Logitech FAQ Resource Central

This are the two common application that a lot of users are looking for but are unavailable for download anywhere:

1: Logitech Music Anywhere for WinXP

2: Logitech Media Life for WinXP

Searching all over the internet to find updated drivers? I'm sure most of the people out there have one common syndrome called "Keeping up with the Joneses". We all want the latest, best, up-to-date, geekiest thingy that our neighbor has. Well, it doesn't necessary have to be something physical that you can see or own; we are brought up in a society with this type of mentality. Every time we see someone having something new, we tend to either get jealous or drool.

Ok, so let's get down to the main topic - When should you update your Logitech drivers? Here I will provide some simple guidelines on whether you should update or not.

When you SHOULD update:
- You are getting software errors / software not working properly all the time
- Your Operating System no longer supports the older software
- You got a newer Logitech equipment which is not supported on the older software
- When you are advised to update by Logitech support

When you SHOULD NOT update:
- You experience no software errors
- Your Logitech equipments are functioning normally

What do newer software offer?
- Fix bugs in previous software
- Add / remove configuration or features
- Support for newer released products
- Newer look and feel
- New support for newer version of Operating System

What don't newer software offer?
- Support for legacy devices (products from x years ago will still not be supported)
- Offer more enhancement functionality to your current product (mouse will not perform any better)


As they say in the first law of engineering - If it is not broken, don't fix it! For example, I've seen a lot of cases when the G5 mouse is not having any issues, the fella go and update the firmware thinking that it will improve the performance. In the end, he corrupted the firmware and the mouse becomes completely useless.

Even when you are updating your Logitech software, I recommend to download the whole software package, remove the current software then install the newer software. Never try to update the software via the "update" link from Logitech software because most of the time it does not install correctly and in the end corrupts your whole program. Clean install is the way for updating software.

So remember, newer is not always better. If everything is working fine for you, just stick with it and it will serve you well for a long time to come.

In case for those of you who are wondering why aren't there any new software support for your older Logitech cameras for Windows Vista. We have here a brief explanation from one of the Logitech senior video engineers:-

"I think you and fellow customers should know the facts about why some older cameras have driver support, and why others do not (and may never). And it is not completely related to the expense, because as noted before, the drivers for Pro4000 and Orbit are basically the same for the rest of the cameras in the "PRO" driver folder, so the expense of adding these cameras is actually low -- they just need the testing.

And this "testing" is the real challenge. Here is why.

Any driver released by Logitech needs to be signed by Microsoft.

You might have installed another manufacturer's driver, and had to dismiss a "Driver Not Signed" or "Digital Signature not Found" warning when the driver is enumerated. Logitech doesn't do this, all our drivers are signed by Microsoft's Windows Hardware Quality Labs (a/k/a WHQL).

Under Vista 64-bit, the OS itself will not allow any non-signed drivers to even load! The only way around this "driver lock" is to load Vista 64 into a special diagnostic mode (called Test Mode). Additionally, to be Vista certified, Microsoft says all drivers need to run under both Vista 32 and Vista 64.

Now, to get this signature from Microsoft, drivers and hardware (note the bold highlight) must pass a stringent set of tests given by WHQL. The actual testing process takes hours per camera, and includes such things as putting the system on standby and waking it up many many times, connecting and reconnecting the device many many times, checking for malformed USB packets, testing the microphone, and lots of other techie nonsense.

Last year, in preparation for Vista, Microsoft updated these tests (now termed DTM).

The old hardware immediate ran into issues with the new tests, and did not pass. The exact same hardware passed the earlier test fine. But you can't use the earlier test with Vista, you must use the new test.

Engineers spent time tweaking drivers so that some old cameras where able to pass the tests and could get the signatures. For other cameras, an exemption had to filed and reviewed by WHQL. This is what took time for adding support for Orbit, and Pro4000. Unfortunately Microsoft has told all vendors that this exemption process will close completely after one year, so time is running out for these older devices."

"Given all this, adding Vista support for older cameras gets caught in a vicious Catch 22. The camera and drivers need to pass tests to be signed. Due to test changes, the old hardware can no longer pass the test, so an exemption has to be filed and reviewed.

For some cameras, we got through this relatively painlessly. For other cameras (such as Pro3000 and earlier), this is much more difficult."

Since older Logitech camera software is not supported under Vista, be sure not to try and install them. Otherwise you will face problems uninstalling the software and a bunch of unknown bugs. Be sure to read this post about discontinued Logitech software.

Before you intend to install any software on your computer, what do you normally check first? Of course the compatibility! System requirements would be the first thing you look at before attempting to purchase or even install "something" in your computer. I'm surprised that majority of the consumers nowadays are ignorant to read before jumping the gun.

Here's a list of popular Logitech legacy software that people install wrongly on their OS:
- iTouch for legacy keyboard - Last revision: 2.22 on WinXP SP1
- MouseWare for legacy mouse - Last revision: 7.79 on WinXP SP1 (7.80 was never officially released)
- ImageStudio for legacy camera - Last revision: 7.30 on WinXP SP1
- QuickCam 8 for legacy camera - Last revision: 8.4.8 WinXP SP1

The above software are considered to be end-of-life aka no longer under any development or update. Installing the above software on WinXP SP2 or SP3 may not guarantee 100% functionality since they are not tested to work with newer version of Operating Systems.

Another problem that most people encountered is installing the above software on Windows Vista. Normally Windows Vista will throw an error message to stop the unsupported software from being installed. However, most of the time for some odd reasons, Windows just allows the software to be installed. Another cause is that the user did not remove the old Logitech software before migrating (upgrade) to Windows Vista from Win XP.

If this is the case, you may be in trouble. 90% of the time, the software cannot be removed. Now a lot of times I hear people asking: "Why can't you remove your own *bleep* software? You guys made the software right?" Truthfully speaking, if you manage to install an older Logitech software which was not meant for your new Operating Systems, it is your own fault for not being able to remove it. And thanks to Microsoft's new Operating Systems which is not 100% backwards compatible too.

Now I don't wish to debate further on whether this is Logitech's or Microsoft's fault. You may try removing the software via editing the registry keys. However, I advise you to contact Microsoft for any registry related questions. Conclusion is, look before you leap! Don't be lazy to read instructions! Good luck!