joystick hell

[JelloKing]

It worked fine and dandy before i formated but now i get this:

The problem: I can't install the 4.0 software that comes with my sidewinder force feedback 2 because the setup program stops at the first step and tells me that i don't have a USB port or its not configured right. Thats odd, I think, when i plug in a different USB device, such as a zip drive, it detects and sets up fine. So I know my computer knows how to use the port. I go online and look for help. I find that the force feedback software will not work if you have a VIA USB host controller. Okay, I happen to have one of those, so thats why its not working. I download the patch. But wait, this is a patch for the sidewinder software. I can't install it because i don't have the software installed yet. But I can't install the software becuase it can't find my USB port. But it can't find my USB port becasue i don't have this patch?! Anyone notice a loop here? Okay so i try something different. I plug in the joystick. I hear a moment of activity but nothing on screen. I go to "device manager" and "view by connection". I look at the USB port i have the joystick plugged into and -low and behold- it sees that i have a "USB Human Interface Device" plugged into that port. Not just any HID, upon closser inspection I find no less then a "HID-compliant game controller". I think to myself, if this knows that I have a game controller plugged in, then what will it show on the "Gaming Options" screen in control panel? So I investigate and -well shit!- it shows that I in fact have a "SideWinder Force Feedback 2 joystick" with a status sitting at "okay"; though it still doesn't work under the test tab. How in the hell does the sidewinder setup program tell me that I don't have a USB port when not only does my computer have several, but it knows that i have a "Sidewinder Force Feedback 2 joystick" plugged into one of them?! And just for the record, I have tried installing the software before I plug the joystick in, I tried that first, like it says in the manual. At this point I have tried everything I can think of. I can't just go and set up the drivers for the joystick manually because they are not on the disk by them selves (only as part of the setup) and I can't find them anywhere on the net. I don't honestly think that not having that patch is the problem because the joystick setup and worked perfictly before I formated and reinstall everything. Why would I formate? Well thats another head ache I won't go into.

Anyone know anything that might help?

[Guest]

I have a FF2 Sidewinder and my system also has the VIA chipset.

Now, the FIRST thing you need to do is uninstall the sidewinder software.

Restart

Get the Sidewinder software and install it. Yes, it does install, the only thing that wont work is when it tells you to push stuff on the joystick, merely click to go ahead.

Once the software is installed, install the patch. Then run the calibration from the sidewinder menu in your start button.

Also make sure the joystick is plugged in ok. Sometimes the USB doesnt make good contact and the j-stick is not detected.

[JelloKing]

I tried all that. It didn't get that far into the install. The first thing it did when ran setup was tell me I didn't have a USB port.

Thanks for the help though.

I did manage to find a work around. A little messy but after I managed to install the patch I was able to go back and clean house.

BTW problems like this arn't always a bad thing. After racking my brain for six hours on this problem I was finally able to crack it. Plus, in the process I learned a hell of alot about how my mother board and USB, in general, work.

[ 12-15-2001: Message edited by: JelloKing ]

[Guest]

Well come on Jelloking, tell us how you did it, many of us might come across this same problem in the future and Tac's workaround may not work, so tell us how you did it!!