Where is Intel USB 3.0 Extensible Host Controller driver for Microsoft Windows 8?

[idata]

I seached within Intel Support and what I got were Intel USB 3.0 Extensible Host Controller drivers for MICROSOFT WINDOWS 7.

http://downloadcenter.intel.com/SearchResult.aspx?lang=eng&keyword=intel%20usb%203.0%20extensible%20host%20controller http://downloadcenter.intel.com/SearchResult.aspx?lang=eng&keyword=intel%20usb%203.0%20extensible%20host%20controller

Microsoft Windows 8 was released yesterday, October 26 and where is the compatible driver for it?

Could an Intel technical support representative feedback to technical support about this problem?

[TSilv5]

Can you click on details and driver tabs on Windows 8? You should see the reference there...

[idata]

Are you sure Intel are going to release new drivers for Windows 8. They say it's not needed.

Why is it not needed?

[idata]

Thanks Jim, I did the same and it worked.

I got the incompatible with the older driver - then after installing the 1.0.6.245 version I redid the Win 8 assistant and it no longer showed the controller as incompatible. I just did this a day or two ago.

Jim

[idata]

Hmmm dblues not sure what's going on with your system. I have Win 7 OEM version. Ran the Win 8 advisor and got the "not compatible" for the extensible controller. That was with the old driver. After finding and installing the newest driver I ran the advisor again and the incompatability is not there.

jim

[idata]

Maybe I should try uninstalling the driver instead of rolling back, then install the latest one. I too have Windows 7 in my Dell 8500. Crazy fricken computers

[HPark17]

People, as of yet, you will not get USB 3.0 functionality in Windows 8 from intel's 7 series chipset equipped motherboards (IvyBridge generation) no matter what you do. Even if the drivers say they are installed correctly, and you can hook up devices, you won't get USB 3.0 speed. You only get USB 2.0 speed even though it says USB 3.0 on the device manager.

Unless you guys are talking about some other issue that I'm not understanding.

Clean installing Windows 8, the default drivers will show as intel USB 3.0 but it won't operate as USB 3.0 speed. If you upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 8 (which I would never do because I think it's kind of messy), you still won't get USB 3.0 speed.

[idata]

Thanks for the info. I kind of suspected, as no one was saying they actually got USB 3 speeds, it didn't matter whether the it was showing compatible or incapatible. My decision is now made not to upgrade! (Actually that word upgrade is a joke, go from 7 to 8 is more like it)!

So has anyone gone from 7 to 8 and verified USB 3 speeds or

has anyone bought a new pc with windows 8 and verified USB 3 speeds???????. Don't be shy, let's hear from you, please!!!

[idata]

My friend just bought an Asus G55VW and his USB 3 works perfectly! I tried copying his drivers and checking his version.. same as mine. He even has the same chipset driver version and CPU. I do not get it!

[TSilv5]

Hi,

On my Gigabyte UD5H+i3770K, Windows 8 Pro and USB 3.0 are not working properly.

USB 3.0 driver microsoft made is not good. Back usb 3.0 ports work fine. But all the other (internal USB hub's) work with USB 2.0 speeds. On Windows 7 USB 3 were all good.

Propably there is some bug with Microsoft USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller. I dont know if the problem is with VIA VL810 or is the chipset Z77. But there is definitly some bug with Microsoft Extensible host controller. On Windows 7 with Intel® USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller Driver version 1.0.6.245 everything was flawless.

You can find the Microsoft USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller driver on Device Manager USB controller, driver details.

So in the end i think Microsoft USB 3.0 driver works for some and not for others. Still buggy. Works on 4 of my 10 USB 3.0 ports...

[idata]

Unless you guys are talking about some other issue that I'm not understanding.

Clean installing Windows 8, the default drivers will show as intel USB 3.0 but it won't operate as USB 3.0 speed.

Now, if you go to "Device Manager" and right-click on the so-called Intel USB 3.0 to view its properties, you will see that the name of the manufacturer is not Intel but "Generic" (without quotes).

So you see, the USB 3.0 included in the Windows 8 installation media is not provided by Intel.

[idata]

Just in case it might help, again my system does work, ASUS P8Z77-v Pro i7 3770K.

The pictures of the Intel controller are exactly the same as the ASMedia, except for the title, of course.

[HPark17]

How is that possible? My driver for Intel USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller - 0100 (Microsoft) has a different timestamp than yours, but the driver version seems to be the same.

I did a clean install of Windows 8 Pro x64 on a Thinkpad X230T (QM77 express chipset). Then updated all the drivers, and also installed the latest chipset driver from Intel. When I connect a USB 3.0 device, it doesn't say anywhere that it's connected as USB 2.0. I don't get any messages such as "you can speed up your device by using usb 3.0" stuff. So I would think it's USB 3.0 now, but when I transfer anything, it's actually USB 2.0 speed. This is why I am looking for an updated USB 3.0 driver from Intel. I think others are in the same boat. I don't want to do a workaround/hack to get the speed.

