How to connect your MPC4000 to a PC running Windows 8...

So: how the hell do you run Akai's "Ak.Sys" program on Windows 8, to connect to your MPC4000 over USB...?


The sad fact is: whilst the Ak.Sys program itself still works in Windows 8, the MPC4000 USB drivers do NOT

The most recent Microsoft OS that those USB drivers work with is Windows XP

Now, Windows 7 had a handy add-on called "XP Mode", where Microsoft basically gave you a free copy of XP to run inside Win7 in a virtual bubble. The bubble had holes in it to let XP talk to your PC's USB ports, and so you could run Ak.Sys quite nicely like this.

BUT - major problem - Windows 8 does *not* let you run this "XP Mode"
Unfortunately, Microsoft have provided a "better" virtualisation engine instead, called HyperV. And it is more powerful in most respects, but it is totally banjaxed in another - it doesn't let the virtual OS inside the bubble talk to your PC's real USB ports. So it is useless as far as running Ak.Sys and connecting to the MPC4000 goes.

Fear not, because other Virtual Machines are available
Oracle provide a free one called Virtual Box. You can get it here https://www.virtualbox.org
You will also need, of course:
- Ak.Sys 2.5.3 and the MPC4000 USB drivers v2.00, which are still here http://www.akaipro.com/mpc4000
*AND* (and here's the bugger) - you will also need a legit copy of Windows XP, with a valid license key. You can no longer buy these, so you better have kept your old one, eh?

Basically,
- you install Virtual Box on your nice new Windows 8 PC
- you create a new virtual machine inside it
- you install Windows XP on the virtual machine
- you install Ak.Sys on the virtual Windows XP
- you unzip the MPC4000 USB drivers to a folder on the virtual Win XP
- you make sure your settings in Virtual Box are right, so it can see your USB port.
- connect a USB cable from the back of your MPC4000 to your PC (the Ak.Sys user guide says to do this with your [virtual] PC switched off)
- boot up the virtual XP PC, and use the Found New Hardware Wizard to install the USB driver for the MPC

... you are then ready to rock out in Ak.Sys.

I did this tonight, and got it working!
The main faff was with the Virtual Box program, which I wasn't at all familiar with - it took me a while to get its settings right so I could use my mouse and drag'n'drop between it and Windows 8 OK. But it was fine in the end. And I haven't had any USB disconnection errors yet (wow!)

Your mileage may vary.......

Thanks for sharing

Glad to be of some use!

And you know, I don't want to speak too soon, but Ak.Sys and the USB connection to my MPC4000 seems a damn sight more stable on this virtual copy of WinXP than it ever was on my actual bloody WinXP (and Win98SE) computers back in the day!

well, I managed to transfer my entire sample library (8.01 GB - 33,202 files - 883 folders!) over USB from windows 8 to my MPC4000.

Only got one error message for one single file that didn't transfer.

Pretty good going, compared to the bad old days on Windows 98!

It's not too bad, is it?

Although it would be nice if Akai stopped dicking around and released a 64 bit Windows 7/8 USB driver for the MPC4000. I mean, really, how much development time can it take them? It can't be *that* difficult a task
(Mind you, it seemed to be rather too difficult for them to make one that worked for XP... )

Anyways, I would urge you all to go http://www.akaipro.com/contact
and spend 2 minutes filling out the Contact form and asking politely for a Windows 7/8 USB driver for the MPC4000.

I did, and got an email back from the Akai UK Support saying "Thanks for your mail - driver development is done in the USA - we'll pass on your request" ...

If they get enough polite enthusiatic requests, some suit-wearer there may possible think it would be good PR for them to issue a driver update.

There will never be an updated driver from Akai.

rogue scrunt wrote:There will never be an updated driver from Akai.

If, instead of taking 2 minutes to post that on here, you took 2 minutes to man up a little. email them and ask for one, there might be.
(although there probably won't )

Send email, got same answer.
One can only hope!

Not up on USB drivers, but the Ren requires a USB driver, just wondering if that would work?

MPC-Tutor wrote:Not up on USB drivers, but the Ren requires a USB driver, just wondering if that would work?

Almost certainly not. Drivers are very specific low-level binary files, that provide an interface between the Windows operating system and the MPC4000.
Every time the Windows OS changes, the driver needs to change accordingly too.
(Although if anyone wants to try, be my guest!)

Just thought I'd bump this thread,
firstly because it's useful

Secondly to advise of a potential problem:

make sure when you create your virtual Windows XP machine inside VirtualBox, that you allocate a big enough virtual hard drive.
Because mine has got filled up by now (mostly from downloading bloody Windows XP updates onto it to keep it secure!) ... and it's not easy to resize the virtual machine once you've created it - in fact it'll probably be easier for me just to delete it and make a new bigger one and re-install Ak.Sys and the USB drivers again.....

K9,
there is no need to keep your virtual copy secure cause it is 'sandboxed' inside your W8- that is secure, no?
in fact, once you got it stable etc, i wouldn't change it by updating yr OS...
will send the mail-request though - it is just a question of awaking those apatic americans...
cheers,
jay

"sandboxed"? It's just there on my hard drive like a big jar of honey, it will soon get covered in wasps! Plus, it has Internet access of its own.
(Occasionally I use it to run other odd programs that won't work on Win7/8 ... e.g. I remember someone sending me a document in a Lotus Notes format, and the only free viewer I could find would only install in XP)

If they get enough polite enthusiatic requests, some suit-wearer there may possible think it would be good PR for them to issue a driver update.

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