The following instructions describe how to revert to the legacy 1394 Host controller bus driver. This driver is provided for backward compatibility for Firewire card drivers that are not fully compliant with the new Windows 7 1394ohci.sys driver architecture. The legacy 1394 bus driver (available in earlier versions of Windows) includes multiple device drivers that were implemented by using the Windows Driver Model (WDM) in a port/miniport configuration. The 1394ohci.sys bus driver replaces the legacy port driver, 1394bus.sys, and the primary miniport driver. The problem was with the Windows 10, 7, Windows 8 and 8.1 FireWire driver (a.k.a. The 1394 Driver) and the fix was a simple one. For Windows 7, just use the Legacy driver. How to install a legacy driver for IEEE1394 devices under Windows 7 1. Open the Windows Explorer and RIGHT CLICK 'Computer' and select 'Manage'. Click then in the left side of the window at 'Device Manager' and double click on 'IEEE1394 Bus. (Legacy)” and click then on “Next”. You should see now a window as shown below.
1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller (Legacy) - Driver Download. Updating your drivers with Driver Alert can help your computer in a number of ways. From adding new functionality and improving performance, to fixing a major bug.
We found a problem when we tried to use the FireWire port on our computers that were running Windows 7, Windows 8 and 8.1 and Windows 10. We were trying to import video into Sony Vegas and Adobe Premiere, and we quickly found out that we couldn’t import video into the computer via the FireWire port. We never had this problem with Windows XP.
At first we thought this was a compatibility problem between Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1, Windows 10 and Sony Vegas and Adobe Premiere, but we quickly ruled that out when another program also had problems using the Firewire port.
The problem was with the Windows 10, 7, Windows 8 and 8.1 FireWire driver (a.k.a. the 1394 Driver) and the fix was a simple one.
For Windows 7, just use the Legacy driver. Just follow the instructions below.
If you are on Windows 10, or 8 or 8.1 you will need to download the Legacy driver from Microsoft. Just skip down to the section marked The Fix for Windows 8 and 8.1 and Windows 10.
At first we thought this was a compatibility problem between Windows 7, Windows 8/8.1, Windows 10 and Sony Vegas and Adobe Premiere, but we quickly ruled that out when another program also had problems using the Firewire port.
The problem was with the Windows 10, 7, Windows 8 and 8.1 FireWire driver (a.k.a. the 1394 Driver) and the fix was a simple one.
For Windows 7, just use the Legacy driver. Just follow the instructions below.
If you are on Windows 10, or 8 or 8.1 you will need to download the Legacy driver from Microsoft. Just skip down to the section marked The Fix for Windows 8 and 8.1 and Windows 10.
The Fix for Windows 7
Note: The fix for Windows 8 and 8.1 are further down below and are different than Windows 7.
For Windows 7 simply replace the new 1394 driver with the Legacy driver that comes with Windows 7.
Below is the step by step instructions on how to install the Legacy driver so you won‘t have any problems either:
Click Start
Then click on Control Panel
Click on Device Manager
Note: If you don’t see Device Manager listed, click on View By: Category on the top right side of the Control Panel Window. Then Click on Large Icons you should now have a list of items in the Control Panel and click on Device Manager.
Under the Device Manager, look down the list for IEEE 1394 Bus Host Controllers and Double Click on it.
It should display something like - 1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller
Note: If it has the word (Legacy) behind it, you are already setup and you can just exit out.
Next, double click on the 1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller
A window will popup saying 1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller Properties
Click on the Driver Tab
Then look down in the widow and click on Update Driver
Then select - Browse my computer for driver software
Next select - Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer
It will bring up a list of drivers.
Click on 1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller (Legacy)
NOTE: It is important that you select the one with (Legacy) after it, just like shown above.
Then click Next
Once it installs the 1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller (Legacy),
it will say Windows has successfully updated your driver software.
Click on the Close button and exit out of all of the other windows.
