You are here

Home › Forum home › VirtualMIDISynth › Bug reports › VirtualMIDISynth becomes unavailable and keeps prompting for reinstall (Win10-2004, build 10.0.19033) ›

VirtualMIDISynth becomes unavailable and keeps prompting for reinstall (Win10-2004, build 10.0.19033)

Please let our ADS show!

This sites offers only FREE software and it's supported by a few advertisement boxes (no intrusive popups).
Please:

  • disable your AdBlocker by adding CoolSoft website to whitelist
  • give the proper cookie consent
  • enable JavaScript for this website

This seconds wait is to let you update your browser configuration...

Ok, I've done the required changes... now show me your content!
!!! Please enable JavaScript !!!

Pages

coolsoft
Posts: 1934
Joined: March 25, 2012 - 01:19
VirtualMIDISynth becomes unavailable and keeps prompting for reinstall (Win10-2004, build 10.0.19033)
by coolsoft » May 10, 2020 - 16:53

I start this thread to collect all bug reports received for this same issue.

Latest Windows 10 builds (10.0.19033 and newer) keep "uninstalling" VirtualMIDISynth driver registration at each reboot (and also after some time the system is up and running).

Registry key where VirtualMIDISynth registers itself is somehow "reset" at each boot; the effect is that VirtualMIDISynth (and MIDIMapper) are not available anymore to MIDI applications, though they're still installed.
VirtualMIDISynth detects this at its startup and prompts the user for reistallation of the driver but, as said above, this fix won't last for a long time.

Bug was reported here (and then here), and my first suggestion was to change registry key permissions to avoid an external process to change driver registration.
It was only a temporary workaround, just to discover what's removing VMS registration (I'm not going to force users change anything into the registry, this could be a recipe for a disaster...).

I'm still investigating on the bug, and got some help by a MS internal.
It seems VMS requires a lot of changes to be fully compatible with newer Windows versions, so this could require a lot of time and effort.

Please post here if you're experiencing the same bug, together with your Windows version (open VirtualMIDISynth configurator, About tab, first line "Windows 10...").

I'll keep this thread updated...

UPDATE: 2020-06-29 - 2nd beta version
This version is 2.9.1 with the addition of Windows10-2004 fix and some improvements on SF list.
Final fix will come, once testing is complete, in 2.10.

UPDATE: 2020-08-11
Version 2.10-beta released, closing this thread.

Sequenzzer
Posts: 19
Joined: June 3, 2017 - 02:22
Re: VirtualMIDISynth becomes unavailable and keeps prompting for reinstall
by Sequenzzer » May 10, 2020 - 17:01

Hello,

Yes happening quite frequently...My build is Windows 10 Home (64 bit) (10.0.19041)

Thanks

Mike

OpenRift
Posts: 4
Joined: May 8, 2020 - 22:41
Re: VirtualMIDISynth becomes unavailable and keeps prompting for reinstall
by OpenRift » May 10, 2020 - 19:18

Issue's happening on Windows 10 Home (64-bit) version 10.0.19041 Build 19041.

basic2004
Posts: 1
Joined: July 17, 2017 - 02:07
Re: VirtualMIDISynth becomes unavailable and keeps prompting for reinstall
by basic2004 » May 11, 2020 - 17:07

I have this issue with latest VirtualMIDISynth in these versions of Windows 10.

  • Windows 10 20H1 10.0.19041 (this will be stable 20H1)
  • Windows 10 20H2 10.0.19613 (Insider preview installed in VMware)
  • Windows 10 20H2 10.4.19624 (Clean installed from 10.0.19613)

Unfortunately, I thought Windows will not solve this issue currently, why Windows kills MIDI features when major updating?

And I found more issue.

