(SOLVED!) need help finding USB 3.0 drivers

Hey all,

I have a Digital Storm desktop with an EVGA X58 SLI LE motherboard, running Windows 7 Pro x64. I recently installed a PCIe to USB 3.0 card in one of the available slots in the computer, but naturally Windows can't find a driver for it by itself. The card didn't include a driver CD, and I'm not sure which version of the driver I should use. I've tried several from both NEC and Renesas, and the card seems to work sometimes.

I got the card because I have a 3TB WD My Book Essential with a 3.0 cable, and I wanted to take advantage of the faster speeds. Whenever I plug the drive into a 2.0 port, everything is fine. But when I attach it to the USB 3.0 port, the results are sporadic. Sometimes it doesn't recognize the drive at all and nothing happens, or I get the message, "This device will perform faster if plugged into a USB Superspeed port." It will work when that message comes up, but I'm not sure if it is transferring at 2.0 or 3.0 speeds.

I have checked to ensure that 3.0 is enabled in the BIOS, and I've connected the 4-pin Molex connector to the card when using any device that has its own power supply, like my external drive.

Any advice would be most appreciated.

Edited by Diogones - 10 Mar 2012 at 1:11pm

You are dead right, DST. Unfortunately, none of the drivers I've used seem to work correctly!

I realize now that I don't have SP1 installed for Windows 7. I haven't been able to, because it gives me an error message that some system components are missing. I've read that SP1 adds USB 3.0 support to Windows. Might this be the answer? If so, how would I get SP1 installed? Just a repair install, or would I have to make a clean go of it?

Edited by Diogones - 31 Dec 2011 at 6:53pm

The error is "Service pack installation cannot continue. One or more system components that the service pack requires are missing." There is no error code or number, which is annoying, as it makes looking up the problem that much more difficult. I know I have made modifications to the OS in countless ways, and since I'm going to be upgrading to an SSD soon, it may be easier to just backup to the WD with 2.0, reinstall Windows to the SSD, install SP1, and then see if the card will work.

Edited by Diogones - 01 Jan 2012 at 4:24am

Do you have any third party software that is used to customize win7?

I would try and install sp1 first like you said.

msconfig and

1. in services tab:

a. check "hide all microsoft services"

b. then hit "disable all"

2. in startup tab, hit "disable all"

3. reboot, now see if you can install sp1.

the modifications you have done, somewhere along the line have made changes that now conflict with upgrades/updates.

If you want you can try uninstalling them and see if that lets you by, afterwards you can reinstall and use them again.

Let us know, and either way get that sp1 installed, it also closes up holes that virus/hackers can come thru.

The geniusese at MS with win7 decided that we don't need the "os repair" options that we had with xp.

now you can only repair startup and that is if win7 does not get to desktop.

in short there is no more os repair option, its a reinstall now.

I wish you could test another usb 3.0 card and see if it possibly the card.

Edited by DST4ME - 02 Jan 2012 at 2:33pm

That can work or it can messup it more. in the xp days it didn't get any worst, with this method you could endup in a worst scenario.

In short that is not the os repair from ms, that is a work around to try and repair os. do so at your own risk.

With the amount of ram and ssd you can turn off page file, only thing is that you wont' get dump files if things go wrong.

for that reason you can keep it on.

Always remember rule 1 when it comes to OS:

1. always keep all os files/folders on the same driver unless you are looking for lot of headaches.

as for repair, if you remember xp had that option in the cd, you never got a prompt for example that it can't repair pro or etc like you are getting.

not sure about sp1 but I think usb 3.0 support came with that.

with these new gen ssds, don't worry about read write.

Edited by DST4ME - 02 Jan 2012 at 4:02pm