Then Reboot your computer.
You will now be able to import video via the FireWire port on your computer.
If you are still having a problem importing video after you have switched the FireWire driver to Legacy, then the problem may be with the FireWire port. This is a common problem. The FireWire port will work with an external driver, but it won't let you import video from your video camera. Most people report this problem with Dell computer, but it does happen with other brands, even brand new computers. This problem is usually with the FireWire port that is built into the motherboard.
The fix is simple:
1. Install a FireWire card into one of the open slots in the computer
2. Using the instructions above, set the drive to Legacy.
3. Reboot the computer.
4. Then connect the FireWire cable from the video camera, into the new FireWire port that you just added.
This fixes the problem 99% of the time. FireWire cards are not the expensive, they run from $10 and up, depending on any extra features the card may have.
NOTE: We have noticed that when Microsoft has issued certain updates, it can cause Windows 7 to switch back to use the original 1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller driver. If you notice the FireWire device is transferring slowly or not working, then just repeat the above steps and reinstall the Legacy driver.
Note: The fix for Windows 8 and 8.1 are further down below and are different than Windows 7.
For Windows 7 simply replace the new 1394 driver with the Legacy driver that comes with Windows 7.
Below is the step by step instructions on how to install the Legacy driver so you won‘t have any problems either:
Click Start
Then click on Control Panel
Click on Device Manager
Note: If you don’t see Device Manager listed, click on View By: Category on the top right side of the Control Panel Window. Then Click on Large Icons you should now have a list of items in the Control Panel and click on Device Manager.
Under the Device Manager, look down the list for IEEE 1394 Bus Host Controllers and Double Click on it.
It should display something like - 1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller
Note: If it has the word (Legacy) behind it, you are already setup and you can just exit out.
Next, double click on the 1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller
A window will popup saying 1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller Properties
Click on the Driver Tab
Then look down in the widow and click on Update Driver
Then select - Browse my computer for driver software
Next select - Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer
It will bring up a list of drivers.
Click on 1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller (Legacy)
NOTE: It is important that you select the one with (Legacy) after it, just like shown above.
Then click Next
Once it installs the 1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller (Legacy),
it will say Windows has successfully updated your driver software.
Click on the Close button and exit out of all of the other windows.
Then Reboot your computer.
You will now be able to import video via the FireWire port on your computer.
If you are still having a problem importing video after you have switched the FireWire driver to Legacy, then the problem may be with the FireWire port. This is a common problem. The FireWire port will work with an external driver, but it won't let you import video from your video camera. Most people report this problem with Dell computer, but it does happen with other brands, even brand new computers. This problem is usually with the FireWire port that is built into the motherboard.
The fix is simple:
1. Install a FireWire card into one of the open slots in the computer
2. Using the instructions above, set the drive to Legacy.
3. Reboot the computer.
4. Then connect the FireWire cable from the video camera, into the new FireWire port that you just added.
This fixes the problem 99% of the time. FireWire cards are not the expensive, they run from $10 and up, depending on any extra features the card may have.
NOTE: We have noticed that when Microsoft has issued certain updates, it can cause Windows 7 to switch back to use the original 1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller driver. If you notice the FireWire device is transferring slowly or not working, then just repeat the above steps and reinstall the Legacy driver.
The Fix for Windows 8 and 8.1 and for Windows 10
In Windows 8 and 8.1, plus Windows 10, Microsoft left out the Legacy driver. Just go to this page on the Microsoft Support page and download the Legacy driver. Then follow the installing directions on that same support page.
If you are running Windows 10, you will need to use the Windows 8 / 8.1 Legacy driver. So follow the same steps as Windows 8 / 8.1.
Then Reboot your computer.
You will now be able to import video via the FireWire port on your computer.
