Knowledge Base

16 Nov 2020

Why would I need to Uninstall & Reinstall my FireStudio drivers?

• My Universal Control crashes when I launch it
• My device Device window is not opening properly or not opening at all
• My Universal Control launch window displays driver version "0.0.0"
• I've attempted to install different versions of UC for troubleshooting with no success

Answer:

Sometimes drivers do not install properly and can cause numerous issues with the functionality of your device. This is usually caused by certain files not being overwritten properly, or older files from previous installs causing conflicts. These issues can normally be resolved by simply manually uninstalling the driver and software before installing the new version.

Uninstalling Universal Control and FireStudio Family drivers and software

1. Go to Device Manager > Under the Sound Video and Game Controllers category, Right-Click on "PreSonus FireStudio" and click "Uninstall" > Check the box for "delete device drivers for this software."  It may prompt you to restart your computer.  
   
   NOTE:  If the computer prompts you to restart here, do so now.
   
   
2. Once restarted, Quit all applications. Look in the System Tray in the lower right hand corner of your screen and check the list of running applications (you may need to click the Up arrow to show hidden applications). If you see the red Universal Control icon, right-click it and select Quit from the pop-up menu.
   
   
3. On Windows 7, click on the START menu in the lower left hand corner of the screen and click Control Panel.
   
   - On Windows 8, move the mouse into the upper right hand corner of the screen and then click on the Search icon (magnifying glass). In the Search field, type Control Panel and then click on the Control Panel shortcut in the list on the left.  
   
   - On Windows 10, press the Windows Logo key on your keyboard to bring up the Search field.  Type Control Panel.  Alternatively, you can search for Programs and Features or Apps and Features for Windows 10.
   
   
4. In Control Panel, select Programs>Uninstall a Program if you're in Category view, or select Programs and Features if you're in List view.
   
   
5. Find Universal Control in the list of Programs and select it.
   
   
6. Choose “Uninstall” from the Programs and Features menu, or right click Universal Control and choose Uninstall. Follow the prompts.
   
   
7. Now lets make sure the Roaming folder is cleaned up. On Windows 7, click the START menu in the lower left hand corner of the screen. In the search field, type %appdata% and hit enter on your keyboard. 
   
   - On Windows 8, move the mouse into the upper right hand corner of the screen and then click on the Search icon (magnifying glass).  In the search field, type %appdata% and hit enter on your keyboard. This will take you to the Roaming folder.  
   
   - On Windows 10, Hold Windows Logo key and press R.  This will open the Run field.  Type %appdata% to open the Roaming folder.
   
   
8. Open the PreSonus folder and delete the Universal Control folder and Firestudio folder located there.
   
   
9. Empty your trash and now, reboot your computer

Downloading and Installing the latest driver 

1. Go to http://www.presonus.com/support/downloads/
   
   
2. Download the driver for your StudioLive mixer from the PreSonus website and Save it to your desktop. 
   
   NOTE:  Co-Installation of a driver must accompany most recent driver installs.  If you are not sure of proper driver install, make sure to go to the Hardware Registration on your PreSonus User Account to make sure, or go to this link here to know which version of UC you have installed to reference against others.
   
   
3. Quit your web browser and any other application you have running.
   
   
4. Locate PreSonus_Universal_Control_XX.exe in the location you downloaded the file ("XX" is the Universal Control version number).
   
   
5. Make sure you have temporarily disabled any antivirus or security software you might have installed, then double click on the "PreSonus Universal Control Installer."
   
   
6. Windows 7/8.1/10 Users may be asked if they want to run this file on their computer, click "Run."  There also may be questions in "allowing changes," we want to confirm this as yes.
   
   
7. The Welcome screen will open, click "Next" to continue the installation. Follow the prompts to complete the installation.
   
   
8. When the installation is finished, follow the prompt to Reboot your computer.
   
   
9. Once your computer has rebooted, connect your StudioLive or FireStudio family interface. When your interface has synced with your computer, it is ready for use.
   
   * Optional step only if needed - You may need to manually "Update the Driver" in the Device Manager to achieve sync.  Please click the link for illustrated instructions.
   
   Manually installing StudioLive/FireStudio devices from Device Manager (Windows)
   

If you are still having issues after the update, please Contact Technical Support for further assistance.