I turned to disable Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth from Device Manager but this is enabled force so this is still default driver with these versions.

syryo
Posts: 43
Joined: June 28, 2018 - 13:02
Re: VirtualMIDISynth becomes unavailable and keeps prompting for reinstall
by syryo » May 11, 2020 - 21:16

There is another issue (or is it the same?) that happens often: Vanbasco's midi device setup come back to default device (Windows GS). This issue tipically happens when I switch audio device from one to another, i.e., from Realtek to Behringer.
Sometimes it also occurs when I double click on a midi file to play it via Vanbasco (default midi app).

coolsoft
Posts: 1934
Joined: March 25, 2012 - 01:19
Re: VirtualMIDISynth becomes unavailable and keeps prompting for reinstall
by coolsoft » May 12, 2020 - 08:43
syryo wrote:
There is another issue (or is it the same?) that happens often: Vanbasco's midi device setup come back to default device (Windows GS). This issue tipically happens when I switch audio device from one to another, i.e., from Realtek to Behringer.
Sometimes it also occurs when I double click on a midi file to play it via Vanbasco (default midi app).

Well, it could be the same issue.
If VMS "disappears", then VanBasco tooks the first available device instead of the expected (and now missing) one.

syryo wrote:
This issue tipically happens when I switch audio device from one to another

It seems to be related to some new Windows audio service behavior... Still investigating on it ;)

syryo
Posts: 43
Joined: June 28, 2018 - 13:02
Re: VirtualMIDISynth becomes unavailable and keeps prompting for reinstall
by syryo » May 12, 2020 - 10:19
coolsoft wrote:

If VMS "disappears", then VanBasco tooks the first available device instead of the expected (and now missing) one.

No, VMS is still there, no need to reinstall it.

Actually I run VMS on Windows 10 pro x64 but I have detected this behaviour since I installed Windows 10 about 2 years ago; it occurs also on my friends' PCs with W10.

coolsoft
Posts: 1934
Joined: March 25, 2012 - 01:19
Re: VirtualMIDISynth becomes unavailable and keeps prompting for reinstall
by coolsoft » May 12, 2020 - 10:21
syryo wrote:

No, VMS is still there, no need to reinstall it.

Actually I run VMS on Windows 10 pro x64 but I have detected this behaviour since I installed Windows 10 about 2 years ago; it occurs also on my friends' PCs with W10.

Ok, so it's not related to this.
Start a new thread if you have further info.

Kaminari
Posts: 19
Joined: June 16, 2016 - 19:07
Re: VirtualMIDISynth becomes unavailable and keeps prompting for reinstall
by Kaminari » May 13, 2020 - 15:15

Windows 10 Pro (64 bit) (10.0.19041) [Release Preview Version 2004]

Happens to me on every reboot.

coolsoft
Posts: 1934
Joined: March 25, 2012 - 01:19
Re: VirtualMIDISynth becomes unavailable and keeps prompting for reinstall
by coolsoft » May 19, 2020 - 12:02
basic2004 wrote:
Unfortunately, I thought Windows will not solve this issue currently, why Windows kills MIDI features when major updating?

Well, this is not an OS bug to fix (by MS) but a new Windows OS "feature" we're forced to manage :(.

They changed the way Drivers32 registry key is managed by the Plug&Play subsystem.
So they now require (and suppose) VirtualMIDISynth to work as any other Windows driver (WHDL and stuff...).

Packaging it as a driver requires a lot of additional and costly steps: obtain a code-signing certificate, register myself as a driver developer, submit driver binaries to WHDL quality tests, sign binaries and, finally, distribute them.
The most expensive step is the code-signing certificate; it's not a standard certificate but one released from a few CA that Microsoft consider safe for kernel drivers... and it costs a lot of money ;)

BUT... unfortunately VMS is NOT and doesn't need to be a kernel driver (.sys).
It's an User Mode driver (.dll), so it should not really need to be certified, because it won't harm the system at all (even if it contains some bug) and doesn't interact with the kernel.

Still looking for a workaround...

@all: if you have any in-depth knowledge, please get in touch (contact page).

Pages

Reply to existing threads: no
Edit own posts: no
Add attachments: no
Download attachments: no

Login

Support me

Click here if you want to support CoolSoft using PayPal

or Buy me a coffee