ZWO EAF Pro - ZWO EFW Not Recognized

u4JAr1Iz

I have a new telescope rig that has brand new:

ZWO EAF Pro
ZWO EFW (with seven filters)
ZWO ASI2600MM Mono camera
ZWO ASI220MM Mini guide camera
Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro Mount
7-port USB 3.0 powered hub.

I have everything set up and running in NINA. Mount and cameras are working fine. The EFW and EAF Pro cannot be detected by the system. I read that the two devices are recognized natively by Windows and do not need drivers so the first time I intstalled I ran ASCOM Platform 7 U2, then the ZWO ASCOM Driver 6.5.31 but deselected the EAF and EFW. Neither were recognized in Device Manager USB or NINA. Since then I've tried installing the drivers, changing USB cables and USB ports. I've connected the EAF / EFW to the USB 2.0 hub on the ASI2600MM and also direct to the USB 3.0 powered hub, nothing. I have also connected them directly to my laptop (Also brand new - Win 11 Enterprise used only for the telescope software) nothing.

Yet if I load NINA on my wifes laptop, same model as mine but a couple of years older, and direct connect the EFW / EAF they both show up fine. I can connect to the EAF Pro via Bluetooth and all is good, but I'd prefer to use USB for everything. I have upgraded firmware on the EAF to latest level with no improvement. Am suspecting some sort of USB conflict, but I cannot find it.

ASI Studio also does not see the devices. It can load the focuser via Bluetooth, but does not see either device on USB. Any suggestions are welcome.

Here is my Control Panel showing the program version levels.

With ZWO drivers loaded I see two options, but neither connects.

Same with the EFW.

Tech@ZWO

Hi,Is your computer's sound turned on? Usually, you'll hear a sound when inserting a new device—listen carefully. Then open your computer's Device Manager, locate the Human Interface Devices section, and click into it. If you've inserted a new device, a USB input device should appear as an additional entry. Check if one has been added. Also, could you share your computer model and operating system version?

u4JAr1Iz

Good Day,

It's a Samsung Galaxy Book4 Business Laptop - Intel 10-Core 7-150U. 16GB RAM, Windows 11 Enterprise, fully patched, latest drivers.

When I plug the EFW in I hear the "dung-ding" sound as it is plugged in. I see this before and after.

Before:

After:

Tech@ZWO

u4JAr1Iz OK，I got it.Please uninstall your NINA and ASCOM drivers, then shut down and restart your computer. After that, reinstall the software and drivers. That should resolve the issue. I've encountered these problems before and resolved them this way (make sure the software is closed during uninstallation—do not open it).

u4JAr1Iz

Thank you. Just so I'm clear:
Uninstall NINA and ZWO ASCOM drivers 6.5.31. Shutdown, restart.
When I reinstall, do I select the EAF Pro and EFW checkboxes, or leave them unchecked?
Cheers.

Tech@ZWO

u4JAr1Iz Execute according to the default procedure.

u4JAr1Iz

Good Day,
Removed NINA, removed drivers. Shutdown, booted up and installed 6.5.31 drivers. I did not check the EFW or EAF boxes. When complete I plugged in the EFW (NINA was not installed) and I see this:

Tech@ZWO

u4JAr1Iz Can your EFW work now?

u4JAr1Iz

Apologies for the delay, I had two hurricanes roll through I had to contend with.

I readded NINA and tried to load the EFW without loading the drivers. I was not able to see the EFW.

I uninstalled the drivers and reloaded the drivers ticking the EAF / EFW and see two options in NINA, Filterwheel 1 and Filterwheel2. When I select Filterwheel 1 and press connect, I see this:

Selecting the second Filterwheel option I get this:

ASI Studio (updated to latest version) could also not see the EFW.

And all I see in HID is this:

Tech@ZWO

u4JAr1Iz if still not work, please go to RMA for help. https://rma.zwoastro.com/#/index

u4JAr1Iz

It turned out to be WIn 11 blocking me. Placing this here for other users as the solution was not intuitive and may help someone else.

Everything works perfectly when plugging into a Win10 PC or laptop. Only my Win 11 laptop had thios issue. Multiple reloads of drivers and software did nothing. The EFW keeps showing up in Device Driver as a GSPY > Virtual HID Minidriver Collection device and ASCOM, ASI Studio and NINA were blank.

Was sure it was a USB issue. I worked through a series of steps:

1) I went to Windows Security > Device Security > Core Isolation and turned off Memory Integrity. My laptop is onl;y used for Astronomy and I accepted the risk. YMMV and you need to be aware this weakens system security.

2) Force-Update using the Standard HID Driver
Even though Windows is using a generic driver, forcing an update to the standard, non-virtual HID driver can sometimes clear the conflict.

In Device Manager, right-click the "GSPY Device" and select Update driver.

Select Browse my computer for drivers.

Select Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer.

Uncheck Show compatible hardware.

Under Manufacturer, select (Standard system devices).

Under Model, select USB Input Device or HID-compliant device (choose the most generic one available).

Click Next. Windows will warn you about installing an incompatible driver—accept the warning and continue.

The goal here is to replace the potentially problematic "Virtual HID Minidriver" (which may be a ghost from the GSPY conflict) with the standard, clean Microsoft HID driver, giving the ZWO ASCOM DLL a fresh, clean interface to connect to.

3) Reboot, then check with ASIStudio (ASICap) and check if the EFW appears. If it does run NINA As Administrator and your EFW should appear.

4) Reenable Windows Security > Device Security > Core Isolation > Memory Integrity. This will force a reboot and you are good to go.