Need Help with an old Saitek R440 racing wheel setup. (software issue?)

[Konst123]

I need your help with the installation of an old racing wheel – Saitek R440, I moved to a new location and have just discovered it in my boxes - basically brand new. Hasn’t been touched since probably 2005. I decided to set it up for the kids to play, but noticed that have foolishly thrown away the CD that came with it since my laptop doesn’t have a cd reader. Now I have tried all kinds of drivers from the net, but my wheel is still only recognized as a Tactile Mouse, or “a problem with the installation occurred and might not work properly”. I tried with Windows 8.1, now have even dusted off an old desktop with an XP SP3 – same result. Found an old, XP Saitek driver, no luck. Tried uninstalling all the USB drivers before installing the Saitek one, erased all the Saitek folders in Temp and Program Files, but apparently that doesn’t work either. Can’t find much on Google, there are a few cases like mine, but all apparently have moved on to a newer wheel rather than posting a solution. I know most of you would say just buy a new wheel, but at this point I can’t, and it is also an intellectual challenge now, it has been a while since I have dealt with that kind of stuff. Can someone help please? Does anyone have the original CD for the wheel? I know there is an issue with the signature of the Saitek files so maybe I will be able to install it from a Cd on my XP system which has a cd reader? Thank you in advance for your time. If this is not the appropriate forum and you know one - please advise.

 

[Jacky_BEL]

Google search results came up with this link:

Drivers Saitek R440 Force Feedback Wheel 6.0.4.1

64-bit driver for XP upto W8.1

(Download at your own risk, but looks legit.)
Please let us know if it worked out.

Link to Saitek FTP-site with a 32-bit driver also :
Index van ftp://ftp.saitek.com/pub/software/r440/

 

[Konst123]

Thanks for the quick response. I have seen and tried both. No luck. My Xp is 32 bit by the way. Remembered to set permission to install unsigned software in the device manager, but no luck with that on too. Drivers appear to install ok but when prompted to plug in the controller then it's either not recognized or recognized as a tactile mouse. There is inconsistency in this too. I will try and reinstall again the XP, don't feel like messing up with my laptop's windows 8.1 for now. There is a video of it working on windows 10 on youtube, but the guy no longer has the setup, and can't be much of assistance. I noticed another person with similar problem and no answer. Yes I have tried on W10 - same thing - tactile mouse. Will keep thinking and reading. But the thing worked on my old XP rig long ago when I was still living in the states.. Thanks again for the help. Let me know if you think of something

 

[Jacky_BEL]

Well, I have read in a PDF manual that there was the driver software and there was a further software for configuring the programmable racing wheel.
I assume with this software you could assign various functions or keystrokes the the buttons, but it should work without it.
I guess you need to find this other software too.

On the FTP site there is software for a R220. Maybe this might lead to a solution?

You have a version number on the drivers you tried?
There are SD_6_15 drivers on the FTP site. (SD as in Signed Driver maybe?)

Also on the FTP site, there is a procedure for a manual install of HID-compliant game controller devices.

 

[Konst123]

the configuring software comes afterwards, I have tried it, however it installs other Saitek devices but interestingly enough they, (as well as the Composite device that is the actual wheel), do not have Saitek drivers but Microsoft ones as it is evident from the device manager. THis is strange to my old head. The install sais that drivers are installed properly but then doesn't recognize the controller. The device manager sais Microsoft drivers where saitek is plugged in. Strange. Tried in safe mode, with firewall off, - same thing. Interestingly when attempting to manually update the driver through device manager - the manager is looking for an .inf extension and no such file exists anywhere in the unzipped drivers. I have tried them all now - 3-4 different ones including from the FTP site. Even went and looked in the registry but there are no saitek files in the system where they should be. I give up. It's better to try and find the original disc, maybe the CD will be able to force something... not sure, but not worth the time and since no one is running such an old setup there is no much hope.... I just hate how they force us to upgrade all the time.. and render good stuff useless , but that's just me being old generation. THank you for your time again.

