1. Not sure if you are accessing the internet with your XP box. If so, XP hasn't been updated for security for many years and is highly susceptible to virus's, etc. so most of us never let it near today's internet. Of course this makes it much more difficult to get all of the updates, etc. than it once was. Today, safely, little to nothing can be left to update automatically, thus the need to hoard and understand the old update exe's, etc. Also, it seems, MS has dropped quite a bit of support in just the last 4 years since I was actively dealing with this. AMD might do the same for the last of the AIW drivers as well... If this is all old news, I apologize.
Onwards...
2. On the ATI cleaners: At least one, AtiCimUn, is included with in the "install" directory of the 180-V01084-100 iso we've been discussing above though it is an earlier, 2003 version rather than the 2006 version I have. I thought the other, 2013 AMD cleaner also worked on XP but I may have never tried it. Lastly, I think it was recommended protocol to run the AtiCimUn cleaner multiple times, possible even in safe mode to get the best "cleaning" of old ATI junk. YMMV.
3. Acronis back-up software: I use version 10 for my XP back-ups (only for AIW stuff at this point I guess). I don't think it works on 64 bit OS's so I had to update to 15 or something later for Win 7-64 and beyond. For me, V10 was much cleaner and easier for me to understand what the heck I/it was doing so I continue to use it where I can. Can't teach this old dog too many new tricks I guess...
Acronis can do lots of things, from cloning complete systems to just backing up parts or files or whatever. Cloning a complete, working "system" is handy so you can get back to that state fairly easily. This will include the hidden stuff that is on the disk to initiate booting up the system. You will need some kind of external drive to store the back-up files on and you will also likely need to create some "recovery media" (like a burned CD or DVD) from which you can boot and recover from if it all goes to *&^$ on you. It will take a bit of learning and practice to figure out what works best for you.
4. Display drivers, WMD drivers, MMC, catalyst control, etc.: As you state, the display drivers are self explanatory, the rest not so much.
WMD drivers are indeed the special drivers required for capture, etc. They will only install after the display drivers are up and running and only if they are a correct match for the hardware AND the installed display drivers. The correct display drivers and properly installed WMD drivers are the ONLY things required for video capture using vDub. No need for MMC or any other Catalyst clutter (or functionality). You will of course also need the correct drivers for sound and wiring for both video and sound (purple dongles, etc.).
MMC is/was ATI's proprietary "multimedia" software which included control of the AIW tuner and capture from same (DVR functionality). It also included external video/audio capture "modes" which can be used similarly to vDub. These offer a choice of uncompressed video (avi) or compressed (mpeg ) video. There is no way to capture using HuffYUV, etc. Back in the day, the mpeg capture was quite useful since it saved on (then) precious HD space and offered decent playback quality. MMC includes a lot of other "stuffing" that is totally useless today. If you do want to try it out, I believe only the "TV" module needs to be installed to access the various capture options. The rest is just clutter.
IIRC, Catalyst is/was ATI's name for their "integrated" driver installation packages. Theoretically, installing the Catalyst Control Center will give you "more" control of the display than Windows alone. It does give you some extra information about the currently installed drivers, etc. (display drivers only I think). It is not "needed" for most use cases today and is more stuff to remove later if nec. but it alone is not that bad...
This portion of the overlong ATI hacks thread might be useful in understanding what to install IF you want to try out MMC or the Catalyst stuff. Note that this info is old and some of the posters are still interested in the DVR stuff. Start small and work up to adding things rather than the other wasy around...
1. Not sure if you are accessing the internet with your XP box. If so, XP hasn't been updated for security for many years and is highly susceptible to virus's, etc. so most of us never let it near today's internet.
Ahh good to know. Noted. I have been using it very sparingly as most websites don't work anyhow.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BW37
2. ...it was recommended protocol to run the AtiCimUn cleaner multiple times, possible even in safe mode to get the best "cleaning" of old ATI junk.
Yes, I read this in one of the threads. Noted and done √
Quote:
Originally Posted by BW37
3. Acronis back-up software:
Doesn't look like they sell this version anymore and installing it requires a serial, so I guess I am going to have to brave it!
Quote:
Originally Posted by BW37
4. Display drivers, WMD drivers, MMC, catalyst control, etc.: As you state, the display drivers are self explanatory, the rest not so much.
Really appreciate the explanation. I have decided to stick with the official drivers to worry less, but the wording for the custom install on disc 180-V01084-100 is slightly different (listed below). Am I correct in assuming what I have mapped is correct (also pictured)?
1. HYDRAVISION Complete Edition
2. HYDRAVISION Basic Edition
3. Multimedia Drivers ---> WMD Drivers (to be installed second, then restart, test VirtualDub) 4. DVD Decoder
5. Unified Component Install ---> Display Drivers (to be installed first, then restart) 6. Multimedia Center 8.x - deciding not to instal this as I will just use VirtualDub 7. AuthorScript
8. ATI Remote Wonder
I was recalling that the "TV" driver within MMC was crucial, but equally that the 8.7 driver was the one I should be trying to use (and also what cause my issues last round). How can I safely get those in the system for use by Virtual Dub?
Sound drivers are working in the system just fine, but wiring baffles me a bit. I was assuming I would just need to map the video and audio from the player to the respective card on the PC and choose the source input in VirtualDub, but then I started reading some kind of "loop" set up with the purple box (though haven't been able to locate images of that, only of Admin's internal 4-pin jumper version).
Last edited by rickface; 01-15-2025 at 06:50 PM.
Reason: formatting error
I’m not sure I understand exactly what you’re trying to do with drivers and MMC. I believe either MMC 8.7 or 8.8 should work with your card so do whatever is easier. Again, you don’t need MMC to use vDub.
If you aren’t already using them, “Device Manager” and “Add or Remove Programs” are useful tools for understanding what you have installed and what’s working on your system. “Msconfig” is also a useful tool to see what’s running on your system and (maybe later) turn some useless stuff off if needed to make your system run smoother. Web searches should give you what you need on how to access and use these in WinXP.
RE Audio connections:
For you, I’d strongly suggest you route the audio from your playback device directly to the line-in (usually blue) connector on your sound card. You’ll need the appropriate cable to do so, most likely, left and right male rca connectors to a male 1/8” (3mm) stereo connector. Get a quality cable long enough to reach the sound card from your playback devices. You don’t need to go all audiophile bonkers . Poor cable routing and quality can cause audio noise.
You can route the audio input via the purple AIW input dongle but then you’ll need another kind of oddball cable, either an internal 3 wire cable to run from the AIW to the sound card OR the black AIW output “squid” with which you can connect its black 1/8” stereo output to the blue line-in of your sound card. Here’s a thread discussing the options which include links to other discussions with pics, etc.
I believe "TV" was referenced as needing to be an installed component of MMC if you wish to capture video using that software, but I do not believe leaving it out of the installation list impacts capture if you instead choose to use VirtualDub or another app besides an ATI-provided one.
Personally, I install MMC and TV because they are occasionally fun to open and get nostalgic about, but I haven't used it for a capture since the early 00s. I stay more or less exclusively in VirtualDub these days for capture tasks.
For audio, I would encourage the internal wiring - you are looking for a MPC-4 internal audio cable, which can still be had inexpensively with relative ease. This is what I mentioned above: you can patch it internally, or you can procure the dedicated audio "squid" to run out of the AIW and into your sound card, or you can bypass the AIW entirely and plug your VCR's audio straight into the audio card as suggested above.
I have not tried the last method - I realize the AIW functions as little more than a passthrough for the audio and does no processing, but I do wonder about timing issues. So I stick with the internal cabling - it's generally cheaper than a used audio breakout, and very easy to install.
I’m not sure I understand exactly what you’re trying to do with drivers and MMC. I believe either MMC 8.7 or 8.8 should work with your card so do whatever is easier. Again, you don’t need MMC to use vDub.
I think it's maybe just my confusion. I would avoid MMC entirely really, my end goal is capturing lossless with VirtualDub in the best possible way I can. I thought that it was necessary to instal MMC as I thought there were important components within it needed.
I guess I have read so many times "drivers from 8.7 or 8.8" that perhaps that was my bad assumption. I know you have said MMC is not necessary and that the WMD drivers are the only one necessary for capture, but then the screenshots with the cropped vs the bordered capture made me think perhaps it's not about MMC, but perhaps the "TV" drivers hidden within (like maybe those were necessary).
Quote:
Originally Posted by BW37
RE Audio connections:
Thanks for the explanation! It's a big help and nice to be able to reference those posts. I struggle to find (and refind) posts here sometimes, I often search google with site:digitalfaq.com to surface bits instead.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 7jlong
I believe "TV" was referenced as needing to be an installed component of MMC if you wish to capture video using that software, but I do not believe leaving it out of the installation list impacts capture if you instead choose to use VirtualDub or another app besides an ATI-provided one.
Ahh I see. So when I read references of driver 8.7, etc, that's just in relation to using MMC for mpeg capture?
Quote:
Originally Posted by 7jlong
I have not tried the last method - I realize the AIW functions as little more than a passthrough for the audio and does no processing, but I do wonder about timing issues. So I stick with the internal cabling
This direct connection felt like the only straightforward way to do this in my head, not having details of the inputs and outputs, but I too worried a little about sync. I was hoping VirtualDub would handle this. I will test and report back. In the meantime, I will try and see if I can figure out what they call an MPC-4 in french
By way of an update:
- I tried to install the Multimedia Drivers then "Unified Component Install" from disc 180-V01084-100; no dice
- I then tried to install MMC 8.7 (from the forum), still nothing. The drivers were throwing errors, unrecognised.
- I uninstalled the drivers using hardware manager, restarted, the drivers couldn't be found.
- finally, I gave up, reinstalled XP (which took ages too...whatever I did, it didn't like)
- The fresh start was with the ATI AIW 9000 card from the start, so it should be cleaner than the last install where I tried 2 different cards and had one in the machine before.
- I am now looking into Macrium Reflect (similar to the Acronis Backup software) to create a clean point to return to before trying again.
I think I may try the 180-V01084-100 disc again after I get the system back to speed (Visual C++ 2005, 2010, my audio card drivers, DirectX 9c, Windows Installer updater, etc). Bit scared...
I use Macrium Reflect for my newer systems. They’re changing their business model though and I believe they won’t be offering the free version anymore. If it still works for XP, it’s good stuff…
Establishing a good back-up strategy will make things easier for sure.
I don’t believe there is any audio delay issue with bypassing the AIW audio input path. LS is now recommending it over the other options. Older recommendations were different.
Last thoughts on your clean install. I think you should EITHER let Windows install its preferred display and WMD drivers and then try vDub OR refuse Windows attempt to install display drivers and then try to install display and WMD from your MMC 8.7 or 8.8 disc. This requires you to stay with the generic VGA drivers your clean install will first boot with. I believe you can increase the screen resolution to make things easier to see.
Good luck! I admire your ambition to learn WinXP as a Mac user!
Sorry for the delay coming back, I had a whole avalanche of weird issues old PC issues that I had solve on this computer after having bricked the CD drive. I'm not trusting 100% in the motherboard, but I have run ram tests and everything checks out, so perhaps it's just a touchy old machine.
In any case, I finally found and fit a new CD/DVDR drive, and, at long last and with the help of Hiren's Boot CD, was able to create a backup(!) using the Macrium (which is included on the disc) and boot from MiniXP on Hiren's. AOMEI failed so many times I gave up, but alas, it feels like I at least have a safe "undo" now, in case something goes wrong with the next round of driver installations.
Now, I know I have read this over and over on the forum, but as the dates are so old now, I just wanted to be triple sure on what and which version I should install to get my ATI AIW Radeon 9000 up and running.
The goal is the same, just lossless AVI capture with vDub, so no need to install MMC and go that route.
The auto-installed Windows drivers are working for the display (Windows didn't explicitly let me say no to this, i think it needed to install them to start the system with a new card), but even with that, I would imagine the ATI ones (provided they are correct) will probably be better? Maybe not, but outside that, I haven't touched the other drivers (for video capture etc), which are all detected next to them.
Can anyone advise on the correct version and bits to install? I feel like I have asked this, but after the last nightmare I had, I just want to be sure.
I have seen this on the AMD site, relating to the ATI All-in-Wonder 9000 Pro, but i am not sure mine is the Pro, it's the Radeon. The above link includes:
Catalyst 6.11
Display Driver
Catalyst Control Center
WDM Drivers
DAO/MDAC
Windows Media Encoder 9
DAO/MDAC
TitanTV components
Encoder Package 6.6
Encoder
Parental Control
Visual C++ Patch
Avivo Video Converter (will only work with X1000 series products)
MMC 9.14
Various Language packs
Then I found this on Archive.com (perhaps there is a trusted version hiding in plain site on the forum here?)
ATI Catalyst Suite 6.2 including coverage for:
Radeon® 9800 series
Radeon® 9700 series
Radeon® 9600 series
Radeon® 9500 series
Radeon® 9200 series
Radeon® 9100 series
Radeon® 9000 series
Radeon® 8500 series
Radeon® 7500 series
Radeon® 7200 series
Radeon® 7000 series
Radeon® Xpress 200 series
Note: ATI All-In-Wonder™ variants based on the above are also supported.
This Catalyst software suite also provides Beta software support for the following ATI products:
Radeon® X850 series
Radeon® X550 series
Radeon® X800 series
Radeon® X300 series
Radeon® X600 series
The latter specifically mentions my card, the former does not. The latter doesnt include DAO/MDAC or the Encoder package etc if i needed those. Any ideas on which (if either) is correct and what is safe and necessary to install for vDub capture?
I think you should start by trying the 6.11 display and WDM drivers only. This along with the DX9 and NET 2.0 should be enough to run VirtualDub. I’m not sure what DAO/MDAC do but if VirtualDub doesn’t work without them that’s the next thing I’d try.
I know nothing about the 6.2 driver stuff.
Device Manager should be helpful in understanding what drivers are actually installed. Maybe you can share some screenshots so we can see what’s installed.
Also, can you tell us what exact make and model PC you are using? Does it have integrated graphics? If so, this could cause additional but solvable problems.
Of course, the specs of the machine are as follows (some screenshots (from my phone) to show additional details:
I am using a custom-built PC (by someone else) with the following specifications:
- Motherboard: MSI K8T MS-6702 (Socket 754)
- CPU: AMD Athlon 64 3200+ (2.2GHz)
- Graphics Card: ATI All-In-Wonder 9000 Radeon AGP
- Audio Card: Terratec SiXPack 5.1
- RAM: 1.5GB DDR SDRAM DIMM (184 pins)
- Storage:
- 80GB Seagate IDE HDD
- 160GB Maxtor SATA HDD
- Optical Drive: LG GSA-4167B
- Floppy Drive: Sony 3.5”
- OS: Windows XP Service Pack 2 (French Edition)
- DirectX Version: 9.0c
- .NET Framework Installed: Version 2.0 SP2
- AMI BIOS 3.31a
Integrated Graphics:
No, the **MSI K8T MS-6702 doesn't have integrated graphics
So re: 6.11, I read somewhere that it actually dropped support for the older Radeon cards (including mine). Apparently 6.2 does support my card, which sounds illogical, but according to chatgpt, Catalyst 6.2 was released before Catalyst 6.11 (February 2006 vs November 2006). Beggars belief.
The Catalyst® software suite 6.2 contains the following:
Radeon® display driver 8.221 (v6.11 has v8.31) –(1st install)
Multimedia Center™ 9.13 (v6.11 has v9.15)
HydraVision™
HydraVision™ Basic Edition
Remote Wonder 3.03 (v6.11 has v3.04)
WDM Driver Install Bundle —(2nd install)
Southbridge/IXP Driver
Catalyst® Control Center Version 6.2 (v6.11 has...v6.11)
= install? = not install
So, assuming I can find a link to it (is guru3d a trustworthy source?), would you suggest installing as I have noted above? Will this just overwrite the windows drivers?
Try the 180-V01084-100 drivers that he's linked. Those should definitely work with your AIW 9000 as it is explicitly listed as supported in the "inf" file for the display driver in that driver set. I believe the 6.11 drivers should also work since that's what I find in my notes, but I can't get to the 6.11 "inf" file at this time to be sure. Again, I know nothing about the Catalyst 6.2 drivers except the info you've found. Guru3d might be OK, but again, I don't know. The drivers from this site are probably more "secure".
I'm a bit confused by what is shown in your Device Manager screenshot. It appears that there is some kind of WDM driver installed but it is not supporting the Rage Theater functionality, thus the yellow ! symbols. You may need to uninstall some ATI drivers before you try to install the 180-V01084-100 drivers. Hopefully, you can do this through the normal methods for Windows XP (search "uninstall programs Windows XP" or similar) if you haven't already figured this out.
You can dig deeper into what actual drivers are installed from within Device Manager by right clicking on the device name text and selecting "Properties". This should open a window with a few tabs with more information including the exact driver # in use. There is also a way you can uninstall and update drivers from here, but it gets very messy and failure prone, especially with ATI drivers so lets not go there.
Thanks to you both and sorry again for the delayed reply.
I will take a deep breath and give the linked 180-V01084-100 another go– this time with a clean system!
With regard to removing the existing drivers beforehand; I didn't actually install these explicitly, so they may be Windows drivers that were built into XP SP2, but for some other ATI card?
It doesn't appear that there is anything ATI to remove in "add/remove programs" ? I have attached some screenshots of the drivers in case that gives you any additional information. (sorry, they are in French).
Welcome back. A few more comments and suggestions...
I wondered if Windows was installing those drivers by itself. It does that if they are available in the OS installation package (ISO). It can cause problems and can be difficult to get around if it does. Here's a link to a discussion on how to get around it if it becomes necessary. Read the whole thread. the best answer is at the end. Basically you have to hide the "cab" directories (folders) from Windows by renaming them. You can probably restore the original directory names once everything is running properly.
I guess first you can try to install the drivers from the 180-V01084-100 package over the top of the Windows installed drivers. That might not work since it's probably what you've done before. If it works, great! I suspect it won't.
If it fails but you still have a "functional system", you might want to experiment with uninstalling all of the ATI drivers from device manager to understand how that works. I believe it will ask you to reboot the system to finish the uninstall (which will then probably induce their reinstallation at boot up unless you intervene as discussed in the linked thread).
Note: Uninstalling the display driver may take you back to 800x600 screen resolution. Correct this by right clicking on the desktop and change the display resolution to at least 1024 x 768 so things fit on the screen.
To circumvent the automatic driver reinstallation, I think you will have to rename the "cab" directories after you've uninstalled the drivers but before you reboot.
Now reboot. This should restart Windows and give you the opportunity to install needed drivers manually. Decline.
If you can get to this point without having to start over with a clean install, you could try to install 180-V01084-100 from here. If this fails, then you will need to start with your "clean install" and uninstall the Windows installed drivers before you install the 180-V01084-100 drivers.
So to try to summarize assuming a clean install.
1. Let Windows do it's thing and finish the installation (as shown in your device manager pics).
2. Uninstall all of the ATI drivers from Device Manager, including the display driver itself. Adjust resolution as needed.
3. Before rebooting, rename the "cab" directories.
4. Reboot and decline to install any drivers.
5. Run the 180-V01084-100 installation process installing the display driver and the WDM driver. It might require a reboot between the two driver installations.
Welcome back. A few more comments and suggestions...
Cheers 🙏
Quote:
Originally Posted by BW37
I wondered if Windows was installing those drivers by itself. It does that if they are available in the OS installation package (ISO). It can cause problems and can be difficult to get around if it does. Here's a link to a discussion on how to get around it if it becomes necessary. Read the whole thread. the best answer is at the end. Basically you have to hide the "cab" directories (folders) from Windows by renaming them. You can probably restore the original directory names once everything is running properly.
hah! I did indeed read the whole thread, but I think I may have missed the best answer –*most of it was about resurrecting old post (story of my life). Thank you for the link though, I would have never found or even thought to try to find that folder. Is it easy to find? I google didnt turn out much - I saw someone mention "C:\WINDOWS\Driver Cache\i386" ?
There were some other interesting bit that were said too: One person said: "With XP you can't uninstall drivers that are in use. It's best to uninstall drivers in safe mode."
I was actually scared of this as the active display driver would be running as I wanted to uninstall it. I once read that it was better to install drivers before the card was in even (not sure that even works with XP).
The same guy also said "Also while in safe mode, after unistalling the drivers, completely delete the device (ie: video card) in device manager." I will definitely heed this advice. I assume this is ok to do in safe mode, but if I remove the video card, I am curious what happens on reboot?
Quote:
Originally Posted by BW37
I guess first you can try to install the drivers from the 180-V01084-100 package over the top of the Windows installed drivers. That might not work since it's probably what you've done before. If it works, great! I suspect it won't.
I suspect you are right, but it might be my fear. I think the issue I had the first time around is that I had no idea how hard it was to revert after installing bad drivers. I was trying all kinds of different ATI drivers, unsure which were relevant to my card. This time though, I would rather play is safe....may be my last chance before my gf makes me throw it all away (the computer lives in the living room right now).
Quote:
Originally Posted by BW37
you might want to experiment with uninstalling all of the ATI drivers from device manager to understand how that works.
At the moment there aren't any drivers in there to uninstall, it's only the Windows ATI Drivers in the Manage hardware section I see.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BW37
Note: Uninstalling the display driver may take you back to 800x600 screen resolution. Correct this by right clicking on the desktop and change the display resolution to at least 1024 x 768 so things fit on the screen.
In safe mode is the best bet? And to uninstall these, I do it via the hardware manager? (right click, uninstall)
Quote:
Originally Posted by BW37
So to try to summarize assuming a clean install.
1. Let Windows do it's thing and finish the installation (as shown in your device manager pics).
2. Uninstall all of the ATI drivers from Device Manager, including the display driver itself. Adjust resolution as needed.
3. Before rebooting, rename the "cab" directories.
4. Reboot and decline to install any drivers.
5. Run the 180-V01084-100 installation process installing the display driver and the WDM driver. It might require a reboot between the two driver installations.
I hope this works!
BW
1. I think it's done what it can - those symbols are persistent, so i guess whatever windows had in the bucket by default didnt work for my card.
2. OK, sounds good, will do that.
3. noted √
4. √
5. Have downloaded and put the iso on my desktop.
Will keep you posted, I think I will try this tomorrow!
You should be able to uninstall the Windows installed ATI display drivers without going into safe mode. There are “generic” VGA drivers that will then be used. This is where you might need to increase the display resolution to make things fit on the screen.
To find those “cab” folders, you may need to change the “view” in file manager to not “hide system files” ( or some such). The default settings hide things that they don’t want you to mess with, and the cab files are likely amongst those they hide by default. You do need to be a bit more careful once you’ve done this because you could now do some real damage to the needed Windows files and file structure.
I also find it helpful to change the setting to “show file extensions” (the 3 characters after the .) which tell you (and the system) what kind of file it is (text, executable, etc.). To make this “stick” you also have to tell it to make the setting “apply to all folders”, otherwise it will only apply to that particular folder you are currently viewing.
BW
PS: I’m doing this from memory so the exact terminology might be off, but I believe it’s close.
Well, despite my best, most cautious efforts, I think I may have messed it up.
I followed all the steps:
renamed the cab files drivers_old.can and sp2_old.cab (in C:\WINDOWS\Driver Cache\i386)
uninstalled the drivers one by one, ending with the display driver, which prompted a restart.
Restarted, as you said, the driver changed to the VGA generic adapter.
Launched the ATI installer from disc 180-V01084-100 and unchecked everything but the Multimedia Drivers and the Unified component (verifying I already had DirectX 9c installed)
Started the installation; just after it started, I saw the screen go black and pop up again in normal resolution.
Minimised the installer and say that Windows somehow found and installed that bloody driver again automatically!
I tried to stop the ATI installer, but it refused and just kept going, probably doing some kind of weird partial installation.
So in short, renaming the cab drivers didn't work. Windows still found what it needed. I also tried renaming the Driver_Cache folder and it still found them. I also tried doing this from Safe Mode to see if that would prevent the auto-installation but that also didnt fly.
I restarted and tried various other things to try and see if I could get Windows to calm down with its automatic installation but I failed, so finally, I just tried to install the ATI package again in full, with the windows drivers installed to see if that helped (it didnt, nothing at all appeared to have changed as a result of the installation).
Further, the ATI packages actually needed things inside the sp2.cab to install, so I needed to reintroduce that.
I led to believe one of two things here –*either the drivers in the 180-V01084-100 do not support my card or my erratic installation messed things up.
