1 Topic by nissimtr (edited by nissimtr 2019-01-09 19:48:16)

  • Registered: 2019-01-09
  • Posts: 1

Topic: What's the last build of windows 10 that is stable with firewire?

Hi
I have a Fireface 400 which is installed in a realtively new computer running Windows 10 Pro.
As the motherboard has no onboard firewire interface I have a PCIE FW card (with a Texas Instruments chip).

The system worked flawlessly until I started getting blue screens a few months ago.
Most of the time I'd get sound artifacts while listening to audio, a few minutes before the blue screen.
Other times i'd get the blue screen upon closing Cubase.
It is very possible that I started having the issues after a major windows 10 update.
At first, I was not sure what the problem was.
However, I've installed a pos-blue screen analyzer program that reported the fireface drivers as the cause of the system crash, consistently.
Additionally, for the last week I've used my dj controller as an audio interface, with the fireface disconnected, and I've had no blue screens whatsoever.

I've read someone's thread, and he basically said that the last Windows 10 build, and the one before it, were causing problems similar to mine.
So, as the blue screens really annoy me, I think I'd like to try to roll the OS a few builds/versions backward, and the questinion is to which build/version should I try to go back?

If anyone here has a clue that would be really nice (it'd be even nicer if the roll-back worked!)

Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for any answers!

  • Registered: 2019-03-14
  • Posts: 3

Re: What's the last build of windows 10 that is stable with firewire?

Hello! I am a former Macbook pro user who switched last August to Windows because the hardware choices (ports, connectors, cost) are better. However, I have the same problems as you, using an adapter from TB3 to TB2 to Firewire 800 (which in this forum appears to work fine with 2019 Macs). Windows warns that the "double dongle" is not supported, so fair enough. But everything is recognised, drivers load and update, everything launches as it should. But there are intermittent timing errors that appear as clusters of clicks, leading eventually but not always to crashes of the system. This happened to me in a performance already, to great annoyance. Basically I have tried all the variations: updating drivers, tweaking Windows settings, using ASIO4ALL and WASAPI drivers, joining Windows Insider and trying all the builds, with (unfortunately) no success: sometimes the Fireface runs stable, even for weeks, then eventually the clicks come back and with them the occasional BSOD. Basically it seems Windows 10 and firewire are not friends and it appears no one is working on it. Going back to Windows 7 is not an option on my setup, so I believe I have 2 choices: back to the Mac or new interface with USB. This is super annoying and expensive. Is there anyone out there who has found a solution? I love my old Fireface, it is a quality product and does its job well. Is there no way to keep it going reliably? There doesn't seem to really be a problem here except that the software folks are too busy to support Firewire properly.

  • vinark
  • DAW Mastermind
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  • Registered: 2009-06-05
  • Posts: 2,738

Re: What's the last build of windows 10 that is stable with firewire?

Tried this?
https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/usbcor … e-package/

Vincent, Amsterdam
https://soundcloud.com/thesecretworld
BFpro fs, 2X HDSP9652 ADI-8AE, 2X HDSP9632

4 Reply by firefacefan (edited by firefacefan 2019-03-14 19:38:09)

  • Registered: 2019-03-14
  • Posts: 3

Re: What's the last build of windows 10 that is stable with firewire?

The fix that vinark posted definitely worked for me, I'm on Win 10 1803 - it's not a problem with the Fireface drivers (which have always been rock solid IMO) but with the 1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller driver in Win 10. Also replacing the Fireface power supply resolved another issue I was having

  • Registered: 2019-03-14
  • Posts: 3

Re: What's the last build of windows 10 that is stable with firewire?

PS I'm on Win 10 v1803 now, and have not had a single BSOD since installing the legacy driver.. good luck

6 Reply by fl (edited by fl 2019-06-18 18:42:53)

  • fl
  • S/Mux specialist
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  • From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  • Registered: 2007-11-12
  • Posts: 266

Re: What's the last build of windows 10 that is stable with firewire?

