Edirol/Roland USB legacy driver hack for Windows 10

[sonichouse]

I used this hack to get my PCR M30 working on Windows 10, after finding this page:

https://www.roland.com/uk/support/by_pr ... es_drivers

...that says it isn't supported beyond Windows 8.

However, I then happened upon this page:

https://rolandus.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/a ... river-Mode

...that explains how to change the settings of the PCR M30 so that it doesn't need a driver by changing the driver type from "orG" (Original) to "GEn" (Generic).

I don't know if there are similar instructions for other units but hopefully this might help someone.

[BillB]

Hi Sonichouse, welcome to the forum and thank you for making a helpful suggestion.

Many Roland / Edirol USB devices can use either the generic USB driver or the ‘original’ driver mode. Generic will work in most cases, but the original driver will usually provide improved performance or function. In the case of UM-550\880 midi interfaces, original mode allows the use of:
FPT = Fast Processing Technology of MIDI Transmission: This optimizes MIDI data processing by making efficient use of the USB bandwidth according to the amount of MIDI data being transferred.

So if using generic mode, you have to check in the manual to see what you may be losing. It is, at the very least, a reliable fallback, so very good to be reminded that it is there.

[adrian_k]

Thanks guys for this thread

Just to add I've changed my PCR-M30 to use the general midi driver as suggested above and have seen no problems so far, latency is fine and all works as I would expect. I am a very light midi user though...

[Wonks]

I am a very light midi user though...

Have you been on a diet?

[adrian_k]

Definitely eating less pasta ..

[MusicM]

Thanks to this post I now can use my Edirol UA-1EX soundcard on Windows 10. How nice!

However, since that time my desktop PC reboots from time to time on its own. Sometimes twice a week, sometimes things go well for a couple of weeks, I can't really pull an arrow on it. A few weeks ago I received a blue screen with a 'clock watchdog timeout' message. However, this was only once.

Because it started to annoy me a little I removed the Edirol UA-1EX from my PC and connected my amplifier with my on-board sound card. The result: less good sound but no sudden reboots anymore.

Could these reboots be caused by the modified .inf file / use of the Windows 8.1 driver under windows 10?

[Jugo6]

Hi everyone,

as many thist saved some old Roland / Edirol gear . my PCR500 but moslty the UA-700 (very nice stuff, loads of possibilities, even outdated. Comes in nicely recording but also playing on Jamulus).

I followed mainly the same procedure, but couldnt run install/setup, so after disabling signature enforcement, I switched on the interface, went to device management, and could repair the error by choosing updating the driver manualy (the directory with the adapted .inf file).

Typical that it seemed to work on advanced mode by a default Windows10 driver. To be noted: larger Windows update tend to destroy the driver, so I had to do the process again this week. But the Edirol UA-700 works again. Thanks and all the others: keep trying!

[BillB]

Jugo, welcome to the SOS forum and thanks for sharing your experience.

MusicM, welcome also!

As to the cause of reboots - who knows with Windows. It would seem that most folks are modifying these drivers without any undue consequences.

[KuotaGrant]

I originally used this hack about 2 years ago and it has worked perfectly until just recently. It doesn't always load on startup or reboot which is weird, I think.

It began happening about 3 weeks ago shortly after a Windows 10 update. Earlier this week there was another update and it remains to be seen but seems to be loading mostly ok now.

If anyone has any ideas why sound drivers inconsistently load OR how to enable them when they have not loaded I am all ears as rebooting is a pain. I tried going to device manager but when it doesn't load it doesn't appear there, which I guess makes sense.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. And, again, thanks a ton to the original poster who gave directions on editing drivers. Otherwise my V20 Studio, which I love, would be garbage.

[ajmiller]

I recently used this tutorial to get my Edirol UA-25 working on Win10.

https://youtu.be/Iqu_sv6Znuk

[Guest]

WOW. Now THIS is why we geeks built the internet.

This guy, "Tímo" posted this (below) solution to a tragic problem that he knew was shared by many of us other geeks out here in the world at large.

Now, more than 5 years later, I am reviving my home recording studio -- here in Denver, CO, USA -- and am just now discovering this problem.

"Tímo" - your taking the time and care to post this well written and detailed set of instructions has saved me literally thousands of dollars in equipment replacement.

I can't thank you enough.

Recently purchased a new PC (thanks 3XS) and migrated to Win 10.

Sadly Edirol/Roland do not officially support Win 10 with some of their older USB devices (likely due to costly driver certification?), so was unable to install my previously trusty Edirol UM-3EX 3-in/out MIDI interface. It attempts to install them, gets halfway through, then suddenly states the drivers aren't compatible and automatically launches the uninstall process.



Other Edirol/Roland products potentially affected:

Audio interfaces:
Cakewalk FA-66 [limited]
EDIROL FA-66 [limited]
FA-101
UA-1EX
UA-25

Midi interfaces:
UM-1/1EX/1S/1SX/1X
UM-2/2C/2E/2EX
UM-3EX
UM-550
UM-880

Midi controller keyboards:
A-500S
PC-50
PCR-30
PCR-50
PCR-80
PCR-M1
PCR-M30
PCR-M50
PCR-M80
PCR-300
PCR-500
PCR-800

V-Studio:
V-STUDIO 20
V-STUDIO 700 CONSOLE
V-STUDIO 700 I/O

DTMP:
MA-1EX
SD-20
SD-80
SD-90

Synthesizers:
Fantom-G6
Fantom-G7
Fantom-G8
SonicCell

Guitar & Bass:
DR-880 [Limited]
eBand JS-8
GT-Pro

Attempting to install with compatibility settings, admin privileges, etc. also fail to work.

However there is a workaround that people have used with V-Drums and it worked for my UM-3EX too, although it takes a little editing and bypassing certification. It's worth a try before you junk or ebay the unit which I was about to do.

Without further ado:

• Remove the Edirol/Roland USB device from your PC, if connected.
• Download the Windows 8.1 drivers for your Edirol/Roland device (UM-3EX in my case) from the Edirol/Roland website.
• Extract the contents its own new folder (um3ex_w81d_v101, in this case).
• Search the folder and sub-folders for an *.inf file. In my case there were two, one in each of the 32- and 64-bit folders: um3ex_w81d_v101/Files/64bit/Files/RDIF1058.INF and um3ex_w81d_v101/Files/32bit/Files/RDIF1058.INF
• Open these *.inf file(s) using Notepad.
• Search within the *.inf files (ctrl+f) for the text string: "[Roland.NTamd64.6.2]" (not including the speech marks) and take a look at the lines below it. Mine showed:

Code: Select all

[Roland.NTamd64.6.2]
;; Windows8
%RDID0058DeviceDesc%=RDID0058Install, USB\VID_0582&PID_009A ; UM-3EX

[Roland.NTamd64.7]
;; not supported

• The above lines of code show the drivers would be installed by Windows 8.x, but not for versions after it, even if they are compatible. To get it to install for Windows 10 you will need to copy the line of code that was used for [Roland.NTamd64.6.2] and paste it into the [Roland.NTamd64.7] section, overwriting where it says ";; not supported".

So you should now have something similar below, where your Edirol/Roland device is duplicated for both the Roland.NTamd64.6.2 and Roland.NTamd64.7 portions:

Code: Select all

[Roland.NTamd64.6.2]
;; Windows8
%RDID0058DeviceDesc%=RDID0058Install, USB\VID_0582&PID_009A ; UM-3EX

[Roland.NTamd64.7]
%RDID0058DeviceDesc%=RDID0058Install, USB\VID_0582&PID_009A ; UM-3EX

• Save the *.inf files (overwrite them).

Given the drivers have now effectively been 'tampered' with, Windows won't automatically allow them to be executed as a security precaution. Therefore you will need to install them without driver signature enforcement.

To do this (before going further you may need to write these down as you'll be restarting your PC and may not know what to click)....

