That pic is a joke.

The only thing really possible out of your list is a PCMCIA USB adapter. Those do exist but unsure if there are any that will work with DOS. Probably not with

There are some USB DOS drivers but you would just need to try them out and see if you can get something to work:
https://www.hiren.info/downloads/dos-files
http://academy.delmar.edu/Courses/ITNW1 ... rDOS).html
https://hddguru.com/software/2006.02.09-USBAS … -MS-DOS-Driver/
https://winworldpc.com/product/dos-usb-support/1x - this has some good info.
https://slomkowski.eu/retrocomputing/usb-mass … rage-on-ms-dos/ - this too
https://www.bootdisk.com/usb.htm

cyclone3d wrote on 2021-10-15, 13:46:

The only thing really possible out of your list is a PCMCIA USB adapter. Those do exist but unsure if there are any that will work with DOS. Probably not with

All PCMCIA to USB adapters I've seen were actually CardBus adapters, so they also won't work as I understand.

One thing does come to mind as far as parallel port goes.

You could always get a Microsolutions Backpack Parallel floppy drive and then replace the drive with a Gotek floppy emulator.

I guess you may also be able to do the same thing with a Parallel CD-ROM drive and one of those expensive CD-ROM emulators but you would be using an SD-Card if you went that way.

I'm not sure how far back you are looking to go, but PCI USB 2.0 cards can still be easily purchased. ISA was well before USB's time and I remember any cards coming out on that.

The question is, what are you attempting to do in DOS with USB?

If you are just looking to do easy file transfers, get a Gotek Floppy emulator if you can deal with the floppy size issues. Or get an SD2IDE and you can plug the SD card into a modern PC to transfer files and plug it back into your DOS machine, that won't be hot swappable.

cyclone3d wrote on 2021-10-15, 14:40:

One thing does come to mind as far as parallel port goes.

You could always get a Microsolutions Backpack Parallel floppy drive and then replace the drive with a Gotek floppy emulator.

Interesting idea. Though it seems like you'll be able to use only one type of device - Disk-on-key.

ThinkpadIL wrote on 2021-10-15, 18:36:

cyclone3d wrote on 2021-10-15, 14:40:

One thing does come to mind as far as parallel port goes.

You could always get a Microsolutions Backpack Parallel floppy drive and then replace the drive with a Gotek floppy emulator.

Interesting idea. Though it seems like you'll be able to use only one type of device - Disk-on-key.

Yeah, but it would at least be hot swappable. You can fit a whole bunch of floppies on a single USB stick and you can switch between floppies.

SScorpio wrote on 2021-10-15, 15:23:

I'm not sure how far back you are looking to go, but PCI USB 2.0 cards can still be easily purchased. ISA was well before USB's time and I remember any cards coming out on that.

The question is, what are you attempting to do in DOS with USB?

If you are just looking to do easy file transfers, get a Gotek Floppy emulator if you can deal with the floppy size issues. Or get an SD2IDE and you can plug the SD card into a modern PC to transfer files and plug it back into your DOS machine, that won't be hot swappable.

I'm attempting to find a way to add USB port to HP 200LX ... and maybe to Toshiba Libretto 50CT too, though it is a Windows 95 machine, but still it isn't able to read CardBus type PC Cards as I know.

Halfway there...

https://www-user.tu-chemnitz.de/~heha/basteln … /lpt2usb.en.htm

Edit: though another way is to get a PCMCIA LAN adapter, then plug the USB drive into a USB capable router that mounts it as an SMB 1 share or FTP.

cyclone3d wrote on 2021-10-15, 18:43:

Yeah, but it would at least be hot swappable. You can fit a whole bunch of floppies on a single USB stick and you can switch between floppies.

You are right, but as for storage solution, there is always PCMCIA ATA Flash cards (even via parallel port) and with normal USB port you are able to do much more thing.

Well.. here is a different idea. Parallel port to IDE adapter.. with DOS drivers.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/IDE-Drive-to-Paralle … 0-/273395273722 (Not my listing, nor do I sell these or have anything to do with the seller.)

• IDE to Parallel Converter bridgeboard
  New in factory wrap
  Standard Datastor EP-2000 chipset
  DB-25 female and DB-25 male
  Daisy chain port for adding parallel devices
  DOS drivers included on 1.44 floppy
  Also works on linux (please check Linux documentation for compatibility and installation)

Microsolutions also made a parallel port external HDD back in the day. I have one, but have never used it. No idea what the max size the Microsolutions adapter supports.

BitWrangler wrote on 2021-10-15, 18:54:

Halfway there...

https://www-user.tu-chemnitz.de/~heha/basteln … /lpt2usb.en.htm

Edit: though another way is to get a PCMCIA LAN adapter, then plug the USB drive into a USB capable router that mounts it as an SMB 1 share or FTP.