If you are still having a problem importing video after you have switched the FireWire driver to Legacy, then the problem may be with the FireWire port. This is a common problem. The FireWire port will work with an external driver, but it won't let you import video from your video camera. Most people report this problem with Dell computer, but it does happen with other brands, even brand new computers. This problem is usually with the FireWire port that is built into the motherboard.
The fix is simple:
1. Install a FireWire card into one of the open slots in the computer
2. Using the instructions above, set the drive to Legacy.
3. Reboot the computer.
4. Then connect the FireWire cable from the video camera, into the new FireWire port that you just added.
Note: I received an email from Mike Tilka and he was having a problem getting the FireWire port working on his Dell XPS 8100 and on an Gateway computer with the drivers from above. He said he needed to get the driver from this link for his computers:
http://www.driverscape.com/manufacturers/dell/laptops-desktops/studio-xps-8100/134
If you have a Dell or a Gateway computer and the above fix doesn't work for you, then you might want to try the above link.
This fixes the problem 99% of the time. FireWire cards are not the expensive, they run from $10 and up, depending on any extra features the card may have.
NOTE: We have noticed that when Microsoft has issued certain updates, it can cause Windows 10, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 to switch back to use the original 1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller driver. If you notice the FireWire device is transferring slowly or not working, then just repeat the above steps and reinstall the Legacy driver.
In Windows 8 and 8.1, plus Windows 10, Microsoft left out the Legacy driver. Just go to this page on the Microsoft Support page and download the Legacy driver. Then follow the installing directions on that same support page.
If you are running Windows 10, you will need to use the Windows 8 / 8.1 Legacy driver. So follow the same steps as Windows 8 / 8.1.
Then Reboot your computer.
You will now be able to import video via the FireWire port on your computer.
If you are still having a problem importing video after you have switched the FireWire driver to Legacy, then the problem may be with the FireWire port. This is a common problem. The FireWire port will work with an external driver, but it won't let you import video from your video camera. Most people report this problem with Dell computer, but it does happen with other brands, even brand new computers. This problem is usually with the FireWire port that is built into the motherboard.
The fix is simple:
1. Install a FireWire card into one of the open slots in the computer
2. Using the instructions above, set the drive to Legacy.
3. Reboot the computer.
4. Then connect the FireWire cable from the video camera, into the new FireWire port that you just added.
Note: I received an email from Mike Tilka and he was having a problem getting the FireWire port working on his Dell XPS 8100 and on an Gateway computer with the drivers from above. He said he needed to get the driver from this link for his computers:
http://www.driverscape.com/manufacturers/dell/laptops-desktops/studio-xps-8100/134
If you have a Dell or a Gateway computer and the above fix doesn't work for you, then you might want to try the above link.
This fixes the problem 99% of the time. FireWire cards are not the expensive, they run from $10 and up, depending on any extra features the card may have.
NOTE: We have noticed that when Microsoft has issued certain updates, it can cause Windows 10, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 to switch back to use the original 1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller driver. If you notice the FireWire device is transferring slowly or not working, then just repeat the above steps and reinstall the Legacy driver.
![1394 Legacy Driver Windows 7 1394 Legacy Driver Windows 7](/uploads/1/2/6/2/126200569/854009581.png)
-->
Windows Legacy Firewire Driver Download
Windows 7 includes 1394ohci.sys, a new IEEE 1394 bus driver that supports faster speeds and alternative media as defined in the IEEE-1394b specification. The 1394ohci.sys bus driver is a single (monolithic) device driver, implemented by using the kernel-mode driver framework (KMDF). The legacy 1394 bus driver (available in earlier versions of Windows) includes multiple device drivers that were implemented by using the Windows Driver Model (WDM) in a port/miniport configuration. The 1394ohci.sys bus driver replaces the legacy port driver, 1394bus.sys, and the primary miniport driver, ochi1394.sys.
The new 1394ohci.sys bus driver is fully backward compatible with the legacy bus driver. This topic describes some of the known differences in behavior between the new and the legacy 1394 bus driver.
