USB-6218 fails through USB hub

[britt]

I have a USB-6218 that shows up in MACS (and works with a Visual Basic program) just fine when plugged directly into my PC (running Windows XP) USB port.  However, if I try to connect it through a self-powered USB hub it tries to reinstall the driver software (finds something called 621x loader and then puts up the Windows add new hardware wizard asking me if I have a disk or want to search the internet) and if I use the NI-DAQmx disk or cancel out it fails with a message saying that there is a problem with one of the USB devices and it is not visible in MACS.  The only way to make it work is to connect the computer to the internet and select the automatic install, but this happens every time the computer is powered down and up and I won't have internet access in my application environment.  I also have a USB-6009 that works fine through this hub and I have tried another hub and the USB-6218 has the same problem.
Thanks for any help or suggestions,
Britt

[tnek]

Hi Britt,

I was wondering if you could provide a little more information about the situation by answering the following questions.

1. What DAQmx version are you using?
2. You mentioned that you had two USB hubs, what models are they?
3. Do you have administrator privileges on the system you are working on?

Along with getting some of that info, you may want to check out a similar forum here. I’m not exactly sure that this is the same issue but it may be worth a look.

Regards,

Kent

[britt]

Hi Kent,

Sorry for the delay in replying -  I somehow lost the message notice in my inbox.

I am using DAQmx version 8.5.0f5

The two hubs I have tried are:
TRIPP-LITE USB2.0 HUB - 4 PORT MODEL NO: U222-044-R
and Belkin Components USB 4-Port Hub Model F5U014-OE

I have an administrator account on the computer (if needed) but have been using a user account for these tests - unfortunately the system is unavailable for a few days but I will try it with the administrator account on Monday. 

The other thread you linked was interesting, but I'm not sure I'm having the same problem because I don't get the "name is already in use" error they were talking about.

Thanks a lot for your help!
Britt

[tnek]

Hi Britt,

Thanks for the additional info. I was wondering if there were other computers you could test this one besides the one you are currently using. This may help us troubleshoot to see what exactly is causing the problem. Also, what is the exact error that you get when you try to install the driver from the cd or cancel out? An upgrade of the DAQmx driver to 8.7.1 may also be beneficial, but let me know how everything goes with the administrator privledges.

Regards,
Kent
Applications Engineer

[britt]

OK, I think I fixed my problem by connecting the system to the internet and allowing it to search for updates.  It took me awhile to figure out that this had fixed the problem because it still runs the found new hardware wizard every time it is plugged in (and I assumed I had the same problem as before) but if you check no to search online and then check to install automatically it runs the 621x loader and successfully installs the device.  Seems inconvenient to have to do this every time though.

Also, now my USB-6009 is no longer working and I can't remove it from MAX even though it is physically removed from the system.  I am going uninstall and reinstall MAX and if that doesn't fix it will post a separate question.

USB for everything else I own is completely plug and play - what is it about NI devices that makes USB so difficult?

Thanks for all your help,
Britt

[tnek]

Hi Britt,

Thanks for the update. Normally the NI USB devices work fine. The behavior that you are seeing right now seems a bit strange. Let me know if reinstalling MAX helped at all. If not, give an update of your current status and we can continue troubleshooting this issue.

Regards,
Kent
Applications Engineer

[britt]

reinstalling MAX did not seem to help but reinstalling all the drivers did seem to fix things

For the NI USB devices (6009 and 6218), is it OK to unplug the USB cable while Windows is running?  Is it OK to power off the PC without shutting down windows?  How rare are corrupted drivers?

Thanks!

[tnek]

Hi Britt,

I'm glad to hear that driver reinstall helped. Unplugging the USB device as long as no data is being transferred at the time. However, you should not unplug it during and acquisition. You should always shut down Windows before powering off the PC because whatever programs or drivers are running will not properly terminate which may lead to problems. To prevent future problems, shutting down is a good practice.

Regards,
Kent
Applications Engineer