• Riki
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Topic: FF800 drivers v3.062 + Windows XP-SP3 problem

Hello, my DAW is a PC with Windows XP-SP3. It has a Gigabyte motherboard with Intel chipset - rock solid.
I've been using my FireFace 800 for years with maximum satisfaction, but after installing the v3.062 drivers I had to roll back to v2.9992 because the machine rebooted without warning - I think it happened during MIDI initialization of the FF800.
After taking a closer look, the drivers are labeled "Windows 7" (not "Windows XP") on the site, so maybe it was my fault.

However, the readme in the driver zip file states:

RME  Intelligent Audio Solutions
Fireface 800 / 400 / UFX
Driver for Windows XP/Vista/7 32/64 Bit
Important information: Driver version 3.062

and goes back to previous, SP-compatible drivers, so I was tricked into thinking I could install it.

Summing up: If you use XP, don't install 3.062 - keep v2.9992, which works like a charm!

2 Reply by MC

  • MC
  • MC
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  • From: Germany/Thailand
  • Registered: 2007-04-06
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Re: FF800 drivers v3.062 + Windows XP-SP3 problem

Not true. Did you update the firmware of your FF 800?

Regards
Matthias Carstens
RME

MC's Website

  • Riki
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Re: FF800 drivers v3.062 + Windows XP-SP3 problem

I did update the firmware, and I didn't have to roll that back - the FF is still running fine with it. The problem was only on the computer side of things.

I, too, was surprised to find such a glitch (a total first time in my RME experience!); so I guess it must be something about my system, which however is and always has been quite stable.

The issue seems repeatable: I re-installed  v3.062 and the PC kept on rebooting as soon as the FF is polled by the DAW; I went back to v2.9992 and all is fine, running for hours without a hiccup.

  • From: Germany
  • Registered: 2007-04-10
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Re: FF800 drivers v3.062 + Windows XP-SP3 problem

Certainly not a known issue, 3.x works fine with XP. How did you update the driver exactly? Which audio software are you using?


Regards,
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

RME Support's Website

  • Riki
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Re: FF800 drivers v3.062 + Windows XP-SP3 problem

How I updated: 1) unzipped win_fire_3062.zip; 2) followed the instructions in xp_driver_install_and_update.pdf (from Hardware manager, "update", "have disk" etc.); 3) rebooted the computer as asked by driver update; 4) after reboot, I got a suggestion that I should update the firmware, too; 5) extracted fut_win_fire_800.zip and ran fireface_fut.exe; 6) power cycled the FF. I use Cubase 5.

My memory is not 100% sure about steps 3-5: I might have flashed the firmware before rebooting the PC, but I don't think so. However, I didn't run any audio software immediately: the problem appeared in the next session, a few hours later, after all equipment had been turned off and then restarted.

I have already updated drivers and/or firmware quite a few times, and I always followed a similar procedure, without a single problem ever.

  • Riki
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Re: FF800 drivers v3.062 + Windows XP-SP3 problem

Just to be sure, I repeated the test. I installed v3.062 again, and again the reboot without any warning (no blue screen etc). No problem because I had a system restore point ready, so I rolled back quite easily. Now the hardware version (firmware) is still at v2.77, but the Windows drivers are at v2.9992. This is not a big deal, but I hope whatever it is gets ironed out with the next driver version. If there's any test I can run, I'll be glad to help with debugging information.