M-Powered issue with M-Audio Fast Track USB

[Jesse1]

Hi I'm having as issue getting Pro Tools M-Powered to recognize my M-Audio Fast Track USB. Everytime I try to open Pro Tools I get an error message, Unable to Locate M-Audio Hardware please make sure your device is plugged in and turned on. My OS is recognizing the hardware just fine. I have downloaded the updates from M-Audio and tried unstalling and re-installing with the new updates. I've also tried the same process with the updates in Pro Tools, both unsuccesful. I could really use some help. Is there a trick to the install process cause I have followed the install procedures exactly??

Jesse

[3JDamon]

I'm having some trouble as well. On my desktop the control panel says "A device attached to the system is not functioning", but it will work with Protools and general sound output. However on my laptop I get the same error and Protools will not load. Unfortunately the laptop only has XP Pro SP1, which is probably the problem since it is unsupported by Protools 7.x.

Does your system have SP2?

[Jesse1]

Yes I'm running SP2 on my desktop, and meets all the requirements pro tools is looking for.

[Nalepa]

sounds like it might be a system optimization issue. Make sure you dial in your laptop.... lots of great tips on that at www.musicxp.net under tuning tips or optimization tips. This could perhaps be an IRQ problem. You should see if you have a bunch of things all sharing the same IRQ, my guess is yes. You probably need to disable some devices you are not using. You can also try it in a different USB port.

Also, in the Device Manager, under Universal Serial Bus Controllers section (USB), make sure you right click on each of the USB ROOT HUB listings and choose Properties and then click on Power Management and make sure you uncheck 'Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power'. If that is checked, if there is any sort of IRQ conflict or power issue, the USB port will go down first. Unchecking this will give your USB ports higher priority.

[SteveD@DAWPRO]

Disable your on-board audio

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Entering the BIOS:

The BIOS is the core of your computer. It tells the system how to communicate to all of it's hardware; so it's important to not change something if you're unsure of what it does. That being said, there are several ways to enter the system BIOS, and you can only do so for a short period of time before Windows launches and you have to restart and try again. Some manufacturers like to set the BIOS entrance key to 'delete' on the keyboard, others use different function keys (i.e. F9, F4, and F2 are common). Most often, the motherboard will have a "splash-screen" upon boot that will tell you which key to press to enter the BIOS (often only referred to as 'Setup') - others, you either have to read the motherboard manual, or guess. In any case, BIOS manufacturers have their own way of doing things, as should be noted in the general descriptions that will be given for navigating the BIOS itself - without a manual of your specific motherboard handy, I'm limited to a very general framework. It might be necessary to contact your computer/motherboard manufacterer to complete the steps below.

With that said, let's enter the BIOS now.

Disabling RAID:

RAID is a type of array configuration for your hard drives that can save files between discs or mirror the file to a backup. Unfortunately, this causes erratic and often catastrophic errors with Pro Tools. To disable this feature, find the RAID controller option - it's usually found under the 'Advanced' menu. Even if RAID is not being utilized, it's important to disable this option.

Disabling Speed-stepping:

This option is referred to as AMD Cool n' Quiet in AMD processor motherboards, and can show up as various things in Intel-based boards. Sometimes it simply shows up as 'speed-stepping.' If your motherboard has this option, disable it, as it can cause major conflicts with the processor scheduling of Pro Tools and the USB bus. It's usually found under the 'Advanced' tab.

Disabling on-board audio:

This option simply activates or disables the audio card that's built-in on some motherboards. Disabling the on-board audio can free up resources and prevent IRQ or resource allocation conflicts. It's usually found near the 'PCI' or 'On-Board' options. Many users will want to use their built-in soundcard for playback of Windows sounds or programs other than Pro Tools; these users should bypass this step.

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[Jesse1]

I followed the instructions you gave and afterwards attempted to uninstall and reinstall everything from scratch and still Pro Tools will not recognize my m-audio fast track.

[3JDamon]

After further review, mine isn't stable on my desktop system either. Looks like we're stuck waiting for a driver update. I was curious about the driver versions "FTP_WDM_5.10.00.5064" and "FTP_WDM_5.10.00.5064v2", a 9-digit version number, and THEN "v2"?? Looks like they really haven't worked the bugs out yet, offering two versions as if to say "if one doesn't work try the other, if that doesn't work, try the first one again...". I could be getting work done with this thing........

I think we should start looking for people who have had success with it and see what their configuration is, if there are any yet...

[3JDamon]

Addendum - these drivers have destabilized my entire system. I'm uninstalling and attempting to get a refund for this piece of junk.

Edit: I've managed to get PT M-P working (not sure what did it), but Sound Forge is too unstable. I wasn't happy with how Sound Forge only uses one CPU core, but still it's an expensive piece of software to be crippled by an audio interface's drivers!

[Jesse1]

Alright after a week of pulling my hair out. My buddy(MCSE Certified)who informed me windows is a piece of junk(with no disagreeing from me)discovered when installing the new M-Audio updates from the M-Audio webpage. The previous installation did not fully uninstall. Due to this, windows was still locating the old driver file. Needless to say the fix to have Pro Tools M-Powered edition to recognize my M-Audio device, was simply going to Device Manager, go to properties for the M-Audio and click update driver. This allows windows to choose the new/proper driver thus allowing Pro Tools to recognize the M-Audio device.

Thought I would post this in case anyone else has had this issue and overlooked something this simply. Thank you to all those who participated with input to resolve this issue. Hopefully this little tid bit helps others in the future.

Cheers,


Jesse