none of them work


let's pretend I am dumb ( that's easy)
give me some steps to try or reasons they are not being detected.

Win 98
I have no idea what's in the case but I could find out

check in your bios for an option to turn usb off, then make sure it's turned on. That's a start

and get the drivers for the usb from your manufacturer of your motherboard

And if neither of those things help, you might open the case and make sure that the USB ports (if they are not integrated) are actually connected to the mobo.

thanks, when am no longer a puddle if sludge I will try these.

Sludgy-poo , what motherboard are you on? And plain Win98, or Win98 SE?

General steps, collated:

0. (might be a bit hazy, long time since I've fiddled with a Win9X system). Go to Control Panel...System...Device Manager. Check if there is a USB Controller somewhere (might be labeled USB-to-PCI, or some such). See if there is a ! or X mark next to it. If the controller is absent, go on...

1. Check BIOS for USB Controller Enable/Disable, and Enable. Also there will be a setting for "Plug and Play OS" -- disable that, i.e. "No".

2. If ports are those two at the back, sandwiched between/around all the ports, they are 99.9% integrated, and you do not need to check cables. If these are the ones near/at the bottom of the ports panel, OR at the front of the case, they might need additional cables that connect to pins on the MB. Check.

3. Win98 *should* (after all, it's M$, you never know!) autodetect Legacy USB controllers (1.1) w/o needing special drivers. It should *theoretically* also detect the newer USB2.0 controllers as legacy ones, though it beats me why one would be running W98 on such a new MB

Get back to us on these, we'll get your USB working...