win98 MPC1000 USB Driver

The other day I eventually connected via USB the mpc1000 to my old laptop (on which I run my sample editors, and most important: MESA).
The "new" USB device was recognised as AKAI MPC1000, then the installer software started looking for a driver, and there you go, the correct driver is not available in the win98 folders, so I can't use the USB connection.

I've searched the akaipro site but couldn't find any driver. It don't even mention the issue, is everybody supposed to use XP?


Anybody experienced the same problem?

This question has come up before, but with no solid answer...
The MPC1000 CF reader is a "USB Mass Storage" device, there is no Akai-specific driver.
I suggested to install a "Generic" storage driver: when prompted, select the driver manually, choose category Storage, then "unsupported or unknown" or something like that. It's worth a try. Let us know if you get it working and I'll put the details in the FAQ.
Alternatively: just get a CF card reader and swap cards between PC and MPC. That's actually quicker for general use, you don't have to jump in and out of USB mode.

I have a card reader. But I can tell you that in the course of a studio session slotting in and out the CF card becomes a tiresome activity.
I would like to take advantage of direct read/write functions with the PC. I wouldn't righteously state that it's quicker to slot in/out the card than getting a direct connection...

I have bad feelings though. I already had a hard time installing the card reader driver itself: win98 support was not provided on that model, and earlier versions of the same brand used win98 drivers that didn't work with the one I had. The customer service eventually pointed me to an internet download and I could make the thing work. Took me three weeks waiting.

I have downloaded from Microsoft a sort of universal USB driver for win98, I'll see if that one works (hope it will - so you can add it to the FAQ). Notwithstanding, the other issue you have with win98 is that you can't manually disconnect a USB device, so I guess that to un-freeze the MPC1000 after having used the USB direct link to PC I will have to turn off the PC? This may prove a problem, even if I can find a working driver. Is there a win98 fix for that?

I'm a bit pissed off with lacking win98 support for the MPC1000.

Oh , and did you know that the new version of MPC1000 programme creator (1.06) is out? it can now open existing programmes so you can actually edit them (and not only create them). It's a nice addition... but win98 is not suppported....

It's here:
http://mpc1000.midicase.com/create/

good looking on that update link to version 1.06, good looking

Mike Goins (who's developed the software) is the moderator of the akai mailing list at www.midicase.com. I've been a regular on that list for about 8 years now... That's where I got the information, Mike posted it yesterday.

I've made a dedicated post to let the news be known.

"so I guess that to un-freeze the MPC1000 after having used the USB direct link to PC I will have to turn off the PC?"

There is a function to `safely remove hardware` in Win9x systems. Either from the control panel or taskbar.

"I'm a bit pissed off with lacking win98 support for the MPC1000. "

It is not a problem with the MPC1000 itself, just lack of native support in Win98 for USB devices. USB did not catch on until after Win98. Yours is a strange situation. We usually end up with PC's that are too new for our music gear, not with PC's that are `too old` for our gear.

well, re. USB and win98, I have to say that the laptop I use in the studio is from 1997, and it came with one USB port (standard), with Win98 installed (later upgraded to win98se) but without the possibility to disconnect the USB devices (neither from the taskbar, neither from the control panel). This function is only available with win98Me (milenium edition) and the following apparently... I've been told many times that there was a Ms win98/95/nt patch for that, but nobody could ever point it to me... so I am now lent to believe that the patch never existed.

Whatever.

on a side note, my old laptop proved very well suited to its originally intended use: edit cd3000xl programmes using MESA through SCSI. For that it is perfect...

and to finish with this, I must also underline that I have bought within the past year the following USB devices:
40G hard drive
1.5G mini hard drive (keychain)
128Mb USB key
2 USB card readers (one for CF, one for SM)
USB cable modem
MPC1000
ALL of them (except ONE) provided drivers for win98 use.
Can you guess which one didn't provide win98 support?

The lack of win98 usb driver for the mpc1000 is all the more outrageaous that akai didn't certainly manufacture their own CF card reader, the same one is probably available on the market under a number of different brands all having win98 support... I'll go check the MPC interior pictures see if I can see any brand or model name for the CF reader...

I mean, this issue is about as lame as the RAM issue...

aaaaaaw! sorry for the long rant guys.

Actually Akai says that it does not work with Win98.

From the Akaipro.com webiste:

"You can use "USB MASS STORAGE CLASS" devices with Windows 2000/Me/XP (or later) and MacOS 9.x/10.x. Requires a USB connection on your Mac/PC plus the appropriate support in your computer's OS."


They clearly stated in advance the requirements. I do not see it as an Akai problem`.

I saw that too, it's why there's no official answer. I'm still hoping that a little experimentation may get around that, perhaps we can show Akai something they didn't know? I wonder if they even tried a Win98 system at all...

"I'm still hoping that a little experimentation may get around that"

I think it has to do with the newer systems natively supporting usb storage class drives. To use any USB device on Win98 requires a driver specifically for that usb device. Developing a driver is not cheap or quick, especially for an OS that is rarely supported anymore.

What akai says is that you can use the mpc1000 with post win2000 systems without the need of a specific driver. Nobody says that it can't work with win98 systems. Actually, the quoted 'appropriate support in your computer OS' is another way of calling a 'driver' goddammit!!! so just let me know what driver to use...

Akai SHOULD provide the driver for pre win2000 systems, like all other manufacturers of USB compliant devices do. That's all I am saying... and bitching about.

Nobody says akai should develop a specific driver either. The CF card reader inside the MPC1000 most probably already has its own win98 driver developed and ready for use, as all other USB devices in the world.

enough now, obviously I am the only one with that type of concern. Thanks for your inputs, I was really hoping to find a simple solution.
I'm still waiting for answers from AKAI support, see what THEY say about that.

MPC3000: note that there are still a lot of win98 computers in the world. For instance, about 50% of the users of my akai s20 forum are still using win98 platforms... at least that's the information I get from my log statistics.

Have you seen this page?
http://support.microsoft.com/default.as ... us;Q257751
MS are providing source code for this, but leaving it up to the vendor to customize it for their product - no actual driver here.

Does anyone have a compiled driver on the web... searching Google for "Windows 98 USB Mass Storage" ... are these any help?
http://www.memorykeytools.com/win98.asp

The way I see it, you can try any Win98 USB storage driver where they say something like "Windows 2000 or later don't need a driver" - that means the device is "USB Mass Storage Class" like the MPC's reader.
Like on this page - http://www.vivitar.com/CustService/driverindex3600.html - even though it's a camera driver site.

It looks like you really are in the minority here, using Win98, so if you can get something going, more power to you!

thanx stereoroid.

I have downloaded the two 'generic' drivers from the vivitar site and hope they work. I keep looking though.

I have to say that this driver issue is pretty boring. It took me about three weeks of searchin the internet and posting on forums to find me the correct drivers for my pcmcia/scsi card to see my akai sampler... let's hope that eventually I will have success with the USB driver too.
When (if) I do I will make the driver avaialble to anybody who wants it.

ciao.

I use 98 too.

so write to AKAI support elmacaco...
I'm insisting with them as they already told me to use a CF reader and not connect PC and MPC directly... I'm tryuing to con them into giving me the references of the FF reader in the MPC so I can go and look on the internet for the appropriate driver.
Anyways, if and when I find a suitable driver I will uplink it here.

Ciao.