Reward for Media Direct USB audio output help

im offering $50 pay-pal to anyone who can configure my USB audio playback device (griffin USB FM transmitter -RocketFM) to work with the MediaDirect Button..e-mail me at [email protected]

 

Save your money, I'm pretty sure it won't work because I don't believe there's any USB driver support built into the Media Direct Feature just like there's no PCMCIA driver support for people trying to use higher end PCMCIA Audio Cards from what I understand. This hardware only works once you have Windows up and running to load the drivers for it.

 

well im not so sure your so right..ive opened the partioned area that Media Direct runs in..some of the files mention USB functions..for example my USB keyboard and mouse works from Media Direct..why not audio?

 

Didn't you have to install drivers for this "griffin USB FM transmitter -RocketFM" device to work in Windows though?

 

yes i installed the driver in windows.im not sure how..but maybe somehow the driver could be installed into mediadirect? maybe there is a workaround

 

i belive Mediadirect uses some form of windows..cause everytime you close media direct a windows logo shows up

 

It could be that Leykis101 hit it on the head in the other thread. Maybe it just doesn't provide power to the usb ports while in MediaDirect. Therefore items that don't need usb power will work (keyboard, mouse, even my wireless remote). My USB SB Live does not work.

On the other hand, the two items that are working, also require no drivers...

 

Sorry, I can't help you there, I don't own any systems that use Media Direct so I can't open it up and look at it to be able to figure it out for you. If your ever in Nevada though look me up and bring your laptop and I'll have a look at it for you and see if I can figure out a way to force a driver in there for you, no charge even.

In just searching the Internet to see if anyone has reported pulling this off before my searches have found nothing. Without having one in front of me to mess around I'll be of little more help to you.

 

Just tried it again with some other devices, and here's what I got:

1) USB SB Live = no power, no go
2) Infrared receiver + Harmony Remote = works fine
3) Pocket PC cradle = no syncing/access, but shows charging from USB???
4) USB Card reader in 2405FPW = works fine
5) MS optical mouse/ keyboard = works fine
6) Firewire external HD = not detected

Maybe it gives someone an idea of what can/can't be used. I'm clueless

 

Garbuckle,
Have you looked in your BIOS settings for a way to control any of this?

I know within Windows at least, in your device manager and under your USB device when you open the info on it, there are options in there to allow, windows at least, to be able to turn the power off to the USB ports to save battery consumption. You can turn this off if you have a USB device you want to use to bring windows out of hibernation.

The default setting for this in all XP systems is to allow windows to turn the device off (no power to the USB ports). I doubt it would have any effect changing this in Windows but you could try. Or look in your BIOS for simular settings.

 

No, I haven't really looked. I remember seeing something like a "wake on keyboard" event in the BIOS. I keep my system in standby by all the time and use the remote to turn it on and off, which works just fine for me, and a bootup time of 4 seconds is rather nice...

I don't actually use MediaDirect, but thought others may be interested to see which devices may or may not work.

I dont have any solutions, just opinions

 

Seems the Media Direct questions are rather popular around here, so anything at all everyone putting their heads together on towards it would likely be found helpful. I just wish for the sake of looking into it further I had a system here that used it.

I downloaded a zip file someone had listed here with supposedly the ISO repair for Media Direct from Dell, but the file is bad so I can't unzip it and take a peek at whats supposed to be inside there. Obviously it has to load some drivers or the DVD player wouldn't work, it's fast loading so there can't be much to it. I can't imagine there's no way to inject a driver for a device into it and do some simple editing to get it recognized and working. But what OS are they using to get it to run so you know what drivers to use in it? They could be using almost anything for an OS, I'm guessing it's some form of Windows though, otherwise the Open Source crowds would be all over it and information would be readily available. When you open where it's housed at on the hard drive what kind of files and directories (folders) do you see in there?

 

you can change the channel the RocketFM broadcasts from windows..in fact thats the only way..when im running Media Direct it is getting power..again i know this because it lights up and when my stereo reciever is on its getting a signal because the reciever static goes away..just no audio is being transmitted through Media Direct.....

i also belive you can inject a driver...if i knew a little how drivers work id try...last night i got the Paragon Partion Manager so i could view the files on the Hiden partioned area of my harddrive..the files look like somthing you could mess with...i would think there is a Registry in Media-direct where you could make these changes..but i dont see one..but then again im not expert ive only played around vaguely with it....

i would think somone could make a buck making a program which could allow somoen to install audio and other drivers into Media-Direct....eventually Dell/Microsoft will come out with more features for this..but now we are impatient arent we....ive decided to just use the Mini jack plug for my audio and use a USB powered FM transmitter which gets its audio from the Mini-Jack and split it over to to small exernal speakers which ill keep in my laptop carrying case

IM NO LONGER OFFERING THE REWARD ($50) IVE GIVEN UP

 

Oh great, I had good plans for that $50 too. It would have been just enough for me to be able to buy a new laptop bag and retire the plastic grocery store bag I'm currently planning to use to carry my new laptop around in.

Keep checking back all the same, people do seem to have an interest in this type of subject, somethings bound to get figured out about it.