I'm having trouble with the Legacy driver - I'm not sure I've installed it properly. I've downloaded the package and run the MSI, and it appeared to be successful on Win10 build 1803 Pro 64 bit. However, when I go to the Device Manager and uninstall the existing IEEE 1394 Host Controlers > VIA 1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller, followed by an attempt to "Scan for Hardware Changes" or "Add Legacy Hardware", I am offered the VIA driver again, and maybe a drier that has the same name, minus the "VIA" - but nothing with the word "Legacy" in it.

This is on an HP 7100 mini-tower, which has a single FW 400 port. It would be great if I could get my Fireface 800 working with it.

What have I done wrong?

Frank Lockwood
https://LockwoodARS.com
Fireface 800, Firmware 2.77
Drivers: Win10, 3.125; Mac, 3.36

fl's Website

7 Reply by dubbio (edited by dubbio 2019-06-23 22:38:40)

  • Registered: 2019-02-17
  • Posts: 7

Re: What's the last build of windows 10 that is stable with firewire?

Running the MSI just creates a folder (e.g.) C:\programs (x86)\1394 ohci compliant host controller (legacy)\x64/86_driver.
In the device manager choose update driver / 'search computer for drivers' and manually point to the above path.

8 Reply by fl

  • fl
  • S/Mux specialist
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  • From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  • Registered: 2007-11-12
  • Posts: 266

Re: What's the last build of windows 10 that is stable with firewire?

dubbio wrote:

Running the MSI just creates a folder (e.g.) C:\programs (x86)\1394 ohci compliant host controller (legacy)\x64/86_driver.
In the device manager choose update driver / 'search computer for drivers' and manually point to the above path.

Thanks for that - I had some problems until I figured out that in the Device Manager, I needed to "update" (and not "Uninstall") the existing driver (VIA 1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller - not sure what the "VIA" means...), and then in the following two pop-up windows, select the manual search option each time before I was granted access to the Legacy version. I must have done this on Win7, but it was so long ago, I had forgotten the process.

Frank Lockwood
https://LockwoodARS.com
Fireface 800, Firmware 2.77
Drivers: Win10, 3.125; Mac, 3.36

fl's Website

  • Registered: 2019-02-17
  • Posts: 7

Re: What's the last build of windows 10 that is stable with firewire?

quote ... - not sure what the "VIA" means...
VIA is the chipset manufacturer of your FW device (recognized by windows through hardware ID)
not all FW chipsets do function properly - even not all by texas instruments (exception: TI XIO 2200).
But if the VIA FW device was successful with win7, it should do fine with w10 either.

10 Reply by fl

  • fl
  • S/Mux specialist
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  • From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  • Registered: 2007-11-12
  • Posts: 266

Re: What's the last build of windows 10 that is stable with firewire?

Thanks dubbio for the clarification. Just to be clear, this particular machine came to me by lucky chance - someone left it by the dumpster out back of my apartment building. I took it, thinking that I could do a better job of re-cycling toxic electronics, but later thought to use it as a Win10 testing machine, so that when I choose to upgrade my existing work machine, currently running Win7 via Bootcamp on a Mac Mini, I'll be able to avoid most of the pitfalls.

On the test machine, I was having a hard time with my Fireface until I realized that I should be Updating the 1394 driver, instead of uninstalling it and then attempting to install the Legacy driver manually. This is normally a job which gets done once per system and then left forever, and it's been a while since I did a similar adjustment on my Win7 machine, so my memory was fuzzy.

However, your post twigged my memory, for which I am grateful - the Legacy driver is now installed, the RME Fireface drivers installed and after connecting my FF800 to this machine via FW400, lo and behold, it all worked without issue, with Pyramix no less. Having done this, I feel much more confident moving forward towards getting my main work machine up to Win10, sometime this fall after the 1803 version is deprecated and Merging has to come up with a new version of Pyramix which will be able to work with a more recent version of Win10. Oh, the joys of maintaining compatibility...

Frank Lockwood
https://LockwoodARS.com
Fireface 800, Firmware 2.77
Drivers: Win10, 3.125; Mac, 3.36

fl's Website