How to Troubleshoot "Not Connected" Status with SideWinder Game Controllers

• Microsoft SideWinder 3D Pro, version 1.0
• Microsoft SideWinder Force Feedback Pro, version 1.0
• Microsoft SideWinder Force Feedback Wheel, version 1.0
• Microsoft SideWinder FreeStyle Pro, version 1.0
• Microsoft SideWinder game pad, version 1.0
• Microsoft SideWinder Precision Pro
• Microsoft SideWinder Game Controller software version 3.0
• Microsoft SideWinder Game Device software versions 1.5, 2.0

SUMMARY

This article describes how to troubleshoot SideWinder game controllers that display a status of "Not Connected" in the Game Controllers tool in Control Panel.

MORE INFORMATION

Use the following methods to troubleshoot a SideWinder game controller that displays a status of "Not Connected."

After you complete each section, check the game controller status in the Game Controller tool in Control Panel to see if the issue is resolved. If the status is still "Not Connected," continue to the next troubleshooting method.

Check the Minimum System Requirements

Verify That the Operating System Supports the Game Controller

Verify That the Game Controller Is Connected to the Correct Port

Connect the Game Controller Directly to the Game Port.

Inspect the Connector on the Game Controller

Use the Latest Version of the SideWinder Game Controller Software

http://www.microsoft.com/sidewinder

Verify That You Are Using the Most Recent Drivers for Your Sound Card

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.



2. Double-click System.



3. Click the Device Manager tab.



4. Click the PLUS SIGN (+) next to Sound, Video, And Game Controllers to expand the branch.
   
   The sound card installed in your computer is listed in the branch.



5. Click OK, and then close Control Panel.

Q117419 List of Major Sound Card Manufacturers (A)

Q117421 List of Major Sound Card Manufacturers (D-L)

Q117347 List of Major Sound Card Manufacturers (N-Z)

Q194490 SideWinder: List of Hardware with Compatibility Issues

Verify That the Gameport Joystick Device Is Installed Properly

1. Verify that the Gameport Joystick device is installed. To do this, follow these steps:



1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.



2. Double-click System.



3. Click the Device Manager tab, and then click View Devices By Type.



4. Click the PLUS SIGN (+) next to Sound, Video And Game Controllers to expand the branch.



5. Check for the Gameport Joystick device.



2. If the Gameport Joystick device is listed with an exclamation point in a yellow circle or a red X, skip to step 3. If the Gameport Joystick device is not listed, follow the appropriate steps for your version of Microsoft Windows:




Microsoft Windows 95

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.



2. Double-click Add New Hardware, click Next, click No, and then click Next.



3. In the Hardware Types box, click Sound, Video, And Game Controllers, and then click Next.



4. In the Manufacturers box, click Microsoft.



5. In the Models box, click Gameport Joystick, and then click Next.



6. Click Next, and then click Finish.



7. If you are prompted to restart the computer, click Yes.




Microsoft Windows 98

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.



2. Double-click Add New Hardware.



3. Click Next, click Next, click No, I want to select the hardware from a list, and then click Next.



4. In the Hardware Types box, click Sound, Video, And Game Controllers, and then click Next.



5. In the Manufacturers box, click Microsoft.



6. In the Models box, click Gameport Joystick, and then click Next.



7. Click Next, and then click Finish.



8. If you are prompted to restart the computer, click Yes.



3. If the Gameport Joystick device is listed with an exclamation point in a yellow circle or a red X, use the following steps to enable the Gameport Joystick device:



1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.



2. Double-click System.



3. Click the Device Manager tab, and then click View Devices By Type.



4. Click the PLUS SIGN (+) next to Sound, Video And Game Controllers to expand the branch.



5. Double-click Gameport Joystick.



6. In the Device Usage area on the General tab, make sure that the Original Configuration (Current) check box is selected. If this check box is cleared, click to select the check box.
   
   NOTE: If you are using Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2 or Windows 98, make sure that the Disable In This Hardware Profile check box is cleared. If this check box is selected, click to clear the check box.



7. Click OK, click OK again, and then close Control Panel.

Q133240 Troubleshooting Device Conflicts with Device Manager

Configure Your Sound Card to Use Only One Direct Memory Access (DMA) Channel

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.



