TrackIR Software Installation.

[phaetn]

quote:
I don't know how to get them confused to this level.
He he he. You said it, I'm a master at confusing computers. Seriously, I'm actually pretty much a "by the numbers" fellow with computers, and generally don't get easily frustrated, so I normally don't run into problems.

I'm a little concerned that maybe I didn't follow your procedure correctly, since every USB device was easily found without having to reinstall drivers after I deleted all USB devices from the Device Manager.

I suppose I could do a full re-installation of WinXP, to see if that would wipe all drivers and start fresh with USB IDs, but I'm a little reluctant to do that. Think that would work?

Cheers,
phaetn

[Jim]

Hello:

Didn't mean to imply anything just that this is a tough one. I am sure that if you reinstalled XP that you would be fine, but I didn't want to suggest that as it is an extreme mesure. What has always worked is the System Restore feature, but that can be of limited use if you tried to install a trackIR a while ago. My feeling is that if you want to reinstall, then be my guest and I would make a bet that it will work. Let me know.

[phaetn]

Good news: A fresh reinstall of WinXP solved the issue, and the ECT...Firmware was found the first time I plugged in the unit.

Now it'll be a couple of weeks until I get everything back to normal for other programs in various states of (un)installation, but the TrackIR is five by five. <G>

Thanks for all your help, Jim! I really look forward to seeing TrackIR become integrated with native support in new flight sims like Forgotten Battles, Strike Fighters, WarBirds III, Target: Korea, et al.).

Cheers,
phaetn

[Captain Vague]

OK, we can add me to the list of customers with this problem, with identical symptoms.

I've followed the instructions given earlier in this thread to try and solve the problem, up to but not including reinstalling XP from scratch.

I bought the product with great enthusiasm and optimism but am obviously disappointed that it doesn�t work. To be blunt I'm very unimpressed with the suggested work-around of re-installing XP from scratch (and all my software, and then customising it all again, and restoring 20Gb of data as well).

We need a better solution than this suggested work-around, and I believe we are entitled to one.

[Jim]

Peter:

Sorry to hear that you are having XP install problems. Honestly, we haven't had very many users with this problem at all. The only way for this problem to occur is for the hardware to be plugged in before the software is installed, or quit the install proceedure before it has finished or try to select some different driver. The XP install proceedure is clearly detailed in our manual. My suggestion is to try the unit on another machine first, make sure that it works. If it does work then I am not sure what to suggest as far as the XP problem is concerned, especially if you followed the above proceedure post, if it doesn't work then you have a bad unit and we can change it out and then it will install correctly in XP for you.

We can try to write an clean up utility for bad XP installs, but we would have to get a machine to continue to have installation problems after trying our registry edit fix, we haven't been able to do this. So, we need to have a bad install to fix it and we can't get it to happen. If we could then I am sure there would be an easier proceedure.

Let me know what fixes your machine, if you have any new ideas and I will be happy to test them here.

[Captain Vague]

Hi Jim, thanks for your prompt response.

> The only way for this problem to occur is
> for the hardware to be plugged in before
> the software is installed, or quit the install
> proceedure before it has finished or try to
> select some different driver.

I have to disagree that that's the only way for the problem to occur. I followed the instructions to the letter and got this problem. I then did a system restore as suggested, and again followed them to the letter. I then did the registry edit as suggested and followed the instructions to the letter. I then deleted the USB driver from my system as suggested and followed the instructions to the letter. I still have the same problem.

> My suggestion is to try the unit on
> another machine first, make sure
> that it works.

I will try it on my W2K Server at work.

> If it does work then I am not sure
> what to suggest as far as the XP
> problem is concerned,

If it works on a non-XP system I may set up my camcorder, record the regedit/sw/hw sequence, and email you an MPEG so that you can see that I have followed the instructions to the letter and that it still doesn't work.

What diagnostic info would you gather from the machine if you had an XP system that wouldn't install? Perhaps we can collect it from my machine...

Thanks again,

Peter

[Jim]

Peter:

Thanks for your feedback on my suggestions. If you used the System Restore feature, then you should be in the clear, so this makes me think that the unit might have a problem. Also, you might try it without the extension cable, they have been know to cause potential problems in the past.

We need to have a machine that is broken, like yours, so that we can fix it without reformating, whatever that fix entails, and then develop an automated proceedure to fix it again.

[Captain Vague]

OK Jim, I've tried installing it on W2K and it has failed there as well. I took some screenshots of the process and can email them to you in a Word document if you want to see them.

Based on your previous postings this additional failure suggests a problem with the device itself.

Unfortunately I live in Australia (unfortunately in this context - in all other respects it is joy to live here) and I paid a small fortune in shipping costs to get the product here. To return it would be either expensive and/or involve significant delays.

Also, I bought the product through Kinesis Corp, to go with my Kinesis keyboard, so I don't know if you do direct returns or it would have to be done through them?

So at this stage, it seems I've been sent some faulty hardware and it will be both expensive and inconvenient to return it. Is there any more diagnostic stuff I can do here before any such decision is taken? Do you have a diagnostic binary you can send me?

Please let me know what we can do from here, and give me an email address to send the screenshots if you want to see them. Can likewise gather screenshots on the XP platform if you want me to.

Thanks,

Peter

[Jim]

Peter:

Okay, it does sound like you have a bad unit if it won't install on the Win2K machine either. You can email me the screen shots at jim@naturalpoint.com I think that we can help out with the return. We have several resellers in AU, so you might want to get ahold of one of them, or if that doesn't work out then we will replace the unit directly. Please email me your unit's serial # as well. Most likely we will just send you another one and then you can send us the bad one back on a slow boat, not air shipping.

[froggy.sim-fr]

Win2000 athlon2.2 nForce2 A78XDeluxe latest drivers GeforceTi4200 44.03 drivers USB ports powerded on monitor

Same install pb.

Drivers conflicts or USB ID conflicts : tested all suggestions, only one could work :
reinstall windows2000

AND
====
have TrackIR dirver installed BEFORE Nvidia 4in1 and USB drivers

I can hardly underst&and that behaviour and I m very disapointed by such an installation issue with only reinstallatio as a cure !!!!

Very bad point to NaturalPoint