• Click Windows Start, and type "Change advanced start-up options" and execute it. This will take you to the Windows 10 Settings Recovery options.
• On the right, where it says Advanced Startup, choose "Restart Now"
• Once it takes you to the blue menu screen, click: "Troubleshoot", followed by "Advanced Settings" > "Startup Settings" > "Restart".
• Once PC has restarted, press the number 7 to 'Disable driver signature enforcement'.
• Finally, navigate to where you extracted and modified the drivers and install the new modified drivers. Follow any on-screen prompts and insert the Edirol/Roland USB device when requested to complete the installation.
• Restart PC after completion (this will automatically take you out of 'disable driver signature' mode).

Done.

Hope this may help others in the same predicament as it helped me. Full kudos to intouch1 from the vdrums forum: https://www.vdrums.com/forum/advanced/t ... ver-solved

~Timo

[Marbrien]

I have an Edirol FA-101 firewire audio interface. I have been using a similar method to that described in the OP to successfully install it under successive versions of Windows 10 Home 64 bit, up to and including version 1909. But with version 20H2 it fails. The procedure, in brief, is as follows:

1. Uninstall the device. Disable Driver Signature Enforcement.
2. Run Roland’s setup.exe with a .inf file modified to allow installation under Windows 10, ignoring any ‘driver not certified’ warnings.
3. When the setup program requests it, plug the Edirol’s firewire cable into the PC’s firewire card and power on the Edirol.
4. After a few moments the setup continues and completes and the device works. Reenable Driver Signature Enforcement.

The problem in Win 10 ver 20H2 is that setup.exe does not restart at step 4, it hangs. The Edirol powers on, the firewire card shows as OK in Device Manager, but the install will not go to step 4. Does anyone have any ideas?

[bassg]

The problem in Win 10 ver 20H2 is that setup.exe does not restart at step 4, it hangs. The Edirol powers on, the firewire card shows as OK in Device Manager, but the install will not go to step 4. Does anyone have any ideas?

Yeah, I am in the same situation now...Windows got updated over the weekend to 20H2 and my FA-101 no longer works, it's precisely like you wrote - the installation is stuck after connecting the device and no drivers get installed. I am trying to find some solution but does not seem too likely right now...anyway, have you been successful, by any chance? I fear it's time to say good bye to FA-101 (it's served me for more than 15 years!) and move to some other solution...

[Marbrien]

I'm afraid I did not find a solution. Like you, my Edirol FA-101 has given me good service (13 years in my case) but I've had to give up on it. I bought a Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 third generation, which seems to have everything the Edirol gave me and works fine with Windows 10 v 20H2.

[bassg]

I'm afraid I did not find a solution.

Yeah, I could not have waited for a fix so had to say good bye to FA-101 (I bought it back in 2004 if I remember correctly, so it has served me for 17 years). My budget is rather tight so I had to look for some cheap solution, at least until I could afford some better interface, and I found Behringer UMC1820 - looked perfect for my needs, I was not too sure whether I should go that route (I usually avoid anything Behringer, old habit I guess) - but I have to say I'm impressed, for 200 EUR I cannot complain about anything (solid build, lots of connectivity, absolutely trouble free drivers and awesome latency, totally unexpected). Glad you've found your replacement too, you can't go wrong with Focusrite I'd say (I was considering it too actually).

[Dmitro]

Awesome, the hack worked like a charm, edirol PCR-500 windows 10

[zebri]

thanks so much! it worked for me with edirol pcr-1 and windows 10

[FFX267]

Hi Timo,

Even a post from 6 years ago can safe a life!
I was trying to connect my PCR-300 to a Windows11 Pro PC. No succes at all. I was looking for drivers and found the 8.1. Installing with no succes.
I was thinking to throw my PCR-300 out of the window followed by the PCR-800.
Again I asked my friend google for some more hints and found this article.
Man, I was so happy to hear a note in Ableton after I hit a button on my pcr.
It is working now!!!

This article is worth 100K kudo's for saving a lot of hardware.
Thanks dude, i'm so happy!!!

[E32dX0]

Thanks again!

This hack has worked for me 2x now, latest Win 10 update made my UM-2 (yes, its old!) unresponsive again, so I pulled out the PDF I had made of Timo's posting when this computer was originally initialized with Win 10 and 15 minutes later, UM-2 is back online.

Accessing the restart has changed slightly; from PC Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > Advanced startup > Restart now

Invaluable resource!

[basuramail]

UPDATE: Edirol FA-101 Firewire Audio Interface WORKING with all Windows 10 Versions!!!!

the procedure, in brief, is as follows:

1. Disable Driver Signature Enforcement (two methode)
2. Edit *.inf files of downloaded edirol fa-101 windows 8 64 bit drivers
3. run driver installation setup
4. Check driver installation on device manager.
5. Reenable Driver Signature Enforcement.

Step by Step guide

1. Disable Driver Signature Enforcement

Methode 1: open elevated command prompt (run cmd as administrator) and run the commands

Code: Select all

BCDEDIT -Set LoadOptions DISABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS
BCDEDIT -Set TESTSIGNING ON

Methode 2

• Click Windows Start, and type "Change advanced start-up options" and execute it. This will take you to the Windows 10 Settings Recovery options.
• On the right, where it says Advanced Startup, choose "Restart Now"
• Once it takes you to the blue menu screen, click: "Troubleshoot", followed by "Advanced Settings" > "Startup Settings" > "Restart".
• Once PC has restarted, press the number 7 to 'Disable driver signature enforcement'.
a graphical guide here:
https://www.simple-shop.si/en/disable-e ... windows-10

2. Edit *.inf files of downloaded edirol fa-101 windows 8 64 bit drivers

Download the driver for windows 8 64bit from Roland Website: fa101_864d_v100.zip. Entpack it and edit the two *.inf files locates in folder files.
https://www.roland.com/global/support/b ... 89fff744d/

RRIF0001.INF before Changes

Code: Select all

[Manufacturer]
%S_Provider%=_Devices,NTamd64.6.2

;******************************************************************************
; Models sections
;------------------------------------------------------------------------------
; x64-based systems
[_Devices]
;; WindowsVista 64 or Windows XP 64
;; not supported

[_Devices.ntamd64.6.2]
%S_DeviceDesc%=_Install, 1394\EDIROL&EDIROL_FA-101

RRIF0001.INF after Changes

Code: Select all

[Manufacturer]
%S_Provider%=_Devices,ntamd64.10.0

;******************************************************************************
; Models sections
;------------------------------------------------------------------------------
; x64-based systems
[_Devices]
;; WindowsVista 64 or Windows XP 64
;; not supported

[_Devices.ntamd64.10.0]
%S_DeviceDesc%=_Install, 1394\EDIROL&EDIROL_FA-101

RRAU0001.INF before Changes

Code: Select all

[Manufacturer]
%S_Provider%=_Devices,NTamd64.6.2

;******************************************************************************
; Models sections
;------------------------------------------------------------------------------
; x64-based systems
[_Devices]
;; WindowsVista 64 or Windows XP 64
;; not supported

[_Devices.ntamd64.6.2]
%S_rrau0001_audio_device%=_rrau0001,rrau0001_ENUM\Edirol&Edirol_FA-101&AVS

RRAU0001.INF after Changes

Code: Select all

[Manufacturer]
%S_Provider%=_Devices,ntamd64.10.0

;******************************************************************************
; Models sections
;------------------------------------------------------------------------------
; x64-based systems
[_Devices]
;; WindowsVista 64 or Windows XP 64
;; not supported

[_Devices.ntamd64.10.0]
%S_rrau0001_audio_device%=_rrau0001,rrau0001_ENUM\Edirol&Edirol_FA-101&AVS

3. run driver installation setup

save the these files and run setup ignoring any ‘driver not certified’ warnings. Follow any on-screen prompts and insert the Edirol/Roland USB device when requested to complete the installation. Restart PC after completion

4. Check driver installation on device manager.

Click Windows Start, and type "devmgmt.msc" and execute it. This will take you to the Windows 10 Device Manager.
check if under 61883 devices --> FA-101 Sub --> right click if the driver provider is Roland, Driver Date 09/11/2012 and Driver version 1.0.0.0

5. Reenable Driver Signature Enforcement.

open elevated command prompt (run cmd as administrator) and run the commands

Code: Select all

BCDEDIT -Set LoadOptions ENABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS
BCDEDIT -Set TESTSIGNING OFF

that's all ...

B.