Mbox 2 control panel says hardware not connected

[albee1952]

Read this thru and maybe print it out as Pro Tools LE and Windows 7 have special needs.

With Pro Tools LE, the driver is included as part of the software installer. PT9 and newer use a separate driver install that should be done BEFORE installing Pro Tools. With LE, just start with a clean slate and then follow this list:

1- (with the Mbox unplugged) Open the folder and right-click on the PT setup icon and choose Run as administrator(this should be done for all software installs on Windows 7 or 10).
2-when it tells you to connect the interface, DON'T. Just click Okay, let it finish and reboot
3-run the 8.0.5 updater(also using the run as admin option). When the updater tells you to connect the interface, DO connect the Mbox, wait about 8-10 seconds, then click Okay, let it finish and reboot
4-BEFORE you run Pro Tools, right-click on the PT icon and select Properties. Now find the tab with these 2 options and check them both. Always Run as Admin, and Disable Desktop Composition
5-have your LE authorization code handy(it starts with "DIGI08.....") and open PT

****IMPORTANT****, when Windows pops up a message(or 2 or 3) about "New Hardware Found", DO NOT click on these at all. Just ignore them and they will disappear on their own(this is likely to happen as soon as you plug the Mbox in). Fingers crossed