"Unknown Device", Windows 7

[earckens]

Currently I am unable to get a Digispark to get recognised on a Windows 7 64 bit laptop. Several months ago there were no problems, first install and all went fine: connecting, downloads from Arduino 1.6.7 IDE.

After several months of no activity with Digispark on my laptop I try again and no succes:
every time the usb connection displays "Unknown Device".

libusb-win32 Usb Devices is installed, with Digispark Bootloader driver and with the DigiUSB driver.

I had to install these both drivers using the manual hardware wizard described by emertonom in http://digistump.com/board/index.php?action=post;board=4.0

However, even after this install, no succes, still "Unknown Device".

When looking into the "Unknow Device" properties, hardware id' show "unknown", the INF file name is c:\Windows\INF\usb.inf, Supplier: Standard USB Host Controller

I have another Windows 7 laptop:no issues, and another Windows 8.1 laptop with no issues.

The trouble is that this laptop is my main workhorse and I badly need to get the Digispark recognised on it.

I spent the better part of the last few days ánd nights trying to solve this issue, including a change to the registry (remove USB flags), including completely deleting all usb devices in the device manager and restarting, including installing several times the drivers in the Digistump Drivers folder.

Even trying to connect after having the Arduino IDE download a program to the Digispark, connecting the unit: no succes, the Arduino IDE times out.

I would greatly appreciate any help on this issue!

Thanks in advance,
Erik

EDIT: I have several Digispark units, all fail on this laptop, all work on the other 2 (all are 64 bit systems).

[exeng]

Erik, I wished that I had a definitive answer to this behavior but all I have is a theory based on observation. It's my understanding that the Digispark is only in a state for about 5 secs were it will accept uploads then runs the loaded sketch. I'm currently running on WIN 8.1. Recently, I pulled the Digispark out of moth balls and found that it was not being recognized (according to Windows) when it had previously been working. I found that if I continuously disconnected and reconnected it on my USB port while upload was in progress and until it gone into an endless loop of not being recognized that it would eventually complete the upload. I know this sounds strange and I can't explain it or why this seems to work. My best guess is that there is some sort of race condition that exists that fails on some systems/configurations. Digistump's Erik may be able to explain the potential for this. But in any case just when I was about to give up thinking driver issue etc, I started to try resetting the Digispark (during the 60 second upload window) and tripped on it working. Finally, I also connect to the PC via a USB hub.

Worth a try if all else fails.

[earckens]

Hi exeng, I did try just now to plug and unplug several times during upload (multiple combinations of timings) but no combination of timings (from 1 second to several seconds of plug and/or unplug state) works.

I may be wrong but I would rather think of a wrong "binding" by Windows of the device, ie connecting it to the wrong driver (usb.inf instead of the libusb or digiusb.inf).

[exeng]

Again, can't explain why I can get it to work (BTW, I have to do this each time I want to upload). But it feels like a race condition were something is not in sync. Also, I've had to unplug and plug many times to get it into a loop of unrecognized, meaning it just keeps cycling and never runs the loaded sketch. Frustrating, and I wished I could put my finger on the problem but it would require knowing the internals of the loader.

[PeterF]

exeng, that reasoning sounds right in respect to there only being a 5 second window to get the device identified and the driver bound... I wonder if it is worth trying one of the other versions of the firmware that uses a pin to tell it to go into programming mode - then the Digispark should stay in the bootloader for longer, and give windows the time it needs to install the correct driver? Something else that is worth looking into anyway... I imagine (hope, really) that it would stay in the bootloader until the upload has occured, as there is no longer a need to timeout to run the user sketch.

[earckens]

PeterF, good post you refer to; in there I found another interesting reference (re. issues with zeners and USB on digistump): http://digistump.com/board/index.php/topic,123.0.html

However, my initial suspicions (ie that there is a driver issue, where W7 binds the digistump to the wrong inf file) are still not contradicted. After connecting the digistump, a "Unknown Device" appears in the device manager. When I try to change the driver in the properties dialog for this "Unknown Device" in the device manager I am unable to change it to the libusb-win32 driver (Digispark Bootloader); "no better driver for this device found" ( ). I wonder if this has to do with the fact that it seems to be a 32bit driver (libusb-win32) whereas I have a 64 bit system?

But then in the other W7 64bit laptop where it is recognized there the "libusb-win32 Usb Devices" driver is listed in the device manager ONLY when the digispark is connected! Unplug it, the listing disappears... 

I think something is wrong with the way the driver(s) are installed in my "defective" W7. But what?

EDIT: but then on my "working" W7 I have the same driver: "libusb-win32"...

[PeterF]

One more thing checked at least I suppose... ok, are the drivers signed? I'm not able to check at the moment, but that is the usual bit 64bit driver issue I have, and you need to do the F8 on bootup to disable the stupid e device driver signature enforcement that Windows x64 bit has. Otherwise, there is some other driver tool (z-something) that might be worth finding again... as I think it had something to do with lib-usb and swapping in the correct driver if it was mis-associated or something.

[earckens]

One more thing checked at least I suppose... ok, are the drivers signed? I'm not able to check at the moment, but that is the usual bit 64bit driver issue I have, and you need to do the F8 on bootup to disable the stupid e device driver signature enforcement that Windows x64 bit has. Otherwise, there is some other driver tool (z-something) that might be worth finding again... as I think it had something to do with lib-usb and swapping in the correct driver if it was mis-associated or something.

Good to know, I check today and report back. I thought this was an issue with W8 only. No, driver signature is not unchecked on my machine. But neither is it on the other working W7 64bit machine. Anyway, it definitely is worth taking this step.
Erik

EDIT: changed to uncheck for driver signature; no result: "Unknown Device", even after reinstall of Digistump drivers

[earckens]

S - O - L - V - E - D !!!!! 

I watched this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmDBvgrYGZs that gave me the idea of looking into the way I had installed the drivers.

I had installed them by using the "Install Drivers.exe", which as it now appears installed the 32 bit drivers. When attempting to change the drivers for the Unknown Device, Windows kept telling me there were no appropriate drivers to be found when I directed the "manual driver install" to the folder with the Digistump drivers.

Subsequently, after this video, I reinstalled again using the driver install procedure so that the libusb would show up in the Device Manager. Then I went to that section (libusb-win32 Usb Devices), unsinstalled (IMPORTANT:) with the option uninstall drivers too activated.

Then I reinstalled but this time directly the DPinst64.exe!!!

Apparantly when using the generic driver installer it does not care which system you use, so if you are on a 64 bit system you are in trouble. Winx 64bit: always directly use the 64bit installer!

Big kudos to all here in attempting to help but especially to BrainyBits of the video tutorial above 

Erik


EDIT: corrected typos

[PeterF]

Oh duh! I had the exact same problem when I first tried using the DigiX on Win 7 x64... even had two separate command scripts so I always knew to run either the 32bit install or 64 bit install... lol... well, at least you got the daft thing working... and kudos to BrainyBits for making the video on it also.. I'm sure that video has helped a few people!

[earckens]

I sincerely hope the people involved with drivers at Digistump will use this issue to change their driver install software ànd to include this in their tutorial at Wiki!

Maybe someone over there might acknowledge this here?

It will help a lot of people using their stuff: too many posts about this issue I have read when trying to solve my problem could have been resolved had this been elaborated more concisely on their site.

[exeng]

Erik, Awesome find. I'll have to check this out. I'm sick of my so called "workaround". It takes too long to get it in the right state and I'm sure it will eventually wear out my USB contacts. My issue is on a WIN 8.1 system. WIN 7 is fine. I'll report back if this fix works for me.

[earckens]

I have this installed - working - on a Win8.1 64bit system, it is imperative you disable the obligatory Windows requirement for driver signatures.

[earckens]

And now I take a two day break from anything Attiny related, my wife complained and suffered too much from the last preoccupied days and sleepless nights 

[exeng]

Thanks for the update. Now enjoy to the outdoors and get some sleep.

exen