Windows 10: Asmedia USB 3.0 drivers installation failure.

On a clean installation of Win 10 1703 I'm having an issue with the installation of the ASmedia USB drivers provided by Asus for my Z97-A mobo. The exact error message during installation is the Asmedia USB Host Controller was not found.

I can't see any evidence manual or otherwise that the Z97-A actually has Asmedia USB controllers but because the driver is offered I assume it does...

Microsoft appears to have installed "their" USB drivers as seen in Device Manager but I cannot verify whether these drivers are allowing full USB functionality, i.e. USB 3.0 etc. AIDA64 reports the controllers as

USB2 Controller Intel Wildcat Point PCH - USB 2.0 EHCI Host Controller 1 and
USB3 Controller Intel Wildcat Point PCH - USB 3.0 xHCI Host Controller

I have the program usbtreeview and if I'm reading things correctly (not certain) all of the USB ports on my board are only doing USB 1.0 speeds.

I don't recall having any issues with mobo supplied USB drivers prior to Win 1703. Has anyone got any ideas? I'm not certain as to what USB drivers Microsoft has installed but there is a reference to Asus in one of the driver details boxes in Device Manager for USB Root Hub (USB 3.0) USBHUB3.SYS and ASUSFILTER.SYS.

:)

 

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The file that failed was Asmedia USB 3.0 driver, not the hub one.

If you have a USB hub(multiple 3.0 ports), you should then install USB hub driver.

 

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The Driver Verifier may have taken issue with the
asmtxhci.sys which is an Asmedia USB 3.0 driver.

The asmtxhci.sys appears to de dated Jun 3, 2015.

Look for an updated Asmedia USB 3.0 driver for Windows 10 that may be available from ASUS for the motherboard or uninstall the Asmedia USB 3.0 driver (via Apps and Features) and use Windows built-in USB 3.0 drivers.

You may also benefit from updating the Intel SATA driver (Intel RST driver) if one is available.

 

There is a Z97-a/USB3.1 which would be the newer board. Do you know which one you have?

New builds can introduce problems, but you may want to uninstall the current drivers and install again. They are Win 10 drivers and ASUS is normally pretty good about keeping their drivers current, although those are from 2016..


Other drivers may also be needed. Chipset drivers may have the 2.0 drivers on which the 3.0 drivers ride.

 

You need to install Intel Chipset INF first, otherwise devices will not be properly recognized.

Downloads for Intel® Chipset Software Installation Utility

Download ASMedia xHCI Host Controller Driver 1.16.45.1 for Windows 10, Windows 10 64 bit

 

That's interesting, I'm not sure how to identify my board and I can't find the release date of the USB3.1 board, but I'm going to guess mine is the older board just because 3.1 doesn't ring a bell for me.

Under the spec page for the USB3.1 Z97-A it specifically states it having an Asmedia USB controller whereas the older Z97-A doesn't, but on the older boards driver download page it offers the Asmedia USB drivers dated the same as available for the 3.1 board. Maybe my board doesn't have an Asmedia controller at all, and maybe the drivers were put on it's download page by mistake? May need to contact Asus on this...

If not a mistake then perhaps the drivers do have an issue with Win 10 1703 and need updating... Do the chipset drivers actually contain USB drivers or just some of the information needed? Do most boards generally require a dedicated USB driver?

Any idea what USB drivers Microsoft has installed? Intel Wildcat would suggest the controllers are Intel no?

 

My mobo page suggests I download Intel chipset version 10.1.1.7 dated 23/07/15 which I already have installed. Do I need the newer version?

The ASmedia driver you linked to looks current, any idea why Asus don't have the updated driver? Is this driver likely to be more successful?

Is it best to uninstall any currently installed driver version before attempting the new installation?

Edit: If it makes any difference, all of my USB ports appear to be working, I just can't verify they're operating optimally...

 

Motherboard manufacturers only post drivers, they have tested, they do not bother updating, since it takes time and money, especially on older products. They expect users to update them as needed.

 

Does it seem odd that the Z97-A spec page doesn't mention Asmedia as a USB controller but has the Asmedia drivers? The Z97-A USB3.1 model that Saltgrass brought up does state Asmedia controller.

I will try installing the Latest Asmedia drivers and see how it goes.

 

I've had someone over at the Asus forums tell me there is no Asmedia USB controller on the Z97-A. The Asmedia drivers on it's download page must be a mistake. This is where all of the confusion started.

I believe the Z97-A controllers are Intel. Windows has installed Intel USB drivers that appear to be current, dated 27/4/2017

From this screenshot of USB Device Tree Viewer can someone tell me where my USB 3.0 ports are? I saw something that said H stands for high speed and S stands for superspeed. Would a 3.0 port only show as be connected if the device was USB 3.0 compatible?

This is the from the Asus Z97-A spec page for USB:

Intel® Z97 chipset :
6 x USB 3.0/2.0 port(s) (2 at back panel, blue, 4 at mid-board)
Intel® Z97 chipset :
8 x USB 2.0/1.1 port(s) (2 at back panel, , 6 at mid-board)

What does mid-board mean? I have 4 blue USB ports at the back of the board which should be USB 3.0. My Logitech G710+ and Corsair Sabre are plugged into these ports but according to USB DTViewer they obviously not USB 3.0

windows - Verifying USB connection speed (USB 3 or USB 2?) - Super User

 

I checked the drivers available for your system for Win 7 and 10. Since I believe ASUS owns ASMedia, it might be the basic drivers for Win 10 are in Win 10 but the 3.0 part is from ASMedia since that is the only USB drivers shown available for Win 10.

On my X99 system I show an ASMedia eXtensible Host Controller. My X99 board does show ASMedia in the Specs..

It should not hurt to try to load the drivers?

 

I believe, it is used for USB Boost.

Upgrade Your ASUS Motherboard For Ultimate-speed USB3.1

 

I just installed the latest Asmedia drivers version 1.16.45.1 that TairikuOkami linked to and the installation completed, no error like that of the Asmedia drivers from the Z97-A download page.

But I'm not 100% sure what they are for, perhaps it is for USB Boost. The drivers for USB in device manager don't look to have changed.

There is a ASM104xUSB3 folder in Program Files (x86) and an Asmedia USB Host controller Driver showing in add/remove programs. What do you think?

 

You would need to add USB Card to support it though, it is not integrated or bundled by default.

 

So is that Asmedia USB driver really just a USB 3.1 driver rather than a main USB driver? I know some boards main controllers are Asmedia as well. I'm just not sure exactly what the Asmedia driver you linked to is, is a main controller driver for certain boards or an all purpose driver for USB 3.1?