Need Help: Mbox 2 Pro "No Hardware Detected"

[djcream]

Hi, I've read around but haven't found the answer to this problem.

I just updated my OS to 10.5.3 from 10.5.1 (in which everything was working fine). After the upgrade everything seemed fine for a day or so with PT and my Mbox, but today the Mbox disappeared from my system.

Mbox 2 Pro appears on System Preferences under "other", but when I open it the window is all greyed out, the box on the left says "No Hardware Detected" , and there's no info about the Firmware or Clock Source there.

Mbox 2 Pro does not appear under System Profiler in the firewire section.

And of course when I launch PT it says "Unable to locate digidesign hardware..."

I have just updated from PT 7.4 to 7.4.2, but that didn't fix the problem.

I also changed the firewire port the Mbox is plugged in to, tried a new cable, trashed prefs and databases, emptied trash, and restarted.

When I called Digi they said I would have to pay for technical assistance unless I wanted to email them, which I don't want to do b/c, without going into details, my experience with emailing them has led me to understand that it's a waste of time.

So if anyone here can help me out I truly appreciate it!

Thanks
dj

[Phil Ogden]

Did you do a clean uninstall of 7.4 before running the 7.4.2 installer. This is recommended to remove any non Leopard compatible PT components that might conflict with the revised OS.

http://www.myspace.com/philogg

[djcream]

No I didn't do an uninstall. If that's what you recommend then I will do it now & report back...

Thanks!

[djcream]

Ok I just did a clean uninstall and reinstalled PT 7.4.2, but nothing has changed - still have the same problem...

Also I looked at the Audio Midi Setup (AMS) and Mbox 2 Pro is there in the MIDI devices window - but greyed out, and all the MIDI connections I had there are undone. The Mbox doesn't appear in the drop down list of Audio Devices either... which I guess just confirms that it's not being recognized if anything...

Any other suggestions?
Thanks!

P.S. Does it matter that both Mbox 2 Pro and Mbox 2 are listed in System Prefs "other" pane? I've never had an Mbox 2. This is not something new just thought I'd ask in case it makes a difference.

[gibson_sg]

Make sure you're plugging into the back 1394 port on your Mac Pro and not through a Cinema Display or any kind of hub.

Zap PRAM: http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=2238

Reset SMC: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1806
Disconnecting everything while computer is off, even display and power cable, wait 30 seconds then reconnect just keyboard, monitor, mouse and audio interface.

Repair disk permissions. http://duc.digidesign.com/showthread.php?t=54888

If still no love, this worked for me and others - install Pro Tools on a PC or take your MB2P to a PC that has Pro Tools such as Guitar Center, connect the Firewire wait about 1 minute, it will automatically reflash the firmware without you have to do anything. Just connect and wait for lights to come on for a bit. Bring back to the Mac and try again.

If all else fails update to 10.5.4 Combo Update and or reinstall the OS, maybe something is messed up at the system level.

Are the lights coming on the MB2P? Are all the lights stuck on (every one of them?)

FYI Mbox2 (non Pro) in Sys Prefs is normal byproduct of how the Digi installer works. Don't worry about it, unrelated to your issue. And Digi's email support has worked for me, but you have to be patient cause it's first come first serve on email replies and if you don't give them an acurate picture and all your system specs and model they can't help you very well. (just as any company)

[djcream]

I reset the PRAM, SMC and repaired permissions - no change. Then I disconnected & reconnected the firewire and power cables on the Mbox and that seemed to have fixed it. The Mbox is connected. PT is launched & a session is running properly.

So far so good..

Thanks so much for your excellent advice!!

BTW, the lights weren't stuck on the Mbox - they looked normal, with the power light blinking and the Line Input 1 & 2 lights on.

[DigiTechSupt]

Then I disconnected & reconnected the firewire and power cables on the Mbox

I think part (or all) of the problem may be that you're using the power supply - you ONLY need that if your firewire port does not supply power. Using both the PSU and firewire power can sometimes cause problems with the Mbox 2 Pro.

[FadingBrunetteStudios]

I can't thank you enough for this information.

I was also experiencing the same problem. My G4 Mac 10.4.11 today for no reason was unable to see or detect my MBOX PRO. I was very confused because I my ProTools LE 7.4 set-up remained unchanged.

Out of nowhere today I went to get some work done and it wasn't seeing my MBOX PRO. I was very fortunate enough to find this post. So I took a deep breath and unplugged EVERYTHING from the back of my G4. I waited a minute or so and plugged everything back in.

This worked like a CHARM. I'm back to business! Good old ProTools loads just like it did yesterday. Go figure.

THANK YOU SO MUCH GUYS!

xxooxxoo, Fading Brunette

[rash1986]

I've upgraded firmware on Mbox 2. and now its not working anymore.
how do i fix this ?