Problem: Getting Microsoft SideWinder Force FeedBack Pro Working
alls...@gmail.com
And too boot I thought I had a great solution witch worked on my Dell Precision 650 with Windows 7 x86 32bit.
This was to install a Sound Blaster Audigy 2 zs sound card, which has MIDI/Gameport header on the card (Which requires a purchase of separate, DA15/Gameport header bracket) and the use of Daniel Kawakami's Audigy_Support_Pack_5.3 along with the Gameport_vista.exe drivers he extracted from Windows XP x86 32bit.
But I ran into a problem 3/4 of the way through. With the drivers, I can like most of you get Win 7 x64 to recognize and install the drivers for the Gameport itself. But getting the joystick install is the other part Which is where most have hit a brick wall an seemingly insurmountable one that laughs at us with a shit eating grin. That requires the Gameport Control Panel utility from Windows XP x86 32bit. Which according to research the SYSwow64 emulator in Win 7 x64 dosent allow the 32bit Control Panel utility to install. So therefore, using the Sound Card method to install and use DA15/Gameport joysticks dosent work for 64bit systems.
That is unless someone who is an awesome programmer (which is not me), could re-code, patch, or just some how figure out a way of fixing/installing the 32bit Control Panel utility to be used in Win 7 x64. This would solve a lot of problems not only for me but anyone else for just about another joystick there is and also for anyone who has a horde of great DA15/Gameport joysticks stuck int there Moms basement.
The only thing I have found out on the net, is the use of USB to gameport adapters such as the Rockfire RM-203, but that only works on analog controllers. The MS SideWinder FFB pro is all digital, but then I found about the FFB-Vert Project, its an opensource project that uses Tinsey 2.0 boards and firmware to provide a dedicated adapter for all MS Sidewitnder joysticks including FFB pro with Force Feedback effects. Its 40.00 pre assembled, I am thinking about geting one.
So if you have a x86 32bit system, you can slap in a great Sound Blaster sound card and install the drivers. Then BING BANG BOOM you have your old trusty 'stick back and can go to town on all who dare get in your way just like it was '96. But as always for us x64 64bit users there is always a problem and it costs money to fix, but at least for the FFB-Vert Project it sounds like a good cause and could use the support.
Links:
Scott Johnson's: FFB-Vert Project http://iowajohnsons.com/FFBVert/FFBVert.html
Daniel Kawakami's: Audigy Support Pack 5.3 http://danielkawakami.blogspot.com/2015/04/sb-audigy-series-support-pack-53.html
Gameport_Vista.exe (Which contains the Control Panel utility)
https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=9f55265f9567879b%21215758
Amazon RockFire RM-203 USB to Gameport Adapter:
http://www.amazon.com/game-Adapter-Rockfire-RM-203-gameport/dp/B004HAX7OU
Oh PM is you have any questions and/or would like a DA15/Gameport header bracket, there sometimes kinda hard to find.
