Windows 95


merk1821
03-16-2004, 11:43 PM
Hi PPCT members. I have a friend who wants to add an external hard drive to a Windows 95 computer. The machine has 2 USB 1.1 ports and it is running WIN95 OSR2. My friend wants to buy a hard drive and the enclosure seperately and create the external drive himself I have scoured looking for an answer but no luck. Can anyone help me with this ?

Sven Johannsen
03-17-2004, 04:47 AM
This is reaching way back, but USB support was an add-on to Win 98 and wasn't a part of the OS till Win 98SE. I don't think WIN 95 has USB support what so ever, unless there is some third party option like there is with NT.

If the machine has the USB hardware, I would guess it is capable of running 98SE or even XP (home). Just upgrade and save a lot of hassle.

Janak Parekh
03-17-2004, 05:06 AM
This is reaching way back, but USB support was an add-on to Win 98 and wasn't a part of the OS till Win 98SE. I don't think WIN 95 has USB support what so ever, unless there is some third party option like there is with NT.
Actually, Win98 had USB support from the outset. Win95OSR2 had the option of getting USB support -- you had to have the right version of the Win95OSR2 OEM CD which had a "USBSUPP" directory on it or somesuch.

Neverthelless -- merk1821, why not just upgrade the box to 98SE? That's a much superior solution. I don't recommend anyone use '95 anymore, as it's vulnerable when on the Internet -- Microsoft no longer releases security updates.

--janak

Glisson
03-17-2004, 05:18 AM
There are kits available. I remember a kit brand by Kangaru or Kangaroo. You add the drive to this thing and bada bing bada boom. CDW has a lot of that stuff but their web site is hard to search through for specialty crap like that.

Good Luck,

Glisson

foldedspace
03-24-2004, 12:14 AM
Windows 95 C has USB support. But you might also need an upgraded BIOS to handle it.