Universal Serial Bus (USB), USB Compatible Operating Systems

Universal Serial Bus (USB)

You should know the following facts about USB:

• Allows 127 devices to be connected in a daisy-chain
• Supports many kinds of devices (keyboards, mice, scanners, digital cameras, speakers, printers, and many others)
• Supports Plug and Play (no configuration required except simply plugging in the device)
• Supports hot swapping (adding and removing devices without rebooting--also known as hot plugging)
• Can provide power to devices (up to certain limits)
• Supports asynchronous and isochronous data transfers 
• OS must support USB
• Plug-and-Play compliant

USB Versions

Version	Speed	Data Transfer Rate (megabits per second)	Maximum Cable Length (meters)	Example Devices
1	Low-speed	1.5 mbps	3 m	Keyboard, Mouse
	Full-speed	12 mbps	5 m	Printer, Scanner
2	High-speed	480 mbps	5 m	Hard Drive, Digital Video

Note: Version 2 is backwards compatible with version 1 devices.

USB Compatible Operating Systems

For USB to function, the computer's BIOS must be USB-compatible and configured to USB Enabled. A computer's operating system must also support USB before you can use USB devices on a computer. The following table summarizes USB support provided by Windows operating systems.

Operating System	Supports USB?
Windows 95 (retail version)	No
Windows 95 (OEM version, service release 2 and earlier)	No
Windows 95 (OEM version, service release 2.1)	Yes
Windows 98	Yes
Windows ME	Yes
Windows NT 4.0 with service pack 4 and earlier	No
Windows 2000	Yes
Windows XP	Yes

USB Configuration

 





Type A USB Connector                                                                            Type B USB Connector

You can connect a USB device to a computer in two ways:

• Directly to a USB port on a computer (it is common for a computer to have two USB ports)
• To an external USB hub
  
  
  
  To install a USB device:
  1. Check USB Host Controller status in Device Manager.
  • If the USB Host Controller isn't present in Device Manager, install it using the Add/Remove Hardware Control Panel applet.
  • If you cannot install the controller, make sure USB support is enabled in the BIOS.
  2. Plug in the USB device (you may need to restart the computer).
  3. The Add New Hardware wizard should launch and load the drivers.
  • If the wizard doesn't launch automatically, install the drivers manually through the Control Panel.
  4. Install any application software for the device.