[Tarekith]

This is a repost of something I wrote for the VirusTI.com forums:
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Ok, so it seems like there's people on this list who are still not able to get the Virus working properly with Virus Control. I wanted to sum up some possible things to try if you haven't yet. These are not official Access recomendations, just some things that have seemed to help others experiencing these types of issues. You may not choose to try these, but doing so will hopefully help us all narrow down what some of the problems are. Yes in a perfect world none of these would be neccesary, but it's not a perfect world, and thus I'm trying to help in any way that I can. So, here goes:

1. Reinstall XP after a fresh format of your hard drive. GASP, yes this can be a pain but it's the only way to rule out all other software or drivers that can be causing problems with the Virus Install or USB port conficts. After you reload XP, and whatever service packs you use, load ONLY the newest version of the Virus Software. IF you get it working, then slowly start reinstalling the rest of your software, testing the TI stability every so often to make sure it's still working.

A note on XP Service Packs: Access recommends SP2 as it included some general fixes for USB audio transfers on XP. This is not always required though, as some people have V-C working just fine with SP1 too. Still, if you have not tried SP2, it's worth a shot. I still recommend a fresh XP install before you load it though.

2. Make sure your motherboard BIOS is up to date, especially if you are using the USB ports built into it. Also make sure you have the latest chipset drivers for your PC too. If you're using an AMD system, these will most likely be the VIA 4 in 1 drivers, otherwise they will probably be Intel drivers. This is IMPORTANT as these drivers directly govern how USB transfers take place on your motherboard!

3. If you are using a PCI to USB card, then make sure that the firmware and drivers for the card are up to date. If you are using a USB port on your motherboard instead and are still having problems after trying #1 and #2 above, then it might be worth buying a PCI to USB 2.0 card. These are only about $10-15 and have solved issues for quite a few people. Sometimes the onboard USB ports get assigned IRQ's with critical processes (system timer, graphics, memory bussing, etc), and this might put your USB transfers on their own dedicatd IRQ. A benefit of these cards, is that you can swap them out to different free slots on the motherboard too, and this will usually force different IRQ's as well, Make sure you go to the manufacturer's website and get the latest drives for the card if you buy one though, don't assume the drivers on the CD that come with it are the latest.

I know, I know, no one wants to go out and buy MORE things to try and get their synth working. But if $15 means you can now use your $2500 TI fully, then isn't it worth it? I'd be willing to bet this fixes 90% of all user problems. I would recommend buying from a place with a good return policy anyway, like Newegg.com or CDW.com. At least that way, if the card doesn't help your situation, you can return it and not be out any additional cash.

4. Try a different USB cable with the TI. Yes, it's unlikely that this is the issue, but you never know and the point of all this is to narrow down the problems. Takes two seconds to test, so I would recommend swapping out the USB cable that came with the TI for the shortest one you have on hand, See if that helps.

5. One final note on IRQ sharing. While it may be ideal to have the USB port used for the TI on it's own IRQ, this is by no means absolutely required to get things working properly. My USB IRQ is shared with 3 other devices and works just fine. So if you're going to experiment with forcing your USB port to a certain IRQ via your BIOS, don't get discouraged if you can't get it assigned a unique IRQ. The best you can hope to do is try and get the USB port assigned to any OTHER IRQ's, and see if that works. If you are doing a fresh XP install, do not follow the years old advice to install XP in "Standard Mode" versus ACPI mode (the default). If you don't know what this means, then don't worry about it smile.gif


One incredibly beneficial thing about the internet, is that it provides places like this where people can go to get help from other users. Unfortunately it also provides a place where people can vent their frustrations to (sometimes) willing ears, even though this does NOTHING to speed up any troubleshooting or solve the issues at hand. If you are still having troubles after trying these tips, or just feel like venting in general, I ask that yo PLEASE use another thread to do so. I'm taking time to try and help people out, at no benefit to myself. I hope that people can keep this thread on topic and somewhat positive, or at the very least civil. If you really feel the need rail and moan at Access, I would appreciate it if you could do it in a new thread.

If any of the above fixes improve thing on your end, please post here and let others know!