Interesting homebrew solution, though as I understand it is intended to be used with USB Printers only.

It says it might later be developed for storage in the middle somewhere, so I guess the potential is there, just not the whole solution.

cyclone3d wrote on 2021-10-15, 19:09:

Well.. here is a different idea. Parallel port to IDE adapter.. with DOS drivers. […]
Show full quote

Well.. here is a different idea. Parallel port to IDE adapter.. with DOS drivers.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/IDE-Drive-to-Paralle … 0-/273395273722 (Not my listing, nor do I sell these or have anything to do with the seller.)

• IDE to Parallel Converter bridgeboard
  New in factory wrap
  Standard Datastor EP-2000 chipset
  DB-25 female and DB-25 male
  Daisy chain port for adding parallel devices
  DOS drivers included on 1.44 floppy
  Also works on linux (please check Linux documentation for compatibility and installation)

Parallel_side.jpg
IDE_side.jpg

Microsolutions also made a parallel port external HDD back in the day. I have one, but have never used it. No idea what the max size the Microsolutions adapter supports.

Well, as for storage only I wouldn't be looking for enabling USB connection, since for Parallel Port and PCMCIA connections there are always available much more common devices like PCMCIA Hard Drives, PCMCIA ATA Flash Cards, CF Cards, and lots of storage devices you can attach to a Parallel Port (even SCSI devices via Parallel to SCSI adapter).

BitWrangler wrote on 2021-10-15, 19:13:

It says it might later be developed for storage in the middle somewhere, so I guess the potential is there, just not the whole solution.

Page says it was last updated in 2018. 😐

ThinkpadIL wrote on 2021-10-15, 19:16:

cyclone3d wrote on 2021-10-15, 19:09:

Well.. here is a different idea. Parallel port to IDE adapter.. with DOS drivers. […]
Show full quote

Well.. here is a different idea. Parallel port to IDE adapter.. with DOS drivers.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/IDE-Drive-to-Paralle … 0-/273395273722 (Not my listing, nor do I sell these or have anything to do with the seller.)

• IDE to Parallel Converter bridgeboard
  New in factory wrap
  Standard Datastor EP-2000 chipset
  DB-25 female and DB-25 male
  Daisy chain port for adding parallel devices
  DOS drivers included on 1.44 floppy
  Also works on linux (please check Linux documentation for compatibility and installation)

Parallel_side.jpg
IDE_side.jpg

Microsolutions also made a parallel port external HDD back in the day. I have one, but have never used it. No idea what the max size the Microsolutions adapter supports.

Well, as for storage only I wouldn't be looking for enabling USB connection, since for Parallel Port and PCMCIA devices there are always much more common devices like PCMCIA Hard Drives, PCMCIA ATA Flash Cards, CF Cards, and lots of storage devices you can attach to a Parallel Port (even SCSI devices via Parallel to SCSI adapter).

What exactly are you looking to hook up via USB in DOS then? Are there DOS drivers for these USB devices you want to use?

BitWrangler wrote on 2021-10-15, 19:13:

It says it might later be developed for storage in the middle somewhere, so I guess the potential is there, just not the whole solution.

Yes, with homebrew solutions it is almost always like that - you may wait for years and in the end will get a half-way, half-working, half-solution that is in development forever.

cyclone3d wrote on 2021-10-15, 19:18:

What exactly are you looking to hook up via USB in DOS then? Are there DOS drivers for these USB devices you want to use?

Other than storage devices? Keyboard for example.

I've found some DOS drivers for USB mice years ago.
However, they do work with certain USB 1.x controllers and text-mode applications only, I'm afraid. 😨
Re: FreeDOS and Windows 98 SE - Dual boot and USB support

USB keyboard support is a bit tricky, because most developers/companirs assume
that the BIOS has a built-in emulation of PS/2 mouse/keyboard, anyway.

Jo22 wrote on 2021-10-15, 19:34:

I've found some DOS drivers for USB mice years ago. However, they do work with certain USB 1.x controllers and text-mode applica […]
Show full quote

I've found some DOS drivers for USB mice years ago.
However, they do work with certain USB 1.x controllers and text-mode applications only, I'm afraid. 😨
Re: FreeDOS and Windows 98 SE - Dual boot and USB support

USB keyboard support is a bit tricky, because most developers/companirs assume
that the BIOS has a built-in emulation of PS/2 mouse/keyboard, anyway.

Looks like there is no way to add a "regular" USB connection for hopeless devices like HP 200LX and for each purpose you have to find a specific way. 🙄