Korg driver broke my microkey - GUIDE TO REVERT TO MICROSOFT

[rv2]

Ok so i just plugged Microkey 37 into my Windows 7 x64 SP1 4 days ago and all went great with the standard Microsoft branded usb drivers (generic windows drivers) i even plugged secondary Microkey 37 and they both got detected and installed new hardware succesfully. Ableton 8 can detect both pianos as

[1] MicroKEY
[2] MicroKEY (Port 2)

and i can use both pianos at the same time to control 2 separate instruments.

I NEVER USED KORG DRIVERS OR ANY SUPPLIED SOFTWARE from this website or CD...

Than for some reason i decided i will try the KORG drivers (USA_DrvTools_e(1.14_r6).zip) and also the editor (KontrolEditor_v0110(PC).zip)

WRONG IDEA ! I ended up like half of people on this forum:

- Windows saw both pianos with KORG branded drivers in Device Manager
- KORG MIDI USB DRIVER was saying they ARE connected and he could show them in Devices list
- KontrolEditor said that keyboards are not connected
- microKEY wasnt detecetd by any sequencer or DAW
- i even tried deleting all unused MIDI devices in windows registry using the utility

basically the KORG drivers ruined the installation and i couldnt see the pianos in any DAW or sequencer anymore... NOTHING HELPED

HOW TO GET BACK TO LEGACY MICROSOFT USB DRIVERS
- these steps worked for me they dont have to work for you - no responsibility if you break your OS - only for exprienced users - please dont ask for further help you are on your own it already took me 2 hours to figure out and write this post i have no more time to spend on this bs...

1) unplug all korg devices
2) restart
3) uninstall KORG MIDI USB DRIVER
4) uninstall KORG KONTROL EDITOR
5) VERY IMPORTANT - now with Total Commander you must delete all instances of file called *KORGUM* in your System folder should any be left after the Uninstall
6) MOST IMPORTANT - you must delete a backup copy of KORG driver that windows still keeps in its DriverCache or the KORG driver will reinstall every time you plug the device... to do this start WINDOWS in SAFE MODE and locate folder c:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository there using Total Commander search again for the file *KORGUM* now you must delete the whole folder containing this *KORGUM* (with 4 or 5 other files from KORG that together make up the KORG USB MIDI DRIVER backup) - unfortunatelly Windows wont let you delete this folder, because these are protected folders... i eventually made it by right-clicking the folder with the KORG driver in it and open Properties, Security Tab - click on first "Edit..." button and than "Add..." than "Advanced..." than "Find Now" get list of all available users on your computer, select your own user profile (assuming your are an Administrator or else you are probably f8cked) OK, OK - now before you close last window you must give yourself FULL CONTROL rights and than APPLY AND OK... now you should be listed as one of users for this folder (together with Everyone, SYSTEM) with FULL CONTROL rights allowed... now go and delete it
7) open REGEDIT and delete all instances of KORGUM and other driver related file refrences in registry
RESTART NORMALLY
9) REPLUG DEVICES NOW

now hopefully they should be detected and installed as new hardware but because you cleaned all hidden backups of KORG driver (especially that persistent folder in c:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository) from your HDD... the MICROSOFT generic usb drivers will be used instead...

in my case the devices detected with an ! exclamation mark still... so i had to right-click them in Device Manager and choose Uninstall, Shutdown PC, Unplug devices, after restart replug the devices and now they are detected clean and correct...

now after 2 hours i went from perfectly working MICROSOFT USB driver to KORG and back to MICROSOFT USB driver... the biggest obstacle was to get rid of the KORG driver manually with Total Commander or it keeps returning and overiding the Microsoft drivers...

For now i will stay with the MICROSOFT LEGACY USB drivers... they work fine in Ableton 8 even with 2 identical units of microKEY...

If youve done it right you should see these driver files in Properties in Device Manager

Microsoft
11/19/2010
6.1.7601.17514

dmk.sys
ksthunk.sys
portcls.sys
USBAUDIO.sys
SysFxUl.dll
WMALFXGFXDSP.dll

works again...

