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Just got Track IR3 Pro in the mail to day (well, yesterday, by now ) complete with Vector expansion. I haven't got XP ready to run yet, so I fired up 98SE, downloaded the 3.13 drivers and ran the setup. Then I plugged in the unit, loaded the drivers, opened up the user's manual and started reading. When it came to the part about using it I fired up the software so I could go 'hands-on' as I read. Clicked a few buttons and everything worked fine. The only thing I didn't like was that I couldn't move the 'Mouse Override' slider with my mouse, but it would respond to clicking on the plus and minus symbols. So far, so good.

Having spent all my patience, I jumped from the main screen to the motion screen. The motion and edit windows came up and I watched with joy as the cursor and the position bars moved with my track-hatted head. Switching from 'Mouse Emulation' to 'track IR Enhanced' mode was available either by clicking on the appropriate buttons or using the hotkeys. My excitement built.

Then I clicked on the 'Motion Presets' pulldown. The window expanded and then closed in a flash. I wondered if I had accidentally hit my 'double-click' button by mistake or maybe double-clutched in my eagerness. Niether possibility seemed likely, but I am only human. So, more carefully and deliberately this time, I clicked on the arrow...with the same result .

Bewildered, I decided to move on. I went to the tracking screen next. After watching the green blob move beautifully around the camera view window, I noticed the presets switch and cliked from dot to hat. Or at least I tried to. Unfortunately, the little blue light remained on 'dot'.

Now I was really confused. I clicked on the toolbar button to take me back to the manual so I could see if this problem was addressed somewhere. Nothing happend. I couldn't bring that back up at all. Then I couldn't even click on some of the menu functions I had been able to before. I tried to reboot my computer, but the 'Start' button wouldn't work, either. Finally I tossed the old three-finger-salute at the keyboard and got the machine to restart.

Hoping that maybe it was some kind of glitch, I fired up the TIR menu again, this time without the manual in the background, and the same thing happened again. I ctrl-alt-del'd my way through another restart and checked the message board. Went through all ten pages and looked at anything with an ambiguous title, hoping to find someone who'd had a similar experience and see how he had fixed it. But it would seem that my problem is unique.

I have:
1.3 GHz Athlon T-Bird cpu
VIA motherboard (I saw that there are "issues that will be addressed in a later update"...is this one?)
SoundBlaster PCI512 sound card (also "issues to be addressed later")
NVidia 5200 PCI 128M video card
Sidewinder FFPro stick on the gameport
Logitech Extreme 3D Pro USB stick
Micro Innovations wireless keyboard/optical mouse combo
TIR s/n 27840

The mouse buttons work perfectly if Track IR is disabled and it moves fine with Track IR on. It's the buttons that don't work...or, more accurately, work selectively or for a while...with it on. I've been looking forward to Track IR for a while and I'd hate to have to return it, but I can't get any pulldowns to stay down in the menu and many of the buttons don't respond to clicks at all and most or all of the rest stop after a few minutes. I hope someone can help.

Well, I've been working on this and here's what I've got so far.

The first thing I did was disable the mouse's special functions (programmable buttons, etc.). That allowed me full access to all Track IR menu features. Pulldowns stayed down and every button responded. Unfortunately, when I tried to run IL-2 FB to test it out it didn't work. I could neither right nor left click on anything outside the TIR menu box. Not only that, but after minimizing the menu I couldn't even bring it back up. I had to resort to a ctrl-alt-del restart.

Once restarted I again disabled the mouse features and opened the TIR menu. Again I could access all areas, so I set the IL-2 profile to autoload and closed (not minimized) the window. I double-clicked on the IL-2 FB icon and the game started. Once it had loaded I looked at the Track IR unit and no lights were on, not even the leds. I hit the activate/deactivate hotkey (defaulted to F10 in the IL-2 profile) and nothing happened. On the chance that it would only auto-activate once a scenario had been loaded I started a quick mission. Even after the mission started I was unable to use the Track IR.

As a last-ditch effort I physically removed the wireless mouse and keyboard, uninstalled all related software and replaced them with a conventional set. The results were exactly the same as using the wireless combo with the mouse features disabled.

