Windows – Updated driver for (playstation 1/2 to usb driver) now input is no longer read

driversgame-controllerhidusbwindows 10

I have a cheap USB to playstation 1 / 2 adapter that I was trying to get working using some drivers.

They initially appeared as a HID Compliant Game Controller, and using the windows 10 setup usb game controllers they were visible as a Twin USB Joystick,

Input on my dance pad worked, and was showing as button and axis presses. (However I was hoping it would show the arrow buttons as buttons, the original drivers were able to do this back on windows xp, but alas, I no longer know the location of that disk.)

After installation of a driver (based on visual recognition of the adapter) I made the error of installing the wrong driver, in an attempt to get the axis to show up as button presses allowing simultaneous left/right presses.

They then showed up as TWIN PS TO PC CONVERTER

But the new control panel configurator showed absolutely no inputs.

I then uninstalled the drivers using the installer.

They returned to looking like the generic Twin USB Joystick, however they were still no longer reading inputs.

Now, if I view Hidden Devices in Device Manager, I can see the 'old' devices from earlier,

Device HID\VID_0810&PID_0001&Col02\7&750e0c&0&0001 was configured.

Driver Name: input.inf
Class Guid: {745A17A0-74D3-11D0-B6FE-00A0C90F57DA}
Driver Date: 06/21/2006
Driver Version: 10.0.16299.248
Driver Provider: Microsoft
Driver Section: HID_Raw_Inst.NT
Driver Rank: 0xFF1003
Matching Device Id: HID_DEVICE_SYSTEM_GAME
Outranked Drivers: input.inf:HID_DEVICE:00FF1005
Device Updated: false
Parent Device: USB\VID_0810&PID_0001\6&1a8123c&0&4

greyed out and disabled.

This is what one of the currently enabled devices looks like.

Device HID\VID_0810&PID_0001&Col02\6&56885ae&0&0001 was configured.

Driver Name: input.inf
Class Guid: {745A17A0-74D3-11D0-B6FE-00A0C90F57DA}
Driver Date: 06/21/2006
Driver Version: 10.0.16299.248
Driver Provider: Microsoft
Driver Section: HID_Raw_Inst.NT
Driver Rank: 0xFF1003
Matching Device Id: HID_DEVICE_SYSTEM_GAME
Outranked Drivers: input.inf:HID_DEVICE:00FF1005
Device Updated: false
Parent Device: USB\VID_0810&PID_0001\5&1e313dec&0&4

How can I force the devices to be recognized as their old versions?

Could the driver have updated something other then these devices in device manager?

What other things can I look for.

Ideally I would create my own driver after sniffing with WireShark, but at the moment I'm unable to sniff, as I can't easily see the data coming in.

If I were able to confirm the pad / adapter worked using the old drivers, I could probably start Reverse Engineering one again.

Best Answer

This may not include a solution but it is a little too long for a comment.

You seem pretty adept, especially if you want to write your own HID driver. But here are some thoughts.

  • If you find the correct drivers for your controller to USB device, anything else you do may not matter. That would be the first thing I'd try.
  • If the device is "hidden" that means Windows thinks it is not connected. Either unplug and replug the device, reboot, or forget about it because it probably isn't the same device. The device strings are different and that comes directly from the device and isn't likely to change.
  • Sometimes the USB hub just stops working. Reboot is usually the best solution. They can shut off if something attempts to draw too much power. Since a playstation 2 controller expects a 7V input for the rumbler and USB output 5V, I wonder if the converter just disables the rumbler or if it has a voltage converter. The total draw may still exceed the amperage your USB port can put out (supposed to be 1A but most PC USB2.0 ports can only do about 1/2 of that).
  • You can try Windows Driver Update to restore any windows driver. On Device Manager, go to View-Devices By Connection. Find your device, then work your way up. Right click on the USB Hub device and choose "Update Driver". Do the same for the devices themselves. There will probably be multiple USB hub devices in different places. One for USB 3.0, maybe a couple for 2.0. They can show up under ACPI, Composite Bus, UMBus, etc.
  • The Controller to USB may try to connect as a Serial port and work as an emulated serial port. The driver you installed may have uninstalled the microsoft usbserial driver. This is the usbser.sys driver. It should reinstall itself with a reboot. This would be the case if the device class looks like \Class_02&SubClass_02
  • Selective Suspend. This Windows 10 feature can cause issues when working on things like this. Turn it off in Advanced Power Settings. Full Instructions: https://www.windowscentral.com/how-prevent-windows-10-turning-usb-devices
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