"Communication driver" failure alert
About this alert:
- Applies to old-style recorders only (serial numbers <20000 and buttons on the front face)
- Occurs when the driver that lets Hub read and reset the old recorder's clock is not functioning or is missing
- Is expected to occur occasionally on Windows 10 computers (see "more detail," below)
- Will also occur on any operating system if the driver is damaged or missing
Proceed with recorder transfer.
Proceed with recorder transfer, or erase the recorder if appropriate. The timestamps in the transferred data are not affected.
(The alert in the image was for an empty recorder. A recorder with data will transfer and process as usual.)
Next, troubleshoot the issue following the steps below, or contact [email protected] for assistance.
Rule out a missing or malfunctioning driver.
Regardless of your operating system, if this is a new installation of LENA Hub, or if it's the first time you've seen this alert on a Hub that has been working fine with old recorders, you may just need to (re)install the driver, restart your computer, and try again.
What if Windows says the driver is already installed?
Windows 7 users: Contact [email protected] for help troubleshooting a recorder driver error on Windows 7.
Windows 10 users: See below.
Learn more about the Windows 10 incompatibility.
Here's what you need to know about the COM driver, old recorders, and Windows 10:
The old-style LENA recorder is incompatible with Windows 10 on some computers. The incompatibility results in failure of this COM driver, responsible for transmitting date-time information to and from the recorder. Hub versions prior to 3.4.0 could not communicate with the recorder at all if the driver failed, and so data transfer was not possible.
LENA Hub versions 3.4.0 and higher contain a workaround that allows data transfer even if this driver fails. The alert is provided as a courtesy so the user is aware that the clock has not been updated.
Why does this alert matter?
The recorder's on-board clock, like most clocks, continuously drifts away from true time. To keep your LENA reports accurate, the LENA Hub attempts to correct the clock time on any recorder that is connected. This alert indicates that the clock wasn't reset on this connection.
If this alert occurs every time this recorder is connected, over a long period of time, the recorder could eventually return data with incorrect timestamps. However, even with Windows 10, each recorder's clock will be updated on some connections, especially if you are in the habit of restarting the computer each day. With occasional updates, it will stay accurate enough.
If you find that this alert occurs on all or nearly all connections, and you notice the timestamps of your recordings do not seem accurate, consider replacing your old-style recorders with the current version.