I don't know what else to try. I would really like to use Track IR, as I have been thinking how great a system like this would be since shortly after I got my first computer flight simulator almost 6 years ago. But at this point it appears that something is causing a conflict and it can't be resolved. I hope someone out there will come up with an idea. This is very frustrating.

It is ages since I used W98 that I cant help you there. From what you are describing though it sounds as if you do have a few things going on, so I will try and give you a few ideas, if some of it is basic to you sorry but I do not know the level of your knowledge.

If you do not have it I would sugest doing a search for an application called "End It All", this is almost a two click shut down of all (if not most) unnecessary applications that might be running in the background.

It looks as if you are in Enhanced mode, and when you go into a game, the game is not Enhanced compatable.

I do not know if you are running a HUB on your USB, but if you are, with your Extreem 3D Pro and TIR on the same USB port on your PC (even via a USB hub) it would work better on differnt PC based ports. It would be better if you were running Windows XP as (if I remember correctly) Win 9SE did have USB support but not for USB2. TIR uses 1.1 as a minimum if I remember the info from the box.

I know you mentioned your mouse software, there is a good possibility that it could be that conflicting with the TIR driver under 98.

As the Vector does take up a fair bit of processing as does IL2, some of your problems might be caused by your processor. Please do not get me wrong I am not tryig to demean your system, I am just trying to help you to sort your problem out.

I hope some of this is of some use, and I really hope that you can get your problem sorted and start enjoying your TIR as it really is a great idea.

Thanx for your response, Barred. I have End-It-All but hadn't tried it (hadn't even installed it since my last reformat). After reading your suggestion, though, I did and it still didn't help . And BTW, I don't know that much, so the simpler the better.

I've tried both Enhanced Mode and Mouse Emulation and niether works. And it's not a question of 'when I go into the game', I can't. Whenever TIR is on my mouse buttons don't work at all. I can move it around, but I can't click on anything. And I don't think it's the mouse drivers because I tried uninstalling them and replacing the mouse with a standard one and have the same problem.

No USB hub...the stick and Track IR are both plugged directly into the computer (not even an extender cable) on separate ports. I even tried swapping them, but no joy.

Could 1.3GHz really be under-powered for Track IR? If I have to upgrade my whole system in order to use it I'll probably just return it. There are many factors in my not getting a faster cpu, not the least of which is $$$.

The only thing left to do is crank up what I've got ready of XP as a test. There are no games installed yet, but if I can get the mouse buttons to work while TIR is running, I think the rest will fall into place. Fortunately the only game I have that I use SE for isn't Track IR compatible at all, so I'll really only be using it when I boot to XP anyway.

[ March 05, 2005, 08:36 PM: Message edited by: von Baur ]

von Baur, a 1.3 cpu should work with TIR. There is a command that you can put into IL2 to show the FPS, I would ask on one of the IL2 forums (I cannot remember it off the top of my head.

What I would sugest is to totally uninstall TIR and run the trk Black Death (it is the most hungry of the tracks in IL2 FB). Once you have done that run it again this time with TIR installed. This should give you a good idea of the impact that TIR has on your system.

The other thing that I would suggest is to go on to the Microsoft site and do a search for W98 patches. I would do it soon because Microsoft will be or has just stopped supporting 98. Sorry I can't help much more with W98 but I have not used it for over 5 years.

Good Luck and best wishes.

I appreciate your taking the time to help, Barred. I installed Track IR and Vector on XP and everthing worked*, even with the wireless mouse's special features enabled. I could access every menu command for TIR and right- left- and double-clicking the desktop icons got the appropriate response. It would appear that Track IR is more XP-friendly than 98-friendly. I may see if I can make it work in SE, but it won't be a great loss if not.

*I should say everything except when I bring up the 'heads' menu all I get are two black boxes. I remember reading something similar, though, elsewhere in the forum so I'll look for that before I start whining again.

von Baur, i am glad that you managed to get it running even if it ment that you had to get XP up and running.

In honesty 98 is now really a dead operating system, there are applications already comming out that do not support 98 and more on their way. That is not including hardware demands like firewire and USB2 only devices.

If you do get stuck please sing out there are enough here that can probably get you going, that is what this forum is for and the use of flam eretadant overalls is not needed here (thankfully), like TIR this is a prety cool forum.