søndag 8. november 2009

Windows 7 drivers for Apple USB Ethernet Adapter


Some weeks ago I set up my Xbox360 in my livingroom. I already had gigabit ethernet to my htpc but adding another cable just for my xbox was not an option, and adding a switch was not worth the added mess of cables( and lack of WAF ).
So I just went to my local Apple store and picked up an Apple USB Ethernetadapter, its just cheap and simple.

But: there is no official drivers for windows! I knew this but was certain they would be easy to find on the net, I was wrong!

After googling for some time I found a solution, but it still required some tweaking of .ini files, and I was not expecting to spend hours to get this working :(

Anyway, it works now and there now is a simple solution to get your Apple USB Ethernet Adapter working under 64bit Windows 7.

First respect where respect is due:

The original hacked drivers for XP 32-bit
in this post by tnkgrl

Yougottabekiddingyou was the one to present a solution for Win 7 64-bit in this post (Thats what I used)

Using the tips from "You Gotta Be Kidding You" someone put togheter this hacked version that I can confirm works for Win 7 64-bit:



Apple AX88772_772A_Win7_64bit_Driver_v3.10.3.14_WHQL.zip



Note: After searching around a bit I found those official drivers for win 7 that should work in theory, but untested by me:

AX88772_772A_760_Win7_64bit_Driver_v3.14.3.2_WHQL.zip

They probably need to be edited to work with the apple dongle, and include those updates:

Version 3.14.3.2 (2009-06-10)
1. Restore the PHY Select Register after resume from hibernate.

Version 3.14.3.1 (2009-06-05)
1. First release. Modify from Vista driver v3.10.3.19.


I have had zero problems with my drivers and have found no reason to upgrade.

The Apple USB Ethernet gets my recomondations as a cheap and easy fix to get your Xbox 360 online without extra Ethernet connections, or just a simple way to add a ethernet port to your computer at USB2.0 speed.