Note
The 1394ohci.sys driver is a system driver that is included in Windows. It is automatically loaded when you install a 1394 controller. This is not a redistributable driver that you can download separately.
I/O Request Completion
All I/O requests that are sent to the new 1394 bus driver return STATUS_PENDING because the 1394ohci.sys bus driver is implemented by using KMDF instead of WDM. This behavior differs from that of the legacy 1394 bus driver, in which certain I/O requests complete immediately.
A client driver must wait until I/O requests sent to the new 1394 bus driver are complete. You can provide an I/O completion routine that is called after the request is complete. The status of the completed I/O request is in the IRP.
Configuration ROM Retrieval
The new 1394 bus driver tries to use asynchronous block transactions at faster bus speeds to retrieve the contents of a node's configuration ROM. The legacy 1394 bus driver uses asynchronous quadlet reads at S100 speed—or 100 megabits per second (Mbps). The 1394ohci.sys bus driver also uses the values that are specified in generation and max_rom entries of the node's configuration ROM header to improve the retrieval of the remaining content of the configuration ROM. For more information about how the new 1394 bus driver retrieves the contents of a node's configuration ROM, see Retrieving the Contents of a IEEE 1394 Node's Configuration ROM.
IEEE-1394-1995 PHY Support
The 1394ohci.sys bus driver requires a physical layer (PHY) that supports IEEE-1394a or IEEE-1394b. It does not support a PHY that supports IEEE-1394-1995. This requirement is due to the 1394ohci.sys bus driver's exclusive use of short (arbitrated) bus resets.
NODE_DEVICE_EXTENSION Structure Usage
A client driver can reference the device extension in the 1394 bus driver associated with the physical device object (PDO) for the device that the client driver controls. This device extension is described by the NODE_DEVICE_EXTENSION structure. In 1394ohci.sys, this structure remains at the same location as in the legacy 1394 bus driver, but the nonstatic members of the structure might not be valid. When a client driver uses the new 1394 bus driver, they must make sure that the data accessed in NODE_DEVICE_EXTENSION is valid. The static members of NODE_DEVICE_EXTENSION that contain valid data are Tag, DeviceObject, and PortDeviceObject. All other members NODE_DEVICE_EXTENSION are nonstatic, which the client driver must not reference.
Gap Count Optimization
The default behavior of the 1394ohci.sys bus driver is to optimize the gap count when it finds only IEEE 1394a devices on the 1394 bus, excluding the local node. For example, if the system that is running 1394ohci.sys has a host controller that complies with IEEE 1394b but all devices on the bus comply with IEEE 1394a, then the new 1394 bus driver tries to optimize the gap count.
Gap count optimization occurs only if the 1394ohci.sys bus driver determines that the local node is the bus manager.
The 1394ohci.sys bus driver determines whether a device complies with IEEE-1394a by the speed setting in the node's self-id packet. If a node sets both of the bits in the speed (sp) field in the self-id packet, then 1394ohci.sys considers the node to comply with IEEE-1394b. If the speed field contains any other value, then 1394ohci.sys considers the node to comply with IEEE-1394a. The gap count value that is used is based on table E-1 in the IEEE-1394a specification, which provides the gap count as a function of hops. The 1394ohci.sys bus driver does not compute the gap count. You can change the default gap count behavior by using a registry value. For more information, see Modifying the Default Behavior of the IEEE 1394 Bus Driver.
Device Driver Interface (DDI) Changes
In Windows 7, the 1394 DDIs were changed to support faster speeds as defined by the 1394b specification and improved to simplify the development of 1394 client drivers. For more information about the general DDI changes that the new 1394 bus driver supports, see Device Driver Interface (DDI) Changes in Windows 7.
Related topics
The IEEE 1394 Driver Stack
Retrieving the Contents of a IEEE 1394 Node's Configuration ROM
Retrieving the Contents of a IEEE 1394 Node's Configuration ROM