Windows 10 DAX driver error - One possible solution

Mark_WS7M

Hi All,

After having my main computer running Win10 and SmartSDR/DAX just fine I was disappointed to come home from a short trip (where I could not remote to the radio either) to find that Windows had done a HUGE update and after the reboot I got the dreaded DAX driver error message when DAX tried to run.

I followed all the procedures here numerous times including manual uninstall, re-install of the drivers. Nothing seemed to work.  5 reboots later still no go.  So I created a help desk request and Dudley sent me note.  Eventually he suggested a team viewer session so we set that up.

The moment he logged in DAX started to work. So the solution is just to get Dudley to log into your computer and DAX will be fixed.   JUST KIDDING!!!  Actually Dudley was great but I think the real solution for me was this:

Follow the uninstall of SSDR carefully.

Now reboot.  After the reboot go into the computer management/devices and use the view menu to show hidden devices.  If you are like me you will have TONS of old DAX drivers.

highlight each one, hit delete and confirm removal.  Repeat this for all DAX drivers.  BE CAREFUL not to delete something else.  Take your time, remove ALL DAX drivers so the list is clean.

I then performed another reboot.  Upon startup I went back into devices and confirmed that there were no DAX drivers.

I then ran the SSDR installer V1.5.1 as administrator.  This sort of fails in that it installs SSDR just fine but the DAX drivers still report the problem.   

Reboot again.  After the boot SmartCAT should load but for me DAX does not automatically load.  If I remember right DAX starts up when you try to start up SmartSDR.  I could be mistaken but after my reboot SmartCAT is there but DAX is not.

Find DAX desktop app in your start menu and run it.  It should ask if you want to make changes to the system.  This means it is running in administrator mode.   If you do not get the changes to the system prompt then your DAX is maybe not loading as admin.  To solve this navigate to SmartSDR install directory in program files under FlexRadio systems and right click on DAX.  In the properties there is a checkbox to run as administrator.  Make sure it is checked.

Anyway once I re-ran DAX as administrator after manually removing every DAX driver, re-installing and rebooting I now have DAX working.

I think the key is two things:

1) Removal of the hidden drivers, then fresh reboot
2) Verification that you are running DAX as administrator

Anyway I am back and running with DAX under Windows 10.

A BIG BIG thank you to Dudley!  He's the best.

Jim Gilliam

This is a real problem with Flex is the **** routine of doing a reinstall. I really wish that Flex would come up with a program to  uninstall this program. This is causing lots of hours of people having to go through this routine over and over and over and over again. It is really getting old. Come on Flex!!!

Jim, K6QE

Jay Nation

Congratulations Mark!

Glad you got over that bump in the road.
The secret is to indeed follow the ZenDesk guide, and carefully complete each step in sequence.
Then before reinstalling it, make sure you have completely removed any remaining DAX devices, and any Ghosted/Remaining com ports. I usually remove the remaining FlexControl port too, but that might be why I had to wing the reinstall of my FlexControl driver.

Winging the steps or improvising, will likely result in the need to do it over, again, and again, etc.

73, Jay - NO5J

Mark_WS7M

I will add one thing.  Dudley let me know that Flex is heavily testing Win10 so hopefully with the new release things might be a little smoother.

I am just thankful for Flex to listen and work with us on things like this.   I can't tell you the number of vendors I work with that would say:  Oh Win10?  You are on your own... and yes they have every right to say that but a true support oriented group such as Flex would never do such a thing.  Dudley was right there assisting as he could through the problem.

k3Tim

In my dealings with Windows 10, same experience with the drivers getting munged by the MS updates.  This is a problem due to how the updates are handling the drivers. My thought is there's no reason to remove SSDR itself, only the (dax/cat) drivers. As Jay says follow the Flex instructions. When uninstalling the drivers from the dev mgr be sure to say to remove the s/w from the machine.  Doing this, rebooting and then manually installing the Dax / Cat as admin will bring things back to life..

FWiW, the family Matriarch (+90 yrs old) installed Win 10 on her own and is up and running.  

k3Tim

Hi Jim,

This is not a Flex problem. After updating Win 10 I had problems with Dax / Cat.  The Dev Mgr showed multiple copies of each device when there was only one of each before the upgrade. For some reason the update replicated extra ports for Cat and Dax when it should not of. Removing these and reinstalling Dax/Cat cured the defect.

This was totally out of Flex's control.

I also had problems with an Nvidia driver but quickly cured this also. All in all it was a 30 minutes to fix everything. I trust MS updates will go smoother in the future. 

Best Regards,

Tim

Sergey R5AU

Mark, this is well known issue on W10( BTW on some builds of W8 was the same symptoms ), however the way out well known as well: two options or you deinstalling SSDR completely(with DAX , CAT etc) before W10 build rollout or afterwards you need again deinstalling SSDR completely+ manually removing all hidden devices. This just take a few minute exclude resizing you SSDR GUI after new install.
P.S. 
all options and profiles inside radio and not in the SSDR what give us real advantages here (sorry exclude CAT and DAX but pignuts for two mouse clicks)

Jay Nation

We might all need to practice getting all the way through the removal steps correctly, the first time. I know I need to, at least.
1.6 may not require removal but ...

73, Jay - NO5J

Jim Gilliam

How do you reinstall the Dax/Cat without reinstalling the complete program? Are you saying "Tim's removal" is not necessary just remove all vestiges of Dax/Cat from the device manager?  It gets frustrating in that everybody seems to sing a different song regarding this problem.