WinTV-PVR-USB2 Troubleshooting notes

What Operating Systems are supported by the WinTV-PVRUSB2?

The WinTV PVRUSB2 model can be installed on Windows 98SE, ME, 2000, and XP operating systems. A Pentium II 500Mhz minimum is required.

Latest drivers and installation procedures

The latest WinTV PVRUSB2 software and drivers are available here. Instructions on installation are listed with each download link.

WinTV initialization error: "Failed to Create TV Window, another application may be using the driver":

Make sure that the device is plugged in directly to the PC and not a HUB. Also, Make sure that the HCWSMD MPEG codecs are installed on the system.

Check in Device Manager to see if the device is listed properly in the “Sound, video, and game controllers”.

• If it is, unplug the power from the unit and restart the computer. Upon reboot, plug it in again and try WinTV again.
• If it is not listed properly, unplug the unit, restart the PC and uninstall the drivers and software using HCWCLEAR. After running the HCWCLEAR program, plug the unit back in and reinstall the drivers/applications.
• If error continues to come up, try it in another USB port.
• If error still continues, it may be a defective unit and would require a replacement.

WinTV initialization error: hTV=0 error after WinTV drivers have been installed.

This error message can indicate a problem with the Driver installation or a hardware malfunction. Look in the Device Manager under the Sound video and game controllers to see if the Hauppauge WinTV PVR-USB2 is listed.

If it is listed and there is a Yellow mark on it, this would indicate that the drivers would need to be reinstalled. Please refer to "Latest drivers and installation procedures" above

If it is not listed, this would normally indicate that the hardware was not recognized by the system and the drivers were unable to install. try disconnecting the Power supply from the PVR-USB2. Wait a few moments and reconnect the power.

- If the Hardware Wizard detects the device, continue the installation of the drivers using the supplied installation CD Rom.

- If the hardware wizard does not detect the device, there may be a problem with the hardware. Try moving it to a different USB2 port on the PC. If you get the same problem, the hardware may be defective and require repair. Contact Tech Support for more information.

Lockups when scanning channels

Please make sure you have the latest version drivers available here. Try inserting the channels manually to see if the video comes up. - If no video shows, try changing the MPEG settings in the Preferences. Click on PREF in the WinTV2000 application and go to Capture – Mpeg and change the Quality Level and click OK. - If still no video shows, device may be defective. Also refer to Intervideo Conflicts. 
- If video does show up, the device is good.

Any time the Program locks up

The device must be reset in order to get it to work again. Unlike the PCI cards, rebooting the machine will NOT reset the unit. The only way to reset the device is to recycle the power to it by unplugging the unit from the power cable for a few seconds then re-plugging it. It is usually a good idea to unplug the USB cable also.

Black screen after scanning channels

If the channels are scanned in properly, they should be listed in the Suite Manager. If you get a Black screen after scanning for channels, but you can hear the audio, try closing and reopening the program. If this doesn’t work, try changing the MPEG settings in the Preferences. Click on Pref in the WinTV2000 application and go to Capture – Mpeg and change the Quality Level and click OK. This should get the video to display. After getting video to display you can reset Quality level to desired setting.

iVac driver not found

iVac is the chip used in the device. Usually unplugging and reconnecting both the Power and USB cable from the USB unit should get rid of this error. Bypass the error before reconnecting. After reconnecting the device, try installing the application. You will need to reboot the system during installation. Once installation finishes, you should be able to use the program.

AVI video capture and Video Conferencing is not supported by the WinTV-PVRUSB2:

The WinTV PVRUSB2 does not have a Brooktree/Conexant chipset on it so it does not support AVI video captures. Also, the device does not use Video for Windows drivers. Therefore, Microsoft's NetMeeting, or any other videoconferencing program, will not work with the WinTV-PVRUSB2..

Driver installation problem with Error: "Error Code 31"

Go to the the registry into HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325 -11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318} and remove the entries Upperfilters and Lowerfilters and reboot.

IR Remote control does not work

First make sure that the IR Remote software is installed and running in the system tray. There should be a small black remote control icon listed in the System Tray. If you click on it you should be able to open the WinTV programs. Is this installed and does it function properly?

If it is not installed, you can reinstall it from the IR32 folder on the WinTV Installation CD Rom.

If the software is installed but you are unable to open or control the WinTV software, this may be a hardware problem and would require repair of the device. Please contact our Tech Support Dept at techsupport@hauppauge.com for information on repairing your device.