to say that it just doesnt work is obviously not correct
the product was reviewed in many differnt magazine publications
https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/m-audio-firewire-410
obviously it worked at that point in time and should be able to work now
if it didnt work in os9 they would have reported that fact as the article above
explicitly mentions macos 9.2 and the box itself says 9.2.2 right on it so obviously it did work
I hate to nitpick…BUT: A careful reading of that SOS review reveals the author was testing the unit on a PC and only a PC.
His comments that the unit worked on Mac 9.2.2 were only parroting what was on the box.
That said, M-Audio DID clearly say the damn thing would work under OS 9.2.2 and provided a driver extension to do so.
So, why can't the best minds around here, who collectively know as much or more about this crap as anybody anywhere, get anything out of these things?
LOGICAL POSSIBLE REASONS1.
The OS9 driver doesn't work to begin with This, while possible, seems unlikely. It would (even by M-Audio) have been addressed in an update and that update would be floating around somewhere where it could be found.
Brother Macstuff alone has ferreted out so much "lost" software that the mind boggles.
Nonetheless, I did post back in 2018 that:
"I just have to note for the record that: If you search "Firewire 410" on the Forum, you will find an endless series of posts complaining how the 410 simply won't work in OS9 because they never bothered to release a decent driver for it."2.
The unit(s) in question are damaged This, sadly may be a very real possibility. Here's what we DO know: A) M-Audio made a
very big point about not hot-plugging these things, and made it repeatedly in the instructions. They were adamant that you should expect damage from either connecting or disconnecting them with the computer on. Macstuff pointed this out to RalphieBoy waay back in the beginning of this saga.
B: A large number of them - as with all "old" hardware - were/are floating around without the box, instructions or installer CD. Macstuff ALSO pointed this out in the same post: that there were lots of them with no materials and that a depressing number of people think that reading instructions is just an optional suggestion anyway.
IF this is what's happening, it reveals a damnable, idiotic, basic "you should KNOW better" error on M-Audio's part. EVERY engineer KNOWS people DO NOT read manuals. To release a product that can be rendered un-useable by even accidentally plugging or unplugging it while on is something you learn NOT to EVER do in engineering 101. There is NO excuse for it…PERIOD!
3. BOTH of the above THIS, would not surprise me at all.
What we're lacking is a logical scientific test to narrow the possibilities down. This would require someone with a known working dual-boot computer (preferably a G4 desktop where there are NO possible Firewire port issues), a 410, and the installer CD.
What I would want to see
first is if that unit would be found to
work in OSX and
not work in OS9. That would immediately indicate a driver/extension fault while simultaneously eliminating a damaged unit. I would also love to see the contents of an original CD. There may well be ASIO issues not even discussed so far.
Whatever happens, it's clear that
something out of the ordinary is going on here. A LOT of people have snagged one of these from one place or another and found they can't make them work. It would be enlightening to hear even ONE success story.
