There are no USB drivers from Intel - correct? USB4? Thunderbolt?

[MFess]

Hello,

since I’m currently tracking down a USB issue on my system, I would like to update my knowledge:

As far as I know, Intel does not provide USB 3.x drivers, and Windows therefore uses the generic driver (USBXHCI.SYS).
And the "Chipset INF Utility" installs almost no (or none at all?) "real" drivers at all, but mainly "null drivers" that ensures that the hardware is named correctly in Device Manager and that there are no exclamation marks.
Correct?

Does this also apply to USB4?
For Thunderbolt, there are drivers provided by Intel, but they are not available in the Intel Download Center and instead come directly from the respective OEM - correct?

Thank you in advance for any feedback!
Best regards, Martin

[KennethB_Intel]

Hello MFess,

Thank you for reaching out to the Intel Community Forum. I understand you are investigating a USB issue and seeking clarification regarding Intel’s role in providing USB drivers, USB4, and Thunderbolt support. To assist you better, I would like to gather more details about your situation:

• What is the exact USB issue you are experiencing (e.g., device not detected, performance issue, error messages)?
• When did the issue start?
• Are you using any Thunderbolt or USB4 devices? If yes, please share their models.
• Have you checked the OEM support page for Thunderbolt drivers?
• Could you please provide us the SSU logs of your system? You can find instructions on How to get the Intel® System Support Utility Logs on Windows*

Please provide these details so I can guide you with accurate information and possible solutions.

We will wait for your response so we can assist you further.

Best regards,

Kenneth B.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[n_scott_pearson]

I will give you a general answer.

The Chipset Device Software (a.k.a. INF Update) package mostly provides INF Update files that optimally configure drivers distributed with Windows. It does install some drivers - but it's true that, for chipset devices without an available driver (SMBus, for example), it will install an INF file that has no driver associated with it, thereby avoiding yellow bangs on entries in Device Manager.

Since, in most cases, the Thunderbolt device(s) are external to the chipset component, no driver is provided in the Chipset Device Software packages. Instead, these drivers are provided in separate packages. USB3/USB4 is supported for chipsets with native support for these buses; there are many older chipset components that do not have native support, however and this capability is provided by a separate driver package specific to the component used (I believe the USB3 devices were produced by third-party component suppliers, not Intel).

The Chipset Device Software and Thunderbolt driver packages are provided to the board manufacturers and are to be distributed by them. This is partially because the board manufacturer, via their BIOS, is responsible for the initialization and configuration of the board's various components (chipset and otherwise).

Hope this helps,

...S

[KennethB_Intel]

Hello MFess,

I hope you are doing well. I wanted to follow up regarding your inquiry about USB drivers, USB4, and Thunderbolt support. Were you also able to review the information provided by Scott in the community thread?

Please let me know if the details shared addressed your concerns or if you need further clarification. I am here to assist you with any additional questions you may have.

Best regards,

Kenneth B.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[JohnM_Intel]

Hello MFess,

I have not heard back from you so I will close this inquiry now. If you need further assistance, please submit a new question as this thread will no longer be monitored.

Best regards,

John M.

Intel Customer Support Technician