Need some 003R help - PT9, Win 7 & USB/Firewire connections...

[WKG]

I have been researching upgrading my 003R based system from PTLE 7 to PT9.

I planned on picking up the ASUS N71Jq Laptop Intel i7 720Q 1.6GHz which is listed as approved in the PT9 compatibility grid. I use OWC Mercury Elite-AL Pro FW/USB2 drives for audio which are also approved.

My question is regarding the FW port need for the 003R. The ASUS is listed as compatble however it has no FW port and had to be connected to qualify it with the 003R. I suppose I could daisy chain the 003R into the drives FW port then USB 2 from the drive to the ASUS but that seems like it would be prone to issues? I daisy chain now but it's all via firewire, 003R into drive then into comp via firewire.

Another option would be to pick up a FW card for the ASUS but I don't want to just start adding components if the ASUS, 003R and the OWC drive have already been qualified. Besides there are no FW cards listed as qualified at this point.

Direction, tips or advice would be much appreciated.

[albee1952]

You can daisy-chain a firewire drive and 003. The preferred path goes computer to the drive to the 003, but putting the 003 in the middle still works. WARNING*** before disconnecting or powering off the 003, dismount the drive or shut down the system because; if data is being written to the drive, and it loses connection, the data will be corrupted(IOW, your session is trash). Also, be aware that Avid is actually recommending Windows 7 users to record to USB2 drives(Win7 has much better USB management). Go into Device Manager and turn OFF the power management on all USB ports.

Okay, I just re-read your message and you cannot daisy-chain from a USB drive to any firewire device. If you laptop has a card slot(PCM-CIA or ExpressCard), get an approved firewire card for the 003. If your laptop has no slot, then you either need a new laptop, or a USB interface. For the most part, SIIG firewire cards have been a safe bet for compatibility.

[WKG]

Thanks for the reply. It's a weird situation as the ASUS model is within my budget and listed as qualified with Avid FW interfaces but it has no FW port. There is no indication that a separate card was used and I didn't want to end up on a wild goose chase. Avid specifically recomends using a USB or eSATA drive so I have no problem with my OWC drives.

I am curious to know how in the heck they connected the 003R and the ASUS to qualify it...

[albee1952]

With an approved firewire card.

[WKG]

I found the SIIG card so no problem picking one up.

With the potential Win7/firewire issues and their warnings regarding FW drives that clarification on the PT9/Win7 specific compatibility notes direct from Avid confirming that would have been helpful.

I appreciate the suggestions.

[albee1952]

Originally Posted by WKG

I found the SIIG card so no problem picking one up.

With the potential Win7/firewire issues and their warnings regarding FW drives that clarification on the PT9/Win7 specific compatibility notes direct from Avid confirming that would have been helpful.

I appreciate the suggestions.

I agree, but unfortunately, things still seem to be up in the air on this. First off, I was a bit shocked to see the recommendation of USB2 drives for Windows 7 users. Then I read about Avid recommending we use the Legacy firewire driver. When I tried that, my problems went from bad to worse. On a good note though, when I updated the firewire driver to whatever Windows installed by itself, my 003 controller has been working almost flawlessly since. If you have the 003 rack version, it may be less critical(all my problems were related to control features which the rack unit doesn't have).