Windows 7: Best way to swap tuner cards

Not sure to ask here or in the media center forum..

I am ready to swap out a hauppauge hvr-1800 with a hauppauge hvr-2250. I'm not adding a tuner, I am replacing one.

What is the proper proceedure for this so the mc doesn't break. I learned on a vista install that once a tuner is installed and configured, it is best to leave it alone. I never did solve my problem with vista after updating drivers for the tuner. I had to restore a drive image with the old drivers.

So.. Uninstall the old tuner card in the device manager, then swap hardware? Just swap it and hope for the best?

The concern is not with the device manager or the os, it is with the mc part of the system.

I've read threads that on occasion if something goes wrong in wmc with the tuner(s), a new install may be required toi fix it. Sorta saw that with my vista setup.

To be sure of uninstall, do it by control panel first, then run HCWClear downloaded from Hauppauge's site.

Hauppauge Computer Works : Support

The link is on the left side at the bottom of the list.

After clearing drivers, don't reboot, just shutdown.
Replace card.
Restart.
Upon logging in, Windows should automatically detect the card and supply the driver (at least it did with my HVR-1250). If not, just return to Hauppauge and download and install MCEKit_Install.exe. Link is on left side near middle (Media Center Edition).

Thanks for the reply.. My concern is not with the hardware or the OS part of it. I have read posts and experienced it myself (vista), that once a tuner card is configured on Media center, it is possible to break the Media Center by changing hardware / drivers to the point that a repair is not possible, just a new install.

I am trying to avoid this. I have come across information on how to "reset" your tuner setup in windows 7 MC. This rig also has a vista partition and I have found no information in regards to resetting the vista mc install / setup.

The info I have found for win 7, seems to not apply to vista.

Of the minimal problems I've had with the HVR-1250, each time the problem was remedied by uninstalling the software via control panel and running the HCWClear, rebooting and setting up Media Center as if the card was a new install.

Thanks again for the reply.

I botched up my vista install by updating the hauppauge drivers for the 1800. I ran hwclear, rebooted the rig, stopped the automatic driver installation at boot, installed the new drivers, rebooted.. all was good. WinTV worked no problem.

Launched media center and it sat there for at least 10 minutes with the spinning donut. Then it said no tuner found. Going to settings to set up the tuner again, at just sat there with the donut. My only solution was to restore a drive image of the partition after failed attempts at repair.

Maybe I should have uninstalled the tuner, then launched media center once before installing the new drivers. Dunno

That is why I am asking.. To get the correct steps in the right order before I fubar my Windows 7 partition or vista.

I still need vista till I get my extender issues under win 7 sorted out. I posted about my issue but no solution so far. Once I get my problem extender working correctly under 7, I can get rid of vista.

Sorry to hear of your troubles. I hope you don't have to go the route of restoring an image.

I have had a problem, once, as you stated where for whatever reason, my Windows 7 Media Center failed to detect my card. For that specific occasion, I performed all of the steps I had alread posted, except that after shutting down my PC, I actually removed the card and waited about 30 seconds before reinstalling the card and booting up.

Again, I have the HVR-1250 and it is PCIe x1. The very last time of installing this card, I let the operating system supply the driver which, by the way, was the 64-bit Hauppauge driver -- no need to download and install the driver from the website.

Hope you get your situation sorted without having to reinstall your operating system.

My reason for "updating" the hauppauge drivers was an attempt to get clear qam working. I realize there is a hack for vista, but it isn't necessary with wintv or windows 7 and I couldn't get it to work with anything.

Turns out, that even though my hvr-1800 is reported to work with qam, it does not. I guess there were two versions. Mine was the earlier version of the 1800 so that is why I am swapping it with a 2250. I really want to get rid of the extra box (dta) and the ir blaster.

The only problem I've had with my Hauppauge 1600 was when I had to move it to another slot, I had to go through the song and dance with MC again in setting up the card and guide. A bit of a pain, but no big deal. I've never had the problem you're having, even with Vista.

Changing the card completely will probably mean an uninstall of the drivers, then putting in the new card and letting Windows find it. When I built my Seven machine, that's all I did. I've since moved slots in Seven, too, b/c I just seem to enjoy pain and anguish or something, but there weren't any problem there either.

I can't see why MC would break, unless you did the QAM registry hacks in Vista. I gave up on QAM here in Canada. I can't get MC to let me set it up.

I just finished up.. What I did:

Booted to vista and uninstalled the tuner via the device manager..

Booted to 7 and did the same thing..

Swapped the cards..

Booted to vista and needed the cd for the drivers.. The driver files on the rig did not apply to the new card. Got all that working in wintv and media center. No problem with media center (that was my fear).

Then booted to win 7 and did the same thing.. No problems with win 7 either.

Now.. I just gotta find a qam channel map for comcast in the chicago area. A bunch of channels were not found.. They work with the dta's I have which is basically a qam receiver.

Now.. I just have to solve my problem with one out of three extenders.. The xbox is giving me a hard time. No problems with the DMA's (dma2100's)

Fantastic. Glad you got it working.