Just a "heads up" for those who use Saitek Multi-Panels and Fips. I recently did a major up grade to my system and all was working great. Yesterday I did the recommended Windows 8.1 Upgrade. Since then the panels no longer function properly. A quick check with the org revealed several people who made the same mistake as me are having the same issue's. They work fine under Windows 8 but when the upgrade is installed they don't. I have contacted Saitek and am awaiting a reply. In the meantime if like me all you use your system for is flying, hold off with the update till the issue is resolved.

 

 

Best Regards,

 

Scot

Windows 8.1 actually reinstalls a lot of 3rd party apps. Check the install date (in the Windows Control Panel) for anything that was installed for your Saitek panel. First try a repair install. If that doesn't work, try an uninstall and clean install with the most recent MadKatz/Saitek driver package. I had the same problem with Natural Point's drivers and app for TrackIR, but a repair install cured it.

 

Also, there is a lot of chatter online that when going from Win 8 to 8.1, that your should first disconnect all external devices except the keyboard and mouse. Apparently the 8.1 upgrade is far too aggressive in installing hardware drivers and often does the wrong thing.

Windows 8.1 actually reinstalls a lot of 3rd party apps. Check the install date (in the Windows Control Panel) for anything that was installed for your Saitek panel. First try a repair install. If that doesn't work, try an uninstall and clean install with the most recent MadKatz/Saitek driver package. I had the same problem with Natural Point's drivers and app for TrackIR, but a repair install cured it.

 

Also, there is a lot of chatter online that when going from Win 8 to 8.1, that your should first disconnect all external devices except the keyboard and mouse. Apparently the 8.1 upgrade is far too aggressive in installing hardware drivers and often does the wrong thing.

Thanks I will give this a try right away and report back

 

thanks. 

 

Scot

I have yet to hear from Saitek which doesn't surprise me. However I have heard several times from Sparker who is the developer of the plugin for said panels to function with X-Plane and they did reply to him stating they are aware of the situation, and it is on their "to do list" .... loose translation..... well let's just say it wasn't them who developed the plugin so their products would function properly inside X-Plane. If you have the ability to instruct bios to use usb2.0, for some this is a fix, sadly my new system does not allow this. I really don't care for the new Windows 8 platform and will spend the weekend exploring linux at the suggestion of Sparker. 

 

 

Scot