[idata]

I will give you three more pictures for the USB Root Hub (xHCI). Maybe something will turn up to explain certain 3.0 devices not working, and in at least one case, the same motherboad and USB device as I have.

[idata]

I was wondering if it would be any benefit to test your system to see if it could use the Windows 8 Built-in USB 3.0 drivers. It might add another piece to the puzzle knowing this fact.

To test, I would put a USB 2.0 flash drive in a USB 3.0 port then try to install Windows 8. If you already know for sure that port will not work with Windows 7, then if the install continues beyond selecting Install and maybe the Key entry with Windows 8, you know your system is capable. So, if it will not work after the OS is installed, then it might be something else.

It seems the VIA chipset has been mentioned in this thread several times. And I notice some external devices also use that chip. Commonalities might help narrow down the problem.

No one, that I noticed, has really enumerated the USB devices they are having problems with. I have run 3 external drives/docks and all seem to work. I was a little surprised by the New drive I got today because of the different type of connector. If the eXtensible controller is not being identified correctly on a system, something certainly needs attention.

[idata]

Clark wrote:

No one, that I noticed, has really enumerated the USB devices they are having problems with. I have run 3 external drives/docks and all seem to work. I was a little surprised by the New drive I got today because of the different type of connector. If the eXtensible controller is not being identified correctly on a system, something certainly needs attention.

In my case, the eXtensible host controllers are being identified correctly. I just can't get the USB 3.0 speeds I got under Windows 7. My problematic device (the only USB 3.0 device I have) is a StarTech SuperSpeed USB 3.0 to Dual 2.5/3.5in SATA Hard Drive Docking Station:

http://www.startech.com/HDD/Docking/%7ESATDOCK22U3S http://www.startech.com/HDD/Docking/~SATDOCK22U3S

And, for the sake of completeness, I'll copy some information from some of my other threads around the web with the details. From my over-month-old, unanswered (actually, ignored is a better word) thread on Microsoft's forums:

"I have an Asus P8Z77-V Pro motherboard under Windows 8 Pro (64 bit). The motherboard has eight USB 3.0 ports (seven of which are connected -- four in the back, three up front). Four of those ports use the ASMedia 3.0 Chipset Controller and four use Intel's Z77 Chipset. Windows 8 sees every one of those USB 3.0 ports as USB 2.0 ports.

Prior to clean installing Windows 8 a couple of days ago, Windows 7 correctly identified the hard drive (WD6401AALS) mounted in my USB 3.0 docking station (StarTech SuperSpeed USB 3.0 to Dual 2.5/3.5in SATA Hard Drive Docking Station) as using a USB 3.0 interface and transferred files to and from it in excess of 100 MB/sec. Under Windows 8, even when booted into Safe Mode, the connection is only recognized as USB 2.0 (with about a 36 MB/sec transfer rate). Under Devices and Printers, the device shows up as AS2105 and when I hover over it, Windows 8 tells me "Status: Device can perform faster if connected to USB 3.0". So, it recognizes the device and cable as being USB 3.0 capable. But, for some reason, it won't recognize the USB 3.0 ports/chipsets that it's connected to as actually being USB 3.0Except for one oddness, everything looks good in Device Manager under the USB tree: there is one device called "SuperSpeed USB Hub (Non Functional)." I don't understand the "Non Functional" in the name: according to the Properties, "This device is working properly."Anyway, it appears the Windows 8 USB 3.0 drivers don't work."

From my thread on Asus' forums (where I have gotten some suggestions):

"... I did a clean install, loaded no other USB drivers, applied the Intel Chipset driver package from Asus' site (after finding that my USB 3.0 docking station (recognized as such) was only giving me USB 2.0 speeds), both Intel's and Asmedia's ports are affected, and with that drive plugged into its current USB port, have the following under my Universal Serial Bus controllers tree in Device Manager:- ASMedia USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller - 0096 (Microsoft) (2 of these)- Generic USB Hub (3 of these)- Intel 7 Series/C216 Chipset Family USB Enhanced Host Controller - 1E2D and 1E26- Intel USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller - 0100 (Microsoft)- SuperSpeed USB Hub (Non-Functional)- USB Composite Device (2 of these)- USB Mass Storage Device- USB Root Hub (2 of these)- USB Root Hub (xHCI) (3 of these)When I turn on the drive at its current location, that's when I get:- the 3rd Generic USB Hub (USBHUB3.SYS),- the SuperSpeed USB Hub (Non-Functional), and- the USB Mass Storage Device."

From the comments in that Asus thread:

• In the BIOS, under the Advanced tab, I've gone to USB Configuration and changed Intel xHCI Mode to Enabled from Smart Auto.
• The three devices that appear when I turn on my USB device use the USBHUB3.SYS (dated 9/20/2012, 435 KB in size, file version 6.2.9200.16384 (win8_rtm.120725-1247)) and USBSTOR.SYS (dated 07/25/2012, 117KB in size file version 6.2.9200.16384 (win8_rtm.120725-1247)).
• I've opened an Administrative command prompt and done a System File Check. No problems found.

