SideWinder USB Port Controller Reports "Not Connected" Status (216096)

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, use the following methods in the order that they appear in. After you complete each method, examine the game controller status in the Game Controller tool in Control Panel to see whether the issue is resolved. If the status is still "Not Connected," continue to the next troubleshooting method.

Verify the minimum system requirements

Verify that the system meets the minimum system requirements required for both the SideWinder game controller and the SideWinder Game Controller software.

For more information about the minimum system requirements for SideWinder USB Game Controllers, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Connect the controller directly to a USB port that is built into the computer

If your game controller is attached to the computer through a USB hub, your game controller may not function as expected. Verify that your SideWinder game controller is connected directly to a USB port built into your computer.

Try a different USB port

The USB port that your game controller is attached to may be malfunctioning. Try attaching your game controller to a different USB port that is built into your computer.

Reinstall the USB components on the computer

Warning Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.
Note Do not use this procedure if you have a USB keyboard or mouse. If you do use this procedure, you may not be able to continue past the log on screen, and you may have to reinstall Microsoft Windows to reinstall the keyboard or the mouse drivers.

To resolve this issue, remove and reinstall the USB components.

Note Make sure that you have the Windows setup CD-ROM and any USB software CD-ROM's that you want to install after you clean up the USB sub-system.

Attention DO NOT FOLLOW THESE STEPS IF YOUR MOUSE IS CONNECTED TO THE USB AND YOU DO NOT HAVE A PS/2 MOUSE AVAILABLE. DOING THIS WILL CAUSE YOU TO RENDER YOUR COMPUTER UNBOOTABLE INTO WINDOWS. IF YOUR MOUSE IS CONNECTED TO USB AND YOU HAVE ONE THAT IS PS/2 POWER THE COMPUTER DOWN AND CONNECT IT TO THE PS/2 PORT. PUT THE MOUSE BACK IN THE USB PORT AFTER YOU HAVE COMPLETED ALL THIS TROUBLESHOOTING.

1. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Add/Remove Programs.
2. Click the SideWinder software entry for your game controller, and then click Add/Remove.
3. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen to uninstall the SideWinder software. Repeat steps 2 and 3 to uninstall all the SideWinder software entries.
4. Click Start, click Run, type msconfig in the Open box, and then click OK.
5. In the System Configuration Utility, click Advanced in the lower-right corner.
6. In the Advanced Troubleshooting Settings dialog box, click to select the Enable Startup Menu check box.
7. Click OK, and then click OK.
8. Restart the computer when you are prompted to do this.
9. When the Windows startup menu is displayed, select number 3 - Safe Mode, and then press ENTER.
10. Click OK to close the Safe Mode dialog box or close the Help and Support window.
11. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
12. Double-click System.
13. Click the Device Manager tab.
14. Click the PLUS SIGN (+) next to Sound, Video and Game Controllers to expand the branch.
15. Click to select each device listed in the Sound, Video and Game Controllers branch, and then click Remove. Continue until you remove all the SideWinder devices, all the HID-compliant game controllers, and all the Microsoft Virtual keyboards or pointing devices.
    
    Note You can only remove one device at a time.
16. Click the PLUS SIGN (+) next to Universal Serial Bus Controller to expand the branch.
17. Click to select each device listed in the Universal Serial Bus Controller branch, and then click Remove. Continue until the Universal Serial Bus Controller branch is empty.
    
    Note You can only remove one device at a time.
18. Click Start, click Run, type regedit in the Open box, and then click OK.
19. In Registry Editor, delete the following registry keys:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Enum\HID
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Enum\USB
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\MediaResources\Joystick

20. Quit Registry Editor, and then disconnect your SideWinder game controller from your computer.
21. Shut down and turn off your computer.
22. Turn on your computer. Windows automatically redetects your hardware and installs the appropriate device drivers.
    
    Note You may be prompted to insert the Microsoft Windows CD-ROM.
23. Connect your SideWinder game controller to your computer. A SideWinder Plug and Play game controller is automatically detected. If your SideWinder game controller is not Plug and Play, install the software that was included with the controller.
    
    If you are using the SideWinder Force Feedback 2 and the VIA USB host controller is installed in your computer, download and install the Sidewinder Force Feedback 2 USB update. To do this, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

    http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/sidewinder/default.mspx

24. Click Start, click Settings, and then click Control Panel.
25. Double-click Game Controllers, and then examine the status and test the SideWinder game controller.

Install the latest version of DirectX

Download and install the latest version of DirectX. To do this, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

Optimize the hardware configuration

Sometimes the sound card, the video card, and the USB controller may conflict with one another. This is most apt to occur when you are using a 3D game together with your SideWinder game controller.

To avoid this issue, contact your video hardware and audio hardware manufacture to inquire about how to obtain and install the latest version of the sound driver and the video driver for your hardware.

Update the Via 4-in-1 Chipset driver for the motherboard

If you are experiencing the issues listed on a computer that has a motherboard based on the VIA Technologies chip set, install the latest VIA 4-in-1 driver from the following: IMPORTANT Contact your hardware manufacturer before you install the latest VIA 4-in-1 driver on your computer or make any modifications to your computer's BIOS settings.

For more information about the VIA Tech host controller, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Additional troubleshooting steps

For more information about USB devices in Windows 98, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For a list of supported USB host controllers, see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: