ASI 120MC Keeps Showing Up As "Unknown Device"

jaetea

I recently picked up a Dell Latitude e6410 with Win 7 Pro to replace my HP Win XP machine. My ASI 120MC works fine on the HP but after installing the driver for Win 7 (and yes it is the most current driver, and yes I'm plugged into a USB 2 port, and yes I installed the driver under "run as administrator and normally) it keeps showing up as "unknown device" under "other devices" in device manager. When I go to install the driver manually (by using the "update driver" button), I'm told that Windows can't find the driver software for my device even though I have pointed it the correct directory where the driver lives. I am at the limit of my trouble shooting abilities, any help resolving this issue so I can use this cam on my new laptop would surely be appreciated.

Clear skies,

Sam@ZWO

Hi JT

the camera should be recongized as "ASI120MC" even no driver installed

an unknown device usually because the connection loose or the cable too long

or USB host port problem if the camera is good under your HP lapstop.

so I suggest you can try another usb port or a shorter cable.

you can also contact me though email: sam.wen(at)zwoptical.com

I can help though TeamView

jaetea

The problem was solved by doing the following:

1. Uninstall all ZWO drivers and software

2. Use RegEdit to find and delete all instances of "ZWO" and "ASI120" in the registry

3. Restart your computer

4. Install the drivers that came with camera, NOT the latest ones off the ZWO website.

Now the camera is recognized and works as advertised.

Clear skies,

Sam@ZWO

thanks for the info JT

we will check if the driver has such problem in our website

patbunn

Isn't it unusual that many users have the same problem (I have also) and the ZWO solution is the cable etc. (that ZWO supplies) and it takes a modification to the registry (that you had to figure out) and few people can accomplish.

The entire trouble shooting manual is a joke - with cables, use the old driver, etc as a fix.

I have found while trying to get this thing to work is that if you load the wrong version driver - in my case the newest one - that you can't reload another.

This is a product that does not have stable software and is hit or miss. Mine is going back tomorrow.

patbunn

The entire trouble shooting manual is a joke - with cables, use the old driver, etc as a fix.

I have found while trying to get this thing to work is that if you load the wrong version driver - in my case the newest one - that you can't reload another.

This is a product that does not have stable software and is hit or miss. Mine is going back tomorrow.

jaetea

I'm going to have to come to ZWO's defense (somewhat). I discovered today that I had downloaded and installed the 120MC-S driver (which is the USB 3 driver). Once I updated to the USB 2 driver all worked fine. The ding I would place against ZWO is not make it exceedingly clear (to people like me) that the "-S" driver will not work with the USB 2 camera.

Clear skies,

patbunn

Well I did not load the incorrect drive and I bought a brand new laptop after the first one didn't load and nothing has worked not has ZWOs CS answered my post. What I find is that drivers do not seem to completely uninstall in the registry and then later installs don't work. If it works - it works - and if not - you are out of luck. Even the Star and Telescope review and award had two computers out of ten tested that would not work no matter what they did.

I have not seen any "fixes" doled out by the ZWO customer service, that were anymore than load the older driver, or change cables , or check to see if the driver is loaded (it was in my system). Most of driver "fixes' were from efforts by the owner as the one in this thread. Going into REGEDIT is not what a typical user can do or should do.

That is not what you would expect from a good product.

Sam@ZWO

Hi patbunn

you can contact us though Email if there is such thing very urgent.

we may not reply in time in forum

we did some mistake when updating the driver.

but the latest driver should fixed it and works fine now

please feel free to contact us, maybe we can solve this problem very easily

mherman346

I had a similar problem, but found the trouble associated with front panel USB jacks.

Using an AMD A8 Windows7 PC, and plugging the ASI120MC into the Front Panel USB2 jack, and a 7 port USB powered external hub, I could not initially get the ASI120MC to work... it would not pass the Device Manager.

It would show Code 1 (not installed) or code 28 (not correctly installed).

Plugging the camera directly into the Rear USB ports, the camera now works fine.

Even plugging the 7 port powered extension hub into the Rear USB port, and the camera into the 7 port extension, the camera works fine.

Even using a very long USB cable works fine.

So let me add this advice if you find a problem PC: try the other USB ports... they apparently can behave differently.

- Michael

astroolly

I have a similar issue and just posted a new thread about it, mine will work down a 10 metre active USB cable, but won't work when plugged into a powered USB hub, so the problem is not the length of the USB cables, these cameras just don't like USB hubs, even powered ones, which is ridiculous really, as most people will have several things they need to plug into USB and so will use a powered hub.

C'mon ZWO get your act together with this, the problem has been going on for months.

:) :)

Olly