 

[Jacky_BEL]

If windows can't find the specific device driver, it tries to install a generic device driver, so this is normal.

The driver on the FTP website is from 2004 , XP driver model.
So you may want to install this driver in device manager as "legacy device" or "older hardware" driver.

There is a .inf file in the unzipped driver package, I ve attached it as a .txt file.
(Your file explorer needs to be configured to show file extensions).

It doesn't need to be named Saitek in the registry, it can be named different, like madcatz or immersion or something else.

This comes from the help-file of the Saitek driver:

Overriding the Windows Default Driver in Windows 2000/XP and Windows ME

Some newer Immersion Gaming devices are fully-implemented Human Interface Devices, as defined by the USB organization. Operating systems that were released after the standard was developed (Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows ME) have some built-in support for such devices, and Windows will always install its default driver when a Human Interface Device is first plugged in. The procedure that follows describes how to install the proper driver for your Immersion Gaming device in these circumstances.

1. At this point, unfortunately, Windows has installed default drivers, and we instead want the Immersion Gaming Driver to be installed. Go to Start > Settings > Control Panel.
2. Double-click the System applet. This will bring up the System Properties dialog.
3. Click on the Device Manager tab.
4. Select the "View devices by type" radio button.
5. In the list of device types, there should be an entry called "Human Interface Devices". Click the plus sign next to that entry.
6. If you have additional Human Interface Devices connected to your system other than your Immersion Gaming device, you will see them listed here. This procedure assumes that there are no other Human Interface Devices connected to your system.
   
   (In this step, in device manager, under Human Interface Device, look for a device with Vendor ID : VID_06A3 (look for it under driver details)
   
   You should see two entries under the "Human Interface Devices" entry - a "HID-compliant device" and a "USB Human Interfrace Device". Select the USB Human Interface Device entry and click the Properties button (it's near the bottom left-hand corner of the window).
7. A new window titled "USB Human Interface Device Properties" will appear. Click on the Driver tab.
8. Click the Update Driver button.
9. A new window titled "Update Device Driver Wizard" will appear. Select the "Specify the location of the driver (Advanced)" radio button, and click Next.
10. Select the "Search for a better driver than the one your device is using now (recommended)" radio button. If you are attempting to install the drivers on the CD provided by the manufacturer, make sure the checkbox that specifies "Removable Media (Floppy, CD-ROM...)" is checked. If you have downloaded a package from the web containing this driver, make sure the checkbox that specifies "Specify a location" is checked, and enter the path where the driver files are located (e.g., c:\drivers\mydevicename). Click Next.
11. At this point, once Windows has finished searching for your device drivers, you should see the name of your device, and some text indicating that Windows is ready to install the best driver for your device, and below that, the path displayed under "Location of driver" should correspond to the path you entered in the previous step (if you entered one). If it does not, you will have to consult your hardware manufacturer for technical assistance.
12. Click Next. Windows is now installing the Immersion Gaming driver.
13. Once Windows has completed updating the driver, click Finish.

If you want to keep searching for other drivers, search for Immersion Gaming Driver also, although I believe the driver on the Saitek FTP-site to be the correct one.
It's just a matter of getting it properly installed.

 

[Konst123]

OK. First of all - thank you for your persistence in helping me.. I tried all this stuff and have made the hidden files appear. THe drivers are XP compatible because there is only option for older platforms in the compatibility window... so no doubt there..

I have unzipped the drivers with the .inf folders but still device manager doesn't find anything useful. Right clicking doesn't install the file regardless of the option given, and I am not sure that .inf file is the one that should contain or be the one to open the driver... THis is my fundamental point of wonder - why the heck does the driver installer look for a .inf file?!? It has been 20 year since my overclocking days.. I am too tired to read much in the evening....

I am attaching some screens describing the situation.
I had noticed the file you have attached and actually had device manager search the driver folders congaing that file for the 2 or 3 of the drivers I have found, and no suitable software was found.
Interestingly when I plug in the device the device manager finds 2 entities - human interface devices - not sure why is that...
The driver ID doesn't contain the 06_A3, but I am not sure that this is a problem maybe those were for the saitek joystick.. don't remember.
Anyhow, at this point it would appear that I don't posses the knowledge and skills to figure out the problem. It would be better to seek the original CD or scrap the project all together. If there haven't been other people with similar issues I would have considered a hardware problem, maybe the cables/USB are faulty... but somehow I don't believe that. No body is using the operating system/wheel any longer so this is just pain..... There is something here fishy, I wish there was a way to uninstall and then not give a chance for the Microsoft drivers to install... I"ll put is aside for a while and think, maybe something will dawn to me... Cheers and thank you again.
P.S. I have had problems booting form a bootable USB on this rig, actuall only floppy and CDrom can be used to boot, Despite the fact that driver install does not require bootable media - maybe there is something to this... don't know, like I said - there is something fundamentally wrong here..

 

[Jacky_BEL]

My guess is, even if you find the original driver CD, that you will encounter the same problem.
I don't know the setup of this wheel or its requirement, but USB was supposed to make things easy.

-is DX7 or later installed?
-does it need an external power supply or adapter?
-try installing it on a powered USB-hub (with no other USB devices connected)
-try installing on a different USB-port.
-try different type of port, USB1 vs USB2,

I remember a software utility for USB from NIRsoft. It will report on all the USB stuff on your PC.
Have a look at this -> USB device view utility <- to troubleshoot your PC. Maybe even remove what is already found on your PC about the steering wheel, and disconnect the steering wheel.
Reboot and then try to run the setup.exe from the driver package before connecting the wheel.
What Vendor_ID comes up for the human_interface_device and the second USB_human_interface_device entries in device manager details?
If it doesn't match with VID_06A3 then the drivers will not install.

This is a possible solution for windows 7, found on youtube:

So here is the Solution in English. First you go on search and type regedit. Go on this File. Then on HKey_Current_Users, System, CurrentControlSet, Control, MediaProperties, PrivateProperties, Joystick, OEM. Delete the two Folders from 06A3. Then pull off the USB Stick from your Wheel, Wait a few seconds and then push it back in. The two Folders gonna respawn again, nut the Force Feedback should working again. I hope i helped you with this.

Now I've checked the VID in your screenshot.
The VID in your screenshot is not the one for the Saitek steering wheel.
The VID in your screenshot corresponds to: KYE Systems Corp. (Mouse Systems) who made Genius mouse for instance.

Something is wrong, and it seems you are not alone with this problem.
Good luck.

 

[Konst123]

Thanx! Never thought of checking the VID..... That has been my feeling all the time, something isn't right. Hence the idea to get the original CD and there is one cheap on e-bayUk that my friend might be able to get today and send to me ...(I currently reside in Bulgaria...) I read last week about the 06A3 and this is the one I was looking for earlier in the registry..., both HID have the same signature - that's why I sent you only one screen... Of course I don't connect the wheel pre-install... I have deleted and rebooted and tried many times on all the USBs.... I know something is fishy here, I am not an advanced user any longer, but still... I tried tons of stuff... Dx is 9.0c - perfectly fine, all this stuff I check... My train of thought was that either Microsoft has done something with the time that eliminates anything else but the install from the original CD..., or since Saitek doesn't support its hardware any longer - the drivers are screwed up ... I know, sounds crazy, but all the advice I have heard on Logitech and other forums was buy a different one... Interesting. Will post if I eventually succeed. Thanks again and all the best to you.
P.S. Checked all the drivers for VID - no 06... interestingly the 151205 was the only one who triggered recognition of a HID game controller in the device manager but still 0458 for both - the HID controller and the USB HID.... DOn't understand

 

[Jacky_BEL]

Saitek made another steering wheel with the same name afterwards. Maybe just cosmetic changes in appearance. I would think they would keep the same VID, as they also kept the same modelname.
If they changed internal electronics, then why would it show up as a tactile mouse from a different company. This bugs me.

Did Saitek buy the company that originally made these wheels? Or did the company just change its name?
The driver on the Saitek-FTP site could be the one for the later model steering wheel, where they changed the Vendor ID.

Interestingly, in the Saitek help file is the mentioning of "Immersion Gaming Driver".
If you for google this driver, then this comes up:

[Manufacturer]
%MANUFACTURER%= TOUCHSENSE_MANUFACTURER

[TOUCHSENSE_MANUFACTURER]
%PRODUCT_USB%= USB_Install, USB\VID_0458&PID_1008

Bingo, VID = 0458
Further research yields this: KYE International Speed Wheel Force Feedback

So yeah, that CD just might have the Immersion Gaming Driver from the original steering wheel on it.

On this site: Helpjet - driver and firmware downloads , I have found this Speed Wheel Force Feedback (USB) driver.
The driver in the link above contains a .inf file with VID = 0458 , you might want to try installing it.

Or if you have found more recent driver packages with VID_0458 and PID_1008 then they should work also.
Search for Genius , Immersion , KYE International Speed Wheel , SWFF_E_U.zip , SWFF_E_U.EXE

If you are up for testing just for fun, get the Saitek-driver from the FTP-site and compare both .INF files.
If both files are quasi identical, try substituting all instances of VID_06A3&PID_FF04 into VID_0458&PID_1008 (find and replace)

If the hardware stayed the same but the drivers got improved, that way you can benefit of these improved drivers.
BUT this is not guaranteed to work ! , so do at your own risk.

 

[Konst123]

Hi, and Happy New Year! I took a long time for the second-hand wheel to come from England to Bulgaria.

All is now well and working. Thank you! (Writing this in detail in case someone is going through the same ordeal).

• I should have stress-tested the old computer. I tried, but the test didn’t work with W.XP. There were some indications that something is wrong with the system on boot, but I thought it had to do with the old components having to warm up a bit to get within parameters. It had nothing but a clean install of the XP and did boot OK eventually. One day I discovered that the HD was running scorching hot. That probably meant corrupt windows install and corrupt installation, (driver booster managed to update everything OK however – so go figure).
• Got a different old XP rig. The england-bought wheel installed without a hitch. It took the driver that came with it and the legacy driver for XP we have quoted above – all of the drivers are working well – straight with the XP, nothing additional.
• Tried the new wheel on my W. 8.1 64 laptop – it installed again flawlessly, fully functional with the 64 bit driver offered online. I MUST state that I had installed the SWFF program you suggested above in advance, (didn’t feel like messing with it and uninstalling just to see if it would work without it), but pretty sure that did the trick. Thank you!! I noticed that when uninstalling an installed Saitek driver, for some .dll files I got a "did not self-register" message, but only when uninstalling, not on install, (I believe that was the last install/uninstall I did before getting the new whell and strangely enough on both systems Xp and 8.1). ON install it always said all was fine, just didn’t recognize the wheel as such, but rather as a pointing device...
• I was thinking that my original US-purchased wheel must have some hardware issues since the other one installed easily so decided to swap components with the english one and tested with the Laptop 8.1 system. It hesitated for a long time, maybe – 15 seconds, but now got recognized. It’s working fine. Strange... Then I realized that I had plugged it in with the english power adapter. The english came with 230V to 24V, while the US is 110V to 21V. Not sure, I am not an advanced user obviously, but could the 3V difference in currency have played a role? Don’t believe but just info for others if needed.
• Now my original one is working fine with the Laptop and there is no reason to believe that the wheel won’t work with W 10 also as in the youtube video.
• I must say that now since I last installed mine, the other one has a problem with the force feedback, so it probably would need reinstalling the river and all will be ok. So both can’t be interchanged without reinstalling the driver, but still happy cause I have a wheel to play and the young lady can do some driving preparation for the drivers’ license test...
• 
  
• Thank you so much for sticking with the issue and your help with providing the information and the file attached in your previous post.
• Till the next time and hope all is well with everybody.

 

[Rays]

Hi, and Happy New Year! I took a long time for the second-hand wheel to come from England to Bulgaria.

All is now well and working. Thank you! (Writing this in detail in case someone is going through the same ordeal).

• I should have stress-tested the old computer. I tried, but the test didn’t work with W.XP. There were some indications that something is wrong with the system on boot, but I thought it had to do with the old components having to warm up a bit to get within parameters. It had nothing but a clean install of the XP and did boot OK eventually. One day I discovered that the HD was running scorching hot. That probably meant corrupt windows install and corrupt installation, (driver booster managed to update everything OK however – so go figure).
• Got a different old XP rig. The england-bought wheel installed without a hitch. It took the driver that came with it and the legacy driver for XP we have quoted above – all of the drivers are working well – straight with the XP, nothing additional.
• Tried the new wheel on my W. 8.1 64 laptop – it installed again flawlessly, fully functional with the 64 bit driver offered online. I MUST state that I had installed the SWFF program you suggested above in advance, (didn’t feel like messing with it and uninstalling just to see if it would work without it), but pretty sure that did the trick. Thank you!! I noticed that when uninstalling an installed Saitek driver, for some .dll files I got a "did not self-register" message, but only when uninstalling, not on install, (I believe that was the last install/uninstall I did before getting the new whell and strangely enough on both systems Xp and 8.1). ON install it always said all was fine, just didn’t recognize the wheel as such, but rather as a pointing device...
• I was thinking that my original US-purchased wheel must have some hardware issues since the other one installed easily so decided to swap components with the english one and tested with the Laptop 8.1 system. It hesitated for a long time, maybe – 15 seconds, but now got recognized. It’s working fine. Strange... Then I realized that I had plugged it in with the english power adapter. The english came with 230V to 24V, while the US is 110V to 21V. Not sure, I am not an advanced user obviously, but could the 3V difference in currency have played a role? Don’t believe but just info for others if needed.
• Now my original one is working fine with the Laptop and there is no reason to believe that the wheel won’t work with W 10 also as in the youtube video.
• I must say that now since I last installed mine, the other one has a problem with the force feedback, so it probably would need reinstalling the river and all will be ok. So both can’t be interchanged without reinstalling the driver, but still happy cause I have a wheel to play and the young lady can do some driving preparation for the drivers’ license test...
• 
  
• Thank you so much for sticking with the issue and your help with providing the information and the file attached in your previous post.
• Till the next time and hope all is well with everybody.

Hi,
I have the same situation and because of this problem I have never used this wheel. I used only 5 times and the problem started and I never touched for 15 years. No one answered or take it to the next level. I am happy I found this thread. I have UK main adapter which is 230v - 24v and I still cannot install this wheel. The device id is 0468 and product id is 000f. I tried replacing the VID but no luck. I also tried to install the immersion driver first and still not working. This is a good wheel and I don't want to waste it. Can you tell me step by step what you did and what drivers install ?
If you have link to the driver that will be more helpful. I have original CD and it is not that much of help. Hope you help me

 

[Jacky_BEL]

Nothing comes up on Google search for USB VID_0468 PID_000F
So no known manufacturer or productname. Best place to start is the original driver CD, but since you found your way to the forum my guess is that you don't have any luck with the driver CD?

Better start your own new thread because this one was solved. Try adding more information also.

 

[Rays]

Thanks for the reply. I started replying here because the only one who solved this problem is the OP so if I ask in his thread he would be notified and reply. I will start my own thread also. I have original CD and as you see the OP also stated 0458 in his post. Same thing happens to me.