BeHringer FCA202 > disappeared with upgrade

And I can't go back.

Actually, you can, but short of some potentially destabilizing hacks, the only way is to reinstall the O.E.M. version of the OS from your installer disks & re-apply any desired updates, stopping one shy of 10.4.10.

FWIW, you should always have backups of any data you can't afford to lose, but another useful strategy is to maintain an offline, working clone of your boot drive (using something like SuperDuper!). If you clone it just before applying any OS (or whatever) update, you can if needs be restore your normal boot drive to its pre-updated state very easily after a couple of button presses & just a few hours of unattended operation.

I've never had any problems with any 10.4 update, but I follow this strategy religiously anyway. External drives & clone software are very inexpensive investments compared to the potential aggravation & angst they save. Aside from update incompatibility protection, this is pretty good protection against hardware failure, always a possibility one should be aware of.

I could point out that there are several topics here on this forum that specifically mention that the FCA202 along with other firewire audio interfaces no longer works in 10.4.10, mine included.
The FCA202 on mac OS X uses something called Core Audio, you know the in-built audio subsystem in OS X. Manufactuers of firewire/usb audio interfaces rarely supply software/drivers etc as the devices use Core Audio. Those drivers on the Behringer site are for Windows.
In 10.4.10 a change was made in the Core Audio Subsystem (see macfixit for details) that renders the FCA202 amongst others useless.

Hello,

I have my FCA202 working again!!! I still do not know what happened but this is what I have done.

Disconnected all my FW devices
Downloaded a program called Pacifist ( http://www.charlessoft.com/)
Then I downloaded the ComboInstaller 10.4.9 from the Apple site
With the help of Pacifist I only replaced a file called FWAudio.kext (an Extension File)
(it is strange though because 10.4.10 and 10.4.9 have the same modification date for this file)
Then I did the program Repair Permissions in Disc Utility, connected the FCA202 and to my surprise I could choose it again as an Audio Interface

So I think, but I am not sure, the file to replace is FWaudio.kext.



iMac G5 Intel Core Duo Mac OS X (10.4.10)

Hello,

I have my FCA202 working again!!! I still do not know what happened but this is what I have done.

Disconnected all my FW devices
Downloaded a program called Pacifist ( http://www.charlessoft.com/)
Then I downloaded the ComboInstaller 10.4.9 from the Apple site
With the help of Pacifist I only replaced a file called FWAudio.kext (an Extension File)
(it is strange though because 10.4.10 and 10.4.9 have the same modification date for this file)
Then I did the program Repair Permissions in Disc Utility, connected the FCA202 and to my surprise I could choose it again as an Audio Interface

So I think, but I am not sure, the file to replace is FWaudio.kext.



i have now extracted the AppleFWAudio.kext - where do I replace it to. Spotlight doesnt seem to find the original. So what do I do now - step by step..???

This problem has been fixed in another post - http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=4854190#4854190 it's a matter of rolling back the FWAudio driver. Worked for me.

No offense intended, but you are a little mixed up about Core Audio. It is not a driver or driver substitute but a set of protocols & abstractions. A driver must still exist for the device to be usable with Core Audio & it must conform to Apple's specifications.

If a manufacturer doesn't supply a driver, the OS attempts to use the appropriate generic one in the IO Audio Family of IOKit drivers for all Core Audio functions. This is what makes "plug & play" possible. But the device still must conform to the specifications, otherwise the OS won't be able to access its functions or, in many cases, even be aware that it is an audio device.

Windows works about the same way, but typically its included drivers are very bare-bones, so manufacturers supply their own to support advanced features.

Unfortunately, not every device fully conforms to Apple's specs. Many manufacturers vetting process consists of testing that their products work with whatever OS X version is currently available to them. That usually works pretty well because Apple tries to limit specification changes between updates to those that won't cause compatibility problems with existing devices, & to give manufacturers plenty of notice before changes are made.

However, Apple can't limit the improvements in the OS to lowest common denominator standards. This is the path Windows took for years & the result was a horrendous morass of patches & exceptions that made it more often plug 'n pray than plug 'n play.

So, when incompatibilities like these emerge after updates, Apple & responsible manufactures confer & decide what is the best way to remedy the problem. In the worst case scenario, it becomes a blame game & everybody loses. In the best, they dig down into the code & agree on changes, which may be in the device's firmware, Apple's drivers, or both.

I Had exactly the same problem with my Behringer FCA202 F-Control Audio interface and replacing the Extension(System/Library/Extensions) did the trick. I haven't got any problems what so ever. I`m right now playing with GuitarRig and everything is ok.. 😉

Generally, it isn't a good idea to mix extensions from different versions of the OS, as they often have interdependencies that result in instabilities when one depends on another for something that isn't there anymore or has been changed.

If it works, it works, but do be aware of this possibility.

Also, it isn't impossible (if you initially used the regular "delta" 10.4.10 updater) that the copy of the FWAudio.kext file initially on your drive was somehow damaged such that it wouldn't work with other updated components but still would with 10.4.9 ones. The delta update would not replace it (because it is the same version) but the combo would (because it replaces all existing files it includes, even if the same version).

This would be the safer approach for the general case & is why applying the combo updater often fixes things after a delta one results in problems.

Perhaps someone else with the FCA202 can try this & report on any change....

Allergie,

Have you tried the 10.4.10 combo update? Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC)? Checking for firmware revisions for your Mac(s)? Looking for incompatible Startup items?

(I'm not saying any of these will set things right, just asking for information.)

Well you're right "Apple is Good and Steve is his
prophet" 😉

Apple is Good, but not God, LOL!

I wouldn't be too concerned -- yet -- that Behringer (publicly, anyway) says it is Apple's problem & not its own. Apple's developer docs officially warn outside developers not to rely on Apple's included drivers because they may change at any time (see for example Audio Device Driver Programming Guide) but the reality is both companies have good reasons to work together to resolve the issue -- nobody wins when they limit their markets.

The driver update (or whatever) might come from Apple or Behringer, but it is unlikely that it won't come at all.

Hi Allergie;

Generally, Apple does not read this forum.

If you want to be sure they aware of a problem, you should submit it here. The more detailed information you give them the better your changes of a solution.

Good luck.

Allan

Hi Allergie;

I just found your thread when I did a search for Behringer. I was interested because I just got the UCA202 they produce. After reading about your problems I didn't know if I wanted to update or not.

I cloned my system drive so that I could fallback just in case and went for it. I know this isn't much consolation for you but in the case of UCA202 it is being recognized at 10.4.10.

I hope you are able to find a solution to your problem soon. Keep us posted.

Allan