Seeing though as nothing appears different in the system after having had a successful installation, and that I read that note about the 9000 AIW being dropped in the 6.11 Catalyst release, I would cross my fingers and hope that perhaps it might just be that I do in fact need the 6.2 release (which was released earlier than 6.11 of course).
Is there any way you think I can salvage this? To note: I haven't actually been able to find the 6.2 installer anywhere (it's no longer of guru3d).
You seem to have done everything right. I think Windows is just trying too hard to be smarter than you are (it thinks it knows better…). I think I remember reading somewhere that Windows automatically caches installed drivers to a hidden, very hard to find storage location and that this can interfere with installing the drivers you want versus what it thinks are best. I also think it strongly prefers newer drivers over older ones. I still think there is a way around this, but I’m going to have to dig deep to find or remember it. We need jwillis84 here!
I’ll try to dig into this and the 6.11 compatibility issue later today. My gut and vague memories make me believe the 6.11 drivers will be compatible and it’s just an oversight/typo that the ATI 9000 series appears to have been dropped.
I find it interesting that you can get it to reboot with the generic VGA drivers at all given that it then messes up when you try to install the 180-V01084-100 drivers. This is counterintuitive if Windows is “forcing” its own ATI drivers later. One thing you might try is to start over just as you’ve done but when installing the 180-V01084-100 set, install only the display drivers and then reboot and see if just those can be installed correctly. You should then be able to install the WDM drivers as a separate process.
One last option to try would be to get to the VGA drivers state and then when installing the 180-V01084-100 drivers just let it install everything including Catalyst Control Center. Maybe there’s some issue with doing the partial install that the full install can handle. It adds clutter, but it shouldn’t actually hurt anything, and I think much of it can be uninstalled later.
To be honest, I would imagine that windows normally probably does know better than ME, but equally, I wish it would listen more!
I wonder if the drivers were indeed installed properly on the second round, if we can find then on the system to check and see if my card is listed as supported in the pref files? I know the installation failed on the first go around, but it seemed to succeed just fine on the second, but as far as the hardware profile was concerned, it didn't appear different from before the restart/ATI installation.
Re: the compatibility issue, let me know if you find anything about that, would be interesting to know! I looked around and saw it mentioned in a couple different places (ChatGPT confirmed, but I don't really trust ChatGPT).
Thanks again!
Last edited by rickface; 03-16-2025 at 10:27 AM.
Reason: typo
I will just add again: wipe your hard drive down to nothing, and reinstall XP from scratch. Then install - from a CD - the ATI software. I know, I know - a mounted ISO should work just as well as a burned CD - but you might want to humor me on this if you aren't doing this already. We're talking very old technology here.
There is no clear reason the listed installation package should not work for your card. When installation is complete, the driver version is listed as 6.14.10.6462 - just now checked my own installation. When I set up my capture machine, I install XP, then the ATI drivers, then Turtle Beach drivers (all from burned CDs I keep), in that order. Then I deal with capture software (VirtualDub, WinDV, etc). I also agree with the recommendation from BW37 above - install the Control Center. It doesn't hurt anything, but might help.
Having read all your troubleshooting and attempts, I just think starting from scratch might save you a lot of time. Again, unless there is something strange about the card you are holding, I think your troubles are down to a rat's nest of installations that are complicating anything further. All of these cards and installers were almost scandalously notorious for this kind of mess back in the day, and starting over is sometimes just the easiest way.
"I don't really trust ChatGPT"
+1. All the output I have seen from ChatGPT on topics like this sounds like a misinformed teenager "discovering" old technology via carelessly skimmed forum and Reddit threads.
Sorry again for the delay, been running into work issues on another project and it's eating all my time, but this project is always in the back of my mind waiting on deck!
I have just burned a physical copy of the ISO just in case that is indeed the issue (wouldn't be surprised) – before I head back to the reset button, I may as well try and see if this will install, and barring that, I can try and uninstall the drivers and see if indeed the Catalyst 6.2 drivers will work (I found them on archive.com).
This next round, I will just install everything on the CD and restart. Will report back!
. Poor cable routing and quality can cause audio noise.
next to them. 
–(1st install)
.
