"This is the last good tool. Intel never officially deprecated it—they just let the link rot. Use it with respect. It bridges the gap between the past and the present. And always remember: the best driver is the one that's already in the installer when you need it most."
Then he found it. A cached forum post from 2016, buried on a Taiwanese overclocker's board. The title: "How to use Intel's official Windows 7 USB 3.0 Creator Utility." windows 7 usb 30 creator utility intel download center full
The Intel USB 3.0 Creator Utility was once an essential tool for enthusiasts. When Windows 7 was released, USB 3.0 (xHCI) was not natively supported. As newer Intel chipsets—like the 100-series (Skylake)—began removing older USB 2.0 (EHCI) controllers, users faced a "dead zone" where their keyboard and mouse would simply stop working the moment the Windows 7 installer loaded. How the Utility Bridged the Gap "This is the last good tool
due to a security vulnerability (CVE-2019-0129) that could allow for local escalation of privilege. The original download pages on the Intel Download Center have been removed. How the Utility Worked It bridges the gap between the past and the present