Ipac doesn't seem to want to stay programmed...

[Doom bucket]

Every time that I start my computer, I have to go to WinPac and click "program". I didn't have to do this before, but I've obviously screwed something up for it to be doing this. What can I do?

[evilfuzzle]

maybe tou were accedently sold an ipac ve which saves configurations onto its onboard ram which is erased when power is lost

[protokatie]

Another thing: From what I currently understand, the IPAC only has PROM for its perminant config storage. This means it can only be programed once. If you played around with Winpac and clicked program, then that is the only perminent (I suck at spelling late at night) settings for it. The IPAC can always be reprogrammed on a boot by boot measure (stored on the IPAC ram). If I remember correctly, there is a way to automate the process upon booting, ive just never played with the IPAC programming, I will just adjust MAME for it. To be honest, this is because I dont want to commit to a PROM relationship right now, and have to pay alimony later down the road if I made a mistake.


EDIT: According to others, I am wrong about the PROM of the IPAC (Apparently it is either EEPROM or FLASH). In that case ignore most of my above message. I think I got a mixed message from Andi's site at one point where it mentioned PROM (or maybe a post here) and assumed that PROM was being used.

[dmworking247]

Protokatie:

Thats not entirely correct, the IPAC2, IPAC4, etc keep their settings when reprogrammed, and can be reprogrammed as many times as they like.

The Keywiz, or the IPAC 'VE' (Value Edition) on the other hand, can be programmed during bootup etc but loose their settings when the machine is powered off.

Doom Bucket, as evilfuzzle suggested, you might want to confirm you didn't get shipped an IPAC Value Edition. Do you have a close up photo of it (so that the labels next to the terminal connectors are visible)? I'll be able to identify it from those.

[Ginsu Victim]

Another thing: From what I currently understand, the IPAC only has PROM for its perminant config storage. This means it can only be programed once. If you played around with Winpac and clicked program, then that is the only perminent (I suck at spelling late at night) settings for it. The IPAC can always be reprogrammed on a boot by boot measure (stored on the IPAC ram). If I remember correctly, there is a way to automate the process upon booting, ive just never played with the IPAC programming, I will just adjust MAME for it. To be honest, this is because I dont want to commit to a PROM relationship right now, and have to pay alimony later down the road if I made a mistake.

This is so wrong I suggest removing it as to not mislead any potential customers.

[Hoopz]

Here's the answer from Andy's site:

Problem: (USB Only) Board appears not to work until WinIPAC is run every time following reboot. Yellow exclamation marks in Control Panel, Device Manager.
This is a rare Windows XP problem (fixed in Vista), and is caused by a registry error. It is suspected that this problem occurs if the board is regularly swapped from one USB port to another, or different board versions used on the same PC.
Ensure you are using the latest version of WinIPAC (March 2007) which has a permanent workaround for this problem. Installing the latest version should cure the problem with no further action needed.

[Doom bucket]

Yes, that would probably be the cause of the problem, since I swap it to and from my dreamcast daily.

[Turnarcades]

I had a similar problem when using a USB mini-pac for the first time (to allow for a U-trak). Andy sent me this advice which permanently cured it:

A corrupt PID can prevent a USB device from working correctly in Windows. Removing the PID key and reinstalling the software for the device may resolve the issue. Follow the steps below in the order given to remove the PID keys.

Follow the steps below to remove the Registry keys.

CAUTION: Changing the Registry incorrectly could cause your computer to stop working.

Open the Enum registry key.
In Windows 2000 and XP, follow the steps below:
Click the plus (+) next to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
Click the plus sign (+) next to SYSTEM.
Click the plus (+) next to CurrentControlSet.
Click the plus sign (+) next to Enum.
In Windows 95, 98, and Me, follow the steps below:
Click the plus sign (+) next to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
Click the plus sign (+) next to Enum.
Click the plus sign (+) next to the USB.
In the table below, locate the PID number for the   product you want to remove.
Mini-PAC is VID_D209&PID_0301

Then in the Registry Editor, select that PID key and press the Delete key on the keyboard.
Close the Registry Editor.
Unplug the product.
Reconnect the product
Resolving an “Unable to Delete Key” Error Message in Windows 2000 or Windows XP

When attempting to remove a key, the following message may appear: Unable to Delete Key. If this occurs, check your permissions.

For Windows XP, follow the steps below:

Right-click the key to be deleted.
Left-click Permissions.
In the Permissions window, click each of the names in the Group or user names section one at a time. Verify that Allow Full Control is selected. Click the box to add a check mark if necessary.
Click Apply, then click OK.
Select the key to be removed and press the Delete key on the keyboard.
Close the Registry Editor window.
For Windows 2000, follow the steps below:

Click Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type REGEDT32 and then click OK.
Highlight the key to be removed.
At the top of the REGEDT32 Window, click Security.
Click Permissions.
Under Allow, click Full control. In the Permissions window, click each of the names in the Group or user names section one at a time. Verify that Allow Full Control is selected. Click the box to add a check mark if necessary.
Click Apply, and then click OK.
Click the key to be deleted.
At the top of the window, click Edit.
Click Delete.
Close all Registry Editor windows.

Once you do this you should be able to corrctly flash the i-pac and retain the settings when next booted. This was the only set-back when using the USB version after previously using the PS/2 version, but this fix worked flawlessly so it's not a problem any more.