MOTU 8pre DOESN'T WORK on Windows 7 Professional 64 bits

[Kenneth Link]

Hi everyone.
I recently updated my DAW with a new PC, core i7, 8GB DDR3 RAM and Windows 7 Professional 64 bits (so I can use whole RAM), because no sense in having 8GB RAM with a 32 bits Win.

Untill now, I used my 8pre on Windows XP sp2 with no problems, and installed drivers with no problems: CueMIX, MOTU Setup and SMPTE options. All OK. So I guess that I'm familiar with MOTU. But maybe I'm doing something wrong now, or something unknown for me. I downloaded updated drivers from here http://www.motu.com/download/download_m ... duct_id=14 specifically the MOTU Universal Audio Installer for Windows 7 64 bits.
I run the MOTUSetup installer, version 4.0.55333, and I get typical windows dialog boxes like "your new hardware is correctly installed", etc. But then... no sound. No sound at all. Can't hear or record anything. Cannot open CueMIX. I get "no motu audio devices that support cuemix found" alert. No SMPTE dialog box. Only MOTUSetup program loads, but... what for?... For nothing. Even Windows Media Player's bar doesn't move when I try to play a simple audio file.

Later I discovered the 8pre Firmware v1.03 update in the same MOTU's download zone. Downloaded it, run it OK and the 8pre screen showed the word "UP", so I said "Voilá!!", but then... no sound. Very frustrating.

Anyone here who knows what am I doing wrong?
Thank you so much in advance.

[emmrecs]

As someone who is having to seriously consider upgrading from Win 7 32 bit to Win 7 64 bit and I have an 8-Pre that functions perfectly under the 32 bit version, I'd be very interested to see if anyone can offer a reason why you are experiencing this problem.

However, I do have one area for you to consider: Win 7 32 bit (and, I assume, the 64 bit version) comes supplied with a "new" firewire driver that is incompatible with almost every known FW device! (OK, I exaggerate a little, but not much.) Under the 32 bit version I had to roll back the FW driver to install the "Legacy" one. Then, my 8-Pre worked perfectly.

Unfortunately, I think I remember reading somewhere that the 64 bit version FW driver cannot be rolled back! I'll be delighted if someone comes along and tells me that is completely wrong because then one of my hesitations about the change to 64 bit will be resolved.

A quick Google search gives this list of pages, https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=windo ... e&ie=UTF-8 which will give some idea of the very high level of frustration with this problem.

However, it does appear from more than one of the links there that you can install the Legacy driver in the 64 bit version!

HTH.
Jeff

[torrentg]

I don't have any 64 bit Windows 7 machines here to look for myself about this. If the legacy driver is included in the operating system already, then you can simply change to that and problem solved.

If it is not included, then you'd have to get a hold of a Vista 64 bit machine and copy the .inf, .sys and .cat files (of the firewire driver) and paste (overwrite originals after backing them up in case of issues) them in the same directories of your Windows 7 machine.

Then, you would have to do one of the following:

1) Press F8 at each time Windows boots to get the boot menu. You'd have to choose to disable driver enforcement.

2) Permanently disable driver enforcement.

Not too difficult to do. Let me know if you need some help with anything.

[Kenneth Link]

Hi Torrentg and emmrecs.

Many thanks for your answers. I thought that anyone would never answer here.

I tried to disable driver signature enforcement pressing F8 as torrentg said, and also in the cmd.exe with the line "bcdedit.exe /set nointegritychecks ON".

No results at all.

Of course I do not have the Legacy option in the 1394 tree that appears when you try to swap the 1394 option in the device manager.

Then I've found and downloaded Windows 7 IEEE 1394 Driver With Legacy Option Available.rar in this site: http://www.eightforums.com/drivers-hard ... -motu.html

But I don't know how to install it.
I cannot simply replace those files in the drivers folder inside system32. I get the NO permission message even with UAC totally disabled.

Any other idea?
Thanks!

[torrentg]

Ken,

That thread at eightforums.com you linked to is my thread. Small world, heh?

Anyhow, that download is not for any x64 operating system at all, and mostly meant for only Windows 8 x86. It can not work at all on any x64.

You'd have to follow what I said above, in order to use the legacy IEEE 1394 driver in Windows 7 x64.

Do you have any access to a x64 Vista machine? That would be needed if the legacy driver is not available by default for you.

