An e-mail I got From Mr.Uraguchi-
Don’t know how active the topic is anymore, but your information was not only very helpful, but may have been critical to my friend and I finding a solution to that awful “not connected” problem. Therefore, I felt obligated to try and update the info you started with a solution that at least worked for us.
For whatever reason, my buddy’s Sidewinder 3D Pro out and out quit working. He’s running a Prosignia 330 6750, 512mb (which under 98SE I know is dubious), Win98SE, a Radeon 9700 Pro (actually a 9500 Pro with “the hack”) and a SB Live! Value card.
What I think started the problem is he tried a Precision Pro USB, installed drivers and that’s when it seems the 3D quit responding out and out.
I tried everything for him – updating drivers, playing with bios settings, turning devices on, off, resetting IRQs, everything short of doing a “dirty” reinstall of Win98SE.
We found your site – tried the regedit to remove msgame.vxd and at least got a ‘castrated’ 3D Pro (no base button and only a 4 way hat).
We got all kinds of advice – fixing the conflict between soundcard and AGP etc – but no joy(stick).
After hours of experimenting – we found a workaround that not only restored the full capabilities, but under “stress” testing (removing it from Game Input, removing and re-installing drivers) able to consistently replicate a successful re-install.
We removed all devices from Misc. Creative and from Sound, Video Game Controllers. Refreshed Device Manager and of course, the Creative Game Joystick, MultiMedia (Device?), and the SB 16 Emulation returned under Misc. Creative,
Under Sound, Video, Game Controllers, SB Live! Value returned.
I went to Add Hardware, added a Game Joystick using the “no, my device isn’t listed, let me pick” and added the Microsoft Gameport Joystick (driver dated 2002).
I disabled the SB 16 Emulation. Changed the setting of the Creative Gameport Joystick to 200-207 (and it said there was a conflict with the (Microsoft) Gameport Joystick. But the Gameport Joystick’s IRQ was installed by itself at 201-201.
Forced it anyway, rebooted and after reboot, no conflicts – even though before reboot, the Creative had the “red no no circle”. Cool –
After one week (literally 60-80 manhours!) of screwing with regedit’s HKEY Local Hardware, …. OEM, Joystick, oemcallout, I kept noticing even though I used the Uninstall MS-Joystick routine, the registry entries for all MS Joysticks remained. Hmmmmm.
(BTW – the install package used was the SW3DProEN.exe (version 3.02). Well, I dug into Program Files, Microsoft Hardware, Game Controllers … opened up a file called “uninstall.cfg” with Wordpad.
There’s a section [Change Registry for Windows] with a few params e.g. Drivers = Yes, Drivers2=No, Pcat=No etc. etc.
I changed all those “No” settings to “Yes”.
Executed uninstall from Programs, Microsoft Hardware, Game Controllers, Uninstall Microsoft Sidewinder Controllers.
Rebooted.
After reboot, guess what? Checked Control Panel, Game Options and no more Microsoft Joysticks were listed when you tried to add a joystick… just the generics. I added a 2 Axis, 2 Button and it immediately came up “OK”.
Cool. Removed it.
Ran the SW3DPROEN.exe (the 3.02 one) to reinstall. Rebooted. Just before the soundblaster made it’s start up sound, we saw the “updating settings” message and thermometer.
Went to Game Options, 3D Pro already installed BUT “not connected.” Removed it. Added the 2 Axis, 2 Button, came up “OK”. Removed it.
Went through the regedit routine to remove “MSGAME.VXD”. Went to Windows\System and check properties of SW3DPRO.VXD and made sure that “Read Only” was not checked. Deleted that file. THEN copied the SW3DPRO.VXD “patch” (check Properties and version, should be 3.01).
Rebooted. Oddly, again just before soundblaster start windows sound, a quick “updating settings” message. Hmmm….
Went to regedit again – RE-ADDED MSGAME.VXD into the OEMCALLOUT for 3D Pro –(no changes to file version of msgame.vxd, same one that is installed using the 3.02 installer….)
Game Options , add 3D Pro and we still get “not connected”.
BUT, heres the interesting part.
Removed the 3D Pro, added the 2 axis, 2 button and immediately comes up OK. Left it in there. Added the 3D Pro as a second joystick and it sits there and thinks for 20 seconds waiting to add. Then boom!
TWO Sidwinder 3D Pro’s appear in the list – one is “OK” and #2 is “Not Connected”, the 2 axis 2 button disappeared on it’s own, replaced by a WORKING Sidewinder 3D Pro!
Checked properties of the OK one and no bizarre behavior – rock solid, all buttons work, 8 way hat!!!!!!
Removed the “not connected” 3D Pro – and the OK 3D Pro is still rock solid. Tested with Aces High, etc – no problems!
Key settings we used consistently – ANTI-VIRUS (Norton’s in our case) disabled from start of process, through the end. Not only disabled, but killed in background processes (msconfig, we disabled any ref to Nortons and if it appears when you alt-cntl-delete, we ended process so there is NO antivirus icon in the systray.)
Made sure that in MSconfig advanced, “Disable Fast Shutdown” IS checked as in you do not want fast shutdown.
NEVER had to install, uninstall, boot, reboot, device manager in Safe Mode. ALL these steps were done in “Selective Startup” from msconfig (which for the most part is a Normal startup, except that we didn’t want any anti-virus stuff check on in startup items).
We shutdown power, did reboots, had USB Controllers, LPT1:, the Audio and AGP settings default (as in audio and AGP are sharing IRQ 9) but do not have ANY USB devices plugged in.
We deleted the SB drivers, reinstalled per refreshing device mgr – added the ms gameport, forced the IRQs (200-207, 201-201), disabled the SB16 emulation and the 3D Pro still comes up working normal!!!!!
We lost communication (not connected) just one time so far. My buddy had the machine off overnight, started the next day, joystick came up “not connected”. He deleted the 3D Pro within Game Options, added the 2 Axis, 2 button AND added the 3D Pro and that “time out” happened, the 2 Axis, 2 button disappeared and 2 3D Pros re-appear, one OK and one not connected and the joystick has been rock solid since…….
Hope this helps others out there!