How to make force use a general chipset driver for a vendor-modded USB Wlan adapter?

[sam1275tom]

Hello.
I have a Buffalo WLI-UC-GNHP adapter, which use a Ralink RT3070 chipset (https/wikidevi.com/wiki/Buffalo_WLI-UC-GNHP). But this adapter cannot work out-of-box on Windows and Linux, and it don't even accept new driver from Mediatek, instead, it can only use the driver from Buffalo. (A normal RT3070 adapter should work out-of-box on Windows and Linux, and I can update the driver to the latest one from 2016: http/topics.mediatek.com/en/downloads1/downloads/)
I think it's because it use a special VID/PID for buffalo(VID=0411, PID=0158) instead of the Ralink ones (VID=148f, PID=3070) (www.linux-usb.org/usb.ids). Thus I'm stuck to use it on Windows only, and use the old vendor driver from 2009, and have to install it separately.
I thought a few ways to solve this:
1. Modify the VID and PID on the adapter. This is the best way, but I don't know how to do this.
2. Modify a general chipset driver's inf, so it will accept the Buffalo's VID/PID. [strike]But the latest driver is a EXE packed with Installshield, I run it without install, and found a .CAB file in my temp folder, I think the driver is inside that, but I cannot unpack it.[/strike] Update: I got the original driver files with INF inside.
Or what else can I do?
Thank you.

 

[Ralston18]

Overall, I am not quite sure what you are trying to do....

I.e., use the Buffalo WLI-UC-GNHP adapter on either a Windows or Linux system while also forcing a driver change to another manufacturer (meaning Buffalo to Mediatek)?

Why are you saying that the adapter cannot work out of the box on Windows and Linux? Not following that....

Your first link contains "For linux kernel >= 2.6.39 support" but led me an apparently dead website. Anyway Linux does seem to be viable.

Googling the adapter I found the following system requirements:

"Microsoft Windows 7 , Microsoft Windows 7 64-bit Edition , Microsoft Windows Vista (32/64 bits) , Microsoft Windows XP "

Are you trying to use the adapter on Windows 10....

For the most part there should be no expectation that other drivers (i.e., Mediatek drivers) should work on a device designed for Buffalo. Even if Mediatek was the actual manufacturer. Many products have a common manufacturer and the difference may only be the labeling/brand name applied.

In other cases the branded version will be different to accomodate other brand name desired features, functions, deliberate limitations, proprietary requiremets, etc.. The firmware and drivers will be designed and written accordingly.

Your premise seems to be that you can force the matter by simply modifying/substituting the VID and PIDs. Pretty much requires everything else to be exactly identical sans VID's and PID's. I expect that there may be more to it all than just simply doing just that. [Note: Vaguely remember seeing something where a VID or PID substitution worked.]

To be more useful here......

Google "How to unpack extract .CAB file" (without quotes). Many options to be found.

Then if you can open and edit the .inf file then you can substitute the VID/PIDs and do the driver install.

No harm in trying but be sure you back everything up. Who knows what may go astray.

 

[Corwin65]

Buy a new one?