Vista vs. XP - Handling of USB

[jcrouse]

Does anyone know if anything has changed in the way Vista handles USB devices and the assignment of ID's as compared to XP? Are we still faced with the issues of removing/swapping/replacing USB devices and having them move around the way the do in XP?

Thanks,
John

[zelony]

John,

It is the same.  It is not so much a Windows fault as a lack of foresight in the USB specification.  Since manufacturer's are not required to add a unique identifier to each USB device, Windows (and Linux) have no way of knowing which device is which, unless they are left on the exact same port. 

The problem is that most people have a hub to get extra ports, but that means that every device on the hub is on the same port.

I would suggest that instead of buying a hub, buy a USB PCI card for the extra ports.  The cost is about the same, but now you have new distinct ports.

Also, if your devices' cables are not long enough to reach the PC and that is why you use a hub, then buy an extender cable.  That will get the length without showing up as a hub.

Good luck.

Jeff

[chemame]

Interesting discussion, and well explained. And for me it raises more questions:

I use W2K (egads!), and am having no problems whatsoever with my USB devices EXCEPT...
NFS:U, of all the crazy things, doesn't recognize more than 3 USB game devices. And because my 3 gamepads show up before my wheel, NFS:U is unplayable when all devices are connected.

So... a solution... I plugged my 3 gamepads into a hub, with an extension cable tucked inside the keyboard drawer, and my son (he's the NFS nut) unplugs the hub before running NFS, and everything's fine.

When the hub is reconnected, all the gamepads show up exactly where they should. Been doing this for months, and they've never moved around even a single time. Is this just dumb luck?

What's frustrating is, if MAME is run without my son remembering to reconnect the hub, it loses all joystick settings. I mean loses them GONE, so I have a backup default.cfg just in case this happens, which is generally does about once a week.  :-)

[zelony]

Most likely you Game Pads have unique identifiers.

If forgetting to plug the cable back is a problem, I would suggest that you launch a .bat file when you start MAME to remind to plug it back in.  Or, simply rename the shortcut you use to launch MAME to "Plug in USB 1st". 

Good luck.

Jeff

[Havok]

What about creating a batch file that runs on startup which copies over the config? That way, if the controllers are not plugged in, no big deal - next time you boot up, the setup will be there...

[u_rebelscum]

What's frustrating is, if MAME is run without my son remembering to reconnect the hub, it loses all joystick settings. I mean loses them GONE, so I have a backup default.cfg just in case this happens, which is generally does about once a week.  :-)

I'd use a ctrlr file (but you could make it so the cfg file is read only).  Mame doesn't change ctrlr files.  If all you have is the default.cfg, just copy it to the ctrlr folder, and set (and uncomment) "ctrlr default" in mame.ini.

[chemame]

I'd use a ctrlr file (but you could make it so the cfg file is read only).  Mame doesn't change ctrlr files.  If all you have is the default.cfg, just copy it to the ctrlr folder, and set (and uncomment) "ctrlr default" in mame.ini.

Wow, sounds very much like there's a whole area of Mame config I've never explored -- and should have!

I have several (100+) game-specific cfg files tho. But it's only default.cfg that is hosed if Mame runs without the USB gamepads connected.

So... given that I have lots of custom controls in default.cfg, AND I have many game-specific cfg files too, AND I expect my custom general settings to be inherited per game (when they're not overridden of course)... is there a solution that's right for me? Should I talk to my doctor about Zertec™?

Che

[u_rebelscum]

I have several (100+) game-specific cfg files tho. But it's only default.cfg that is hosed if Mame runs without the USB gamepads connected.

So... given that I have lots of custom controls in default.cfg, AND I have many game-specific cfg files too, AND I expect my custom general settings to be inherited per game (when they're not overridden of course)... is there a solution that's right for me?

It will work great.  And yes, the base is mame's hardcoded defaults, and the ctrlr file changes off of that, then cfg/default.cfg changes off those results, then the game driver coded inputs, then the game specific cfg/cfg file.

Just a Q: don't the individual cfg of the game you run also "zero out" when the sticks are accidentally not plugged in?

Also, you can put the game specific cfgs into the ctrlr file, but pasting 100+ individual by hand can be, shall we say, time consuming.   Especially since the order they are in the ctrlr file does make a difference.  If you have common remappings, such as all geoneo games, ctrlr file can also have a driver (or parent) level remap.  For example, since all neogeo games use the neogeo.c driver in mame, they can have a single remap shared by all in the ctrlr file (x-arcade, hotrod, etc have ctrlr their file to handle neogeo games).  This could reduce the number of different remaps.  As far as order goes, basically the default needs to be first, then drivers, and then games (with a parent before its clones).  Check out the ctrlr files that come with mame for more detailed examples, and easyemu for an okay description. 

Again, you don't have to transfer the game specific cfgs.  But if you do anyway and have questions that the above sources don't explain clearly (which can be a lot), please ask. 

Aside, hmm a utility that transfers the info in a cfg/cfg folder to a ctrlr file would be nice, but knowing the parent/clone relations would add to the complexity, and testing for full driver remaps even more.

Should I talk to my doctor about Zertec™?

[chemame]

Just a Q: don't the individual cfg of the game you run also "zero out" when the sticks are accidentally not plugged in?

Yes, but luckily it's only the game that is run... and I notice the problem right away, and correct it before running any others.

If you have common remappings, such as all geoneo games, ctrlr file can also have a driver (or parent) level remap.  For example, since all neogeo games use the neogeo.c driver in mame, they can have a single remap shared by all in the ctrlr file

Wow, that's interesting and good to know. I'm wondering if that would help much... I can't really think of many families of games that I remap similarly. Mostly it's one offs like Asteroids, Defender, tank games, etc.

Speaking of tank games, I finally sat down with a dang logic diagram last night and worked out how to map tank-style controls (ala Vindicators) to use single joysticks but still provide full tank movement. It turned out to be trickier than I thought, thus the logic diagram, but I finally got it! I think I'll post it in a separate thread, just in case it helps anyone. I don't have 4 sticks on my cab, so hadn't been able to play 2-player vindicators until now...

[chemame]

Woohoo!

Thanks, u_rebelscum! It worked PERFECTLY. My son was so excited, as I had banned him from unplugging the gamepads without seeking my permission every time. Life is better for everyone now! Yay!