Recently I bought a 512 MB Lexar Jump Drive, and I have tried several times to get this working on my Windows 98 computer. I have downloaded and installed the device drivers for the drive, and after about 45 minutes I was able to get the Jump Drive. However, after restarting the computer it would no longer recognise the Jump Drive when connected to the computer. So, every time I restart the computer I must go into the Device Manager to get the Jump Drive to work. How can I get the device to work normally without having to go through this procedure?

I had a look at the drive download page for the Lexar Jump Drive (www.lexar.com/drivers/index.html) and noticed they only offer drivers for Windows 98 SE (Second Edition). This is because Windows 98 (first edition) only provides relatively limited USB support, which was subsequently improved in Windows 98 SE and future versions of Windows. So, we first need to check which version of Windows 98 you are running. Go to the ‘Start’ menu > ‘Settings’ > ‘Control Panel’ and open the ‘System’ control panel. In the window that appears, click the ‘General’ tab. If you are running Windows 98 first edition, the version will be listed as ‘4.10.1998′. On the other hand, if you are running Windows 98 SE, the version will be listed as ‘4.10.2222A Second Edition’. Should you be running Windows 98 first edition, the problem you are experiencing may be simply related to the limited USB support in Windows 98. In some circumstances, people have reported the Windows 98 SE drivers working for Windows 98 (first edition) but this is not supported or recommended, as there is a definite risk it may not work. You have been able to get the USB drive working, however you may simply have to go through the procedure of refreshing the device in the Device Manager each time you wish to use the drive.

However, if you have Windows 98 SE the drive should be supported. In this situation, you should first try disconnecting the device and reinstalling the drivers (after downloading a fresh copy of the drivers from the manufacturer’s website). Should the problem continue after reinstalling the device drivers, a possible work around is to connect the Jump Drive to the computer before you power-up the computer. Hopefully, Windows should recognise the device on startup and allow you to use the device with no further action required.

Otherwise, the problem could be related to a conflict. I have read reports of some drivers for USB devices conflicting with other drivers for USB devices. For example, if you have installed drivers for any other USB devices on your computer, there is a possibility they could be in conflict with each other. To test this theory, you would need to uninstall the drivers for all the other USB devices on your computer, except the Jump Drive. I would welcome your feedback, so please let me know if you have been able to solve the problem using these procedures, or whether you have found another method which fixes the problem.