[rv2]

ok here is a simpler way to replace steps 1-9 from previous message... iam no IT expert so it took me sometime to figure there is much easier way to completely delete KORG USB DRIVER from you PC... again this works for me, no responsibility if you damage your PC

lets assume you currently have KORG USB DRIVERS installed, your devices are plugged, they are detected in Windows Device Manager but they dont show up in any DAW or SEQUENCER (that was my case)... when you want to remove KORG USB MIDI driver (including all backups inside widows) from you windows so that next time when you plug microkey it gets detected and installed with MICROSOFT LEGACY USB DRIVERS... these MICROSOFT LEGACY DRIVERS WORK 100% FOR ME, NOW I CAN USE MICROKEY IN ANY DAW OR SEQUENCER

1) keep your devices plugged
2) go to device manager
3) open Properties panel for your microkey device and go to Driver tab
4) check it says in the window Driver Provider: KORG (that means you are using the KORG USB MIDI driver)
5) click on Uninstall button
6) MOST IMPORTANT in next window make 100% sure you check:
[x] Delete the driver software for this device
This will delete the backup of KORG USB MIDI driver hidden in c:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository\... that otherwise keep reinstalling whenever you plug your korg device...
7) Uninstall KORG USB MIDI driver using regular Windows Control Panel/Programs and Features
Delete any instances of file KORGUM (check various name variations or search using Total Commander *KORGUM*) anywhere in your Windows folder and subfolders
9) Restart
10) Now your device should get detected as new hardware but this time when you go to Windows Device Manager and open Properties of your device and check Driver tab, you should see Driver Provider: MICROSOFT

[rv2]

** FIXED **

OK EVERYBODY so i went full circle in last 2 days and finally iam now running KORG USB MIDI DRIVER on my Windows 7 x64 SP1 and my 2 microKEY37 units show up in all my DAW and SEQUENCERS (Ableton 8 and Pro Tools 10)... i finally switched from MICROSOFT LEGACY USB DRIVERS to KORG USB MIDI DRIVER and all works fine... success at last !!!

as i said this was my experience with KORG USB MIDI DRIVER previously (2 days back):

- Windows saw both pianos with KORG branded drivers in Device Manager
- KORG MIDI USB DRIVER was saying they ARE connected and he could show them in Devices list
- KontrolEditor said that keyboards are not connected
- microKEY wasnt detecetd by any sequencer or DAW
- i even tried deleting all unused MIDI devices in windows registry using the utility

well all that time the problem wasnt KORG USB MIDI DRIVER but the fact that Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 x64 still has that 10 MIDI devices limit built in... so what was happening all the time was that i could install the KORG USB MIDI DRIVER succesfully but no DAW or SEQUENCER can see those devices using KORG USB MIDI DRIVER because they are installed on positions higher than 1-10 in Windows MIDI devices hierarchy... YES WINDOWS 7 x64 Sevice Pack 1 STILL HAS 10 MIDI DEVICE LIMIT...

whats crazy is that if you use MICROSOFT LEGACY USB DRIVER your devices show up in most DAW and SEQUENCERS even when they are installed on higher positions than 1-10 (for example 17 in my case) but once you switch to KORG USB MIDI DRIVER windows wont show your devices unless they are on positions 1-10 - so MICROSOFT breaks its own limits if you use their legacy driver but is strict about 3rd party drivers to conform to 10 MIDI devices limit...

to cut the story short...

on Windows 7 x64 SP 1 you must use the supplied "Uninstall KORG USB-MIDI Device" utility to free up some positions within the first 10 (1-10) entires of the Windows MIDI device list... if you want to use KORG USB MIDI DRIVER your microKEY must be listed on position 1-10 in the Windows MIDI devices list or it wont show up in any DAW or SEQUENCER running on your Windows 7 x64 SP1

now iam using KORG USB MIDI DRIVER my 2 microKEY37 units are listed on positions 5 & 6 in Windows 7 x64 MIDI Device list and all my DAW and SEQUENCERS can see them... it even allowed me to use both units in Pro Tools 10 simultaneously which wasnt possbile when using MICROSOFT LEGACY USB DRIVERS...

** FIXED **