BUT, I pretty much was just answering Emmrecs before. The legacy driver is unlikely to help the issue you described, but I guess it's still possible.

[Kenneth Link]

Hi Torrentg. Yes, haha! small world and small net...
First of all many thanks for your help.

I already followed to what you said above (if I understood well), I pressed F8 in the boot, went to the boot menu and disabled driver signature enforcement. But when I arrived to Windows nothing seemed to change in order to make the 8pre work. I installed driver again, but then, no sound, no CueMIX, etc.

Then I tried your second version: to disable permanently the driver signature enforcement going to cmd.exe (in MS-DOS windows) and typing the line "bcdedit.exe /set nointegritychecks ON" as I saw in webs like this (http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/wind ... 23d60f3daa). But results are the same. 8pre doesn't work.

Keep in mind that I'm spanish and maybe I'm not understanding correctly some things... That could be another point.

Anyway, I don't understand why MOTU says that they have drivers of their FW products like 8pre to work in windows 7 64bits (http://www.motu.com/techsupport/technot ... patibility) but then they actually don't work!

[emmrecs]

Hi Torrentg and emmrecs.

Then I've found and downloaded Windows 7 IEEE 1394 Driver With Legacy Option Available.rar in this site: http://www.eightforums.com/drivers-hard ... -motu.html

But I don't know how to install it.
I cannot simply replace those files in the drivers folder inside system32. I get the NO permission message even with UAC totally disabled.

Any other idea?
Thanks!

Since you've clearly found and downloaded the Legacy FW driver you should be able to install it via Device Manager. Choose to Update Driver Software and then navigate to wherever you have chosen to store the driver files (in English the instruction is "Browse my computer for driver software") where you can then direct Windows to those files and get them installed; notice: NOT copied but installed.

HTH

Jeff

[Kenneth Link]

Hi Jeff

I also had already done what you say. The problem is, as torrentg says, that the driver downloaded from that link (BTW posted by torrentg) is not for any x64 system. When I try to update it, guiding to the 1394.inf file of that supposed driver, I get a message saying that "there's no any driver software for this device. If there's one, please verify that is based in x64).

64bits Windows is, in fact, a colossal headache. I'm having compatibility problems all the time.

Anyway, many thanks for your help.

[emmrecs]

Hi Kenneth. Sorry I misunderstood what you had already tried!

On this forum http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/wind ... c6b?page=2 I found this information from someone else who has this exact problem, albeit with connecting a DV Camera via FireWire.

Windows 7 only detects firewire devices when at least one of them is drawing power from the computer (i.e. attached with a 6-pin cable). Until then the controller will simply idle.
An alternate solution, although awkward, is to disable and re-enable firewire in the device manager each session, thus forcing a refresh/detect. A 6 to 4-pin adapter should make no difference as the power lines are not in use.

This would seem to imply that, if your computer has only the "small" (4 pin) firewire socket, as mine does, on the motherboard, a PCI card that includes the larger (6 pin) type may be needed. I actually have such a card, with a 6 pin socket, and it is connected to my 8Pre

Is that information of any use/relevance to you? I'd certainly like to know how you get on because, as I said before, I'm almost certainly going to have to "upgrade" to 64 bit Win 7 Pro quite soon and I want to be able to use my 8Pre.

[Kenneth Link]

Hey men, I've fixed it !!

I followed this instructions and solved the problem. Instructions are basically the same thing that we've been talking about. In fact, I think that I have done this at least in one of the multiple attempts before, but maybe first time didn't work, or maybe I didn't realize.

http://www.studio1productions.com/Artic ... wire-1.htm

So I simply updated the driver in the device manager and selected the option "heredada" (Legacy in english) and voila! CueMIX OK, MOTU Audio OK. It sounds! No downloads needed. Driver is in Windows by default (or I think so).

Lots of thanks to you both.

[Kenneth Link]

Hi Jeff, seems that we're writing at the same time.

As you can see I saw it in a FW video camera page too.
I have the big firewire 400 I/O in a PCI card, same as you.
So you will be able to use your 8pre when upgrade.

Thanks again.

[torrentg]

Yeah, I was fairly certain that x64 Win 7 has the legacy 1394 driver included by default, but I didn't want to say it's a fact without being 100% sure.

You're welcome and enjoy it.

[emmrecs]

Congratulations, and thanks for the confirmation this can be done!

Jeff