USB drivers needed

Greetings. I am currently attempting to install a fresh instance of Windows, but I have encountered an issue where I cannot locate the necessary drivers for the front panel USB ports. My motherboard is an ASUS A88M-A, and I am running Windows 7 Pro 64

I would appreciate any assistance you can provide.

Most of the time, you'll find them right there on the CDu that came bundled with your motherboard.

I'm looking at a used PC, but it doesn't come with a CD

Just grab the latest chipset driver straight from the ASUS site.

So, when you mentioned the front panel... does that mean the rear ports are actually working? If they are, maybe check if the front USB panel is even plugged into the motherboard correctly.

They were working perfectly fine before I did this new Windows installation. Currently, I have four slots on the back—two function properly, while the other two are dead—plus there are two ports on the front that aren't responding either. I am fairly certain the non-functional ones are meant to be USB 3.0. I even tried installing the latest chipset drivers, but it didn't change a thing. I'm at a bit of a loss as to what my next move should be.

If you’ve already slapped those new chipset drivers on, I guess the last ditch effort is checking if your BIOS needs an update. If it isn't on the latest version, that might be it. Some ASUS boards have had issues with their USB ports before, and they usually fix that stuff through BIOS updates...

Edit: What's the word in Device Manager? Is it a driver issue, or is the system not even seeing the USB ports at all?

In my Device Manager, I’m seeing two exclamation marks next to entries labeled as Unknown Device. I have already updated the BIOS to the latest version on this machine.

This is a pretty weird situation... I have a question, did you try rebooting the PC at any point during the installation process? Are those working USB drivers from Windows or ASUS? Maybe give it a restart, and if things are still acting up, just wipe whatever you have installed and try the ASUS ones again.

While you're restarting, it might be worth checking the BIOS just to make sure everything is set correctly... though I doubt anything would just change on its own...

Also, check your Device Manager under "Other devices" to see if there's an Unknown Device sitting there. If you find one, try right-clicking it and selecting Update driver, or whatever the prompt says. Check that first, along with what I mentioned above, before you go through the whole restart thing.

It’s almost a certainty—basically a 100% chance—that you’re going to need to grab those USB 3.0 drivers. Since you're running Windows 7, the OS just won't recognize those USB 3.0 ports without them being installed first. So, your best bet is to head over to the motherboard manufacturer's website and download the specific USB 3.0 drivers there.

I have already attempted that approach, and it yielded no results. I even performed a fresh installation of Windows this morning—switching over to the 64-bit version this time—but the outcome remains unchanged. I am still staring at that same yellow exclamation mark next to an Unknown Device.

Checked out that page. No standalone USB 3.0 drivers to grab there.
Just the chipset package, which is a massive 2.45 GB. The USB 3.0 drivers are tucked away inside that.

wiredcyclist82 said:It's just the chipset package, about 2.45 GB. It includes the USB 3.0 drivers too.

😲 A 2.45GB chipset driver? Man... how much bloatware is tucked away in there then?

@Benjamin Harris65/">@@Benjamin Harris65
Nothing showing up under Other devices as an Unknown Device?

Edit: didn't want to start a whole new thread... did you try what I mentioned above for that unknown one? Just right-click it and hit update driver?

In my other device list, I have two entries showing up as an Unknown Device

wiredcyclist82, could you please send me the link for that chipset? I'd like to give it a shot myself.

Here: http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mis..._VER809160.zip

wiredcyclist82, I owe you a coffee 🙂 it's working now

Good to see 👍