And from an email conversation with StarTech's technical support, they say the device wouldn't require any kind of firmware update to work properly in Windows 8 and that the ball is in Microsoft's court.

[idata]

@ Clark

You are missing the point here. The USB 3.0 Windows 8 install fails for 2 reasons. First the Windows 8 USB 3.0 drivers do not function in the per-install environment and second Intel does not provide a way to migrate dedicated drivers into boot.wim to alleviate the problem like they did in Windows 7.

There are 2 source install files that matter, boot.wim (pre-install) and install.wim (post-install). To have full USB 3.0 compatibility they (Microsoft) needed to test their functionality in both pre and post install environments. Had they actually done this there would have been all kinds of issues post-install and a completely lack of any functionality at all pre-install.

The real issue here is that Intel allowed MS to make them look bad. It is time for Intel to fix this. If Intel does not the community will continue to post guides to work around the failings of both MS and Intel and that cant be good for PR.

[idata]

The Windows 8 USB drivers come into play after you hit install during that process. If you have a flash drive in a USB 3.0 port in Windows 7, it will boot normally, but stop working and you will get the "Drivers Needed" message after selecting "Install". For a System Image restoration, if my image was on a drive on the 3.0 port, the image could not be found. Loading drivers allowed the system to utilize the 3.0 ports.

Windows 8 already has those drivers, so the 3.0 ports are functional without any extra drivers. But maybe there are two points being debated. The first, and the one I am looking at, is where the install looks normal and all drivers are loaded, but the 3.0 ports seem to function like 2.0 ports. The other topic is where the 3.0 system is not recognized correctly by the built in drivers and of course will not function. By testing the way I suggest, possibly it would be clear which part of the discussion you would fall under.

[idata]

I can only comment on what I tested and that is installing Windows 8 from an Intel USB 3.0 port. it does not work unless you force the modified Intel USB 3.0 Windows 7 drivers into boot.wim using the /forceunsigned method.

The fact that this works confirms 2 things:

The Intel USB 3.0 windows 7 drivers are perfectly functional in Windows 8 when it comes to the pre-install environment.

The generic USB 3.0 drivers in Windows 8 are not acceptable drivers for installing from Intel USB 3.0 ports.

I have since unpacked and looked at the default boot.wim file for Windows 8 and there are indeed the generic USB 3.0 drivers in there so this further confirms that they simply do no work.

As far as the other problem with the generic drivers working like crap post-install, google is your friend. There are a lot of people complaining about this.

[idata]

Another data point. If you check back to post 166, I've described my issue with my StarTech SuperSpeed USB 3.0 to Dual 2.5/3.5in SATA Hard Drive Docking Station not connecting at USB 3.0 speeds on Windows 8. I've finally gotten another USB 3.0 device (a Freecom Mobile Drive Sq 1TB USB 3.0) to test with. If I connect to the Asmedia ports on my motherboard, the device works properly. If I connect to the Intel ports, all I get is a constant cycle of the device connecting to the computer and then disconnecting (5 to 10 seconds apart). Setting Device Manager to view Devices by Connection shows the properly working device tree as:

- Intel 7 Series/C216 Chipset Family PCI Express Root Port 3 - 1E14

-- Asmedia USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller - 0096 (Microsoft)

--- USB Root Hub (xHCI)

---- USB Mass Storage Device

----- ST1000LM 024 HN-M101M USB Device

With the drive connected to the Intel ports (by reading quickly while it remains connected), the tree is:

- Intel USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller - 0100 (Microsoft)

-- USB Root Hub (xHCI)

--- USB Mass Storage Device

---- ST1000LM 024 HN-M101M USB Device

[idata]

My Notebook P170EM. Upgrade Win 7 to Win 8.

The USB 3.0 port can´t identify my usb 3.0 stick. Just the usb 2.0 port can.

Still need a hotfix/patch/update/whatever.

greet

[idata]

That's the general tab, on the driver tab you can read Microsoft as the driver provider, even if it isn't digitally signed.

I have a Gigabyte Z77 model, which has 8 usb3 ports, 6 (2 Intel's 4 Via's) on the back panel and the Intel spare ones inside the case.

I like to describe my experience: Microsoft is giving us a set of generic usb divers for Win8, in my case 0100 for Intel and 0096 for Via.

Albeit the 2 connectors are discovered, when I perform a simple test using a usb3 cord with a Kingston HyperX pendrive, switching between two different ports, the Intel solution is not working properly (usb2 mode), when Via is definitely ok.

Plus, the new generation mobos support a performing standard called UASP, but nobody knows or mention it.

I spent a transition period testing both Win7 and Win8, just to be sure, and now I'm stable with the new guy; we have a serious driver performance issue.

If Intel is waiting for a solution from Microsoft, then we need to ask them why their driver is good for Win7 and not for Win8.