2. Double-click System.



3. Click the Device Manager tab.



4. Click the PLUS SIGN (+) next to Sound, Video, And Game Controllers to expand the branch.



5. Click your sound card, and then click Properties.



6. Click the Resources tab.



7. Note the number of DMA channels listed in the Resource Type column.



8. Click OK, and then click OK again.

Method 1

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.



2. Double-click Multimedia.



3. On the Advanced or Devices tab, click the PLUS SIGN (+) next to Audio Devices to expand the branch.



4. Click your sound card, and then click Properties.



5. Click Settings.



6. Click to select the Use Single-Mode DMA check box. If there is no Use Single-Mode DMA check box, click OK, click OK again, and then proceed to Method 2.



7. Click OK, and then click OK again.



8. Restart the computer.

Method 2

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.



2. Double-click System.



3. On the Device Manager tab, click the PLUS SIGN (+) next to Sound, Video And Game Controllers to expand the branch.



4. Double-click your sound card.



5. Click the Resources tab.



6. Click to clear the Use Automatic Settings check box.



7. In the Settings Based On box, click a basic configuration that uses only one Direct Memory Access (DMA) channel.



8. Verify that "No Conflicts" is displayed in the Conflicting Device List box.
   
   If a conflicting device is displayed in the Conflicting Device List box, click a different basic configuration with only one DMA channel until you find a configuration with no conflicts.



9. Click OK, and then follow the instructions on the screen to change the setting.



10. Restart the computer.

Check the System Resources Used By the Gameport Joystick.

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.



2. Double-click System.



3. On the Device Manager tab, click the PLUS SIGN (+) next to Sound, Video, And Game Controllers to expand the branch.



4. Click Gameport Joystick, and then click Properties.



5. Click the Resources tab.



6. If the Input/Output setting for the Gameport Joystick is 0201-0201, click OK, click OK again, and then continue to the next troubleshooting method.
   
   If the Input/Output setting is not 0201-0201, click to clear the Use Automatic Settings check box.



7. In the Settings Based On box, click a different basic configuration until you find a configuration with an Input/Output Range of 0201-0201.
   
   NOTE: If you are unable to find a basic configuration with an Input/Output setting of 0201-0201, contact the manufacturer of your sound card for information about how to configure the sound card to use this setting.



8. Click OK, click OK again, and then restart the computer.

Check for Multiple Instances of the Same Device

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.



2. Double-click System.



3. On the Device Manager tab, click the PLUS SIGN (+) next to Sound, Video, And Game Controllers to expand the branch.



4. Note the properties for each device listed in the branch. To do this, follow these steps:



1. Click a device, and then click Properties.



2. Click each tab in the device properties dialog box, and then record the device information and settings.



3. Click OK.



5. Click OK, and then close Control Panel.



6. Restart Windows in Safe mode. To do this, use the appropriate section listed below:

   Windows 95

   Restart your computer. When you see the "Starting Windows 95" message, press the F8 key, and then choose Safe Mode from the Startup menu.

   Windows 98

   Restart your computer, press and hold down the CTRL key after your computer completes the Power On Self Test (POST), and then choose Safe Mode from the Startup menu.



7. When Windows starts in Safe mode, click OK.



8. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.



9. Double-click System.



10. On the Device Manager tab, click the PLUS SIGN (+) next to Sound, Video, And Game Controllers to expand the branch.



11. Verify that there are no changes in the list of devices in the branch.
    
    If a new device appears that did not appear in the list of devices you noted in step 4, click the new device, and then click Remove. Repeat this step for each device in the branch that was not noted in step 4.
    
    NOTE: If you see new copies of a device that appeared in the list in step 4, check the properties of each copy of the device. If the properties for the device match the properties you recorded, keep the device. If the properties for the device do not match the properties you recorded, remove the device.



12. Click OK.



13. Restart the computer.

Additional Troubleshooting Steps

• If you are using a Microsoft SideWinder 3D Pro on a computer with a system bus speed of 100 MHz, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base for additional information:

Q236113 SideWinder 3D Pro: "Not Connected" Status with 100 MHz Bus Speed

• If you are using a Microsoft SideWinder Precision Pro or FreeStyle Pro, try connecting the game controller to the Universal Serial Bus port on your computer if one exists.



• Test the game controller by connecting it to a different computer.

Additional query words: 1.00 gamepad gameport gaming tshooting tshooter

Keywords : kb3rdparty kbenv kbhw sidewinder gamepad swstandard swpp swff joystick kbimu
Version : WINDOWS:1.0,1.5,2.0,3.0
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbhowto