Still having issues with Assistant 2 / Win 7 / Spark

[Sparky4222]

Good afternoon all.

I am a new Spark owner and, while I have been able to update software through the Go 4 App, I would like to use.... or even just see.... how the Assistant 2 program works. So far I have not been able to get it to recognize the Spark nor the controller. I have gone through the various forums and many discussions of the issue but none has give me a solution. I have uninstalled and reinstalled it several time as recommended... disabling virus protection and firewall and even disabling driver signing, installing and/or running it under admin privileges. All to no avail so far. Today I finally tried on a second PC (laptop) also running Win 7. It went through all the procedure (including in a command prompt window) of installing various drivers and in each case asking me if it was okay to install each one. The install seemed to go according to plan but STILL, it does not find the Spark nor the controller when plugged in (and yes, they were turned on!).

Help. This is driving me nuts and makes no sense. I have never encountered an issue like this before and can't imagine that somebody out there hasn't figured it out. The program may not be an essential necessity, but I'd like to get it going and find out what it is that is keeping it from seeing the drone and controller connected to a USB port. It has to be a driver issue, but what!

Thanks in advance for any help.

Len

 

[Andre Levite]

Today I finally tried on a second PC (laptop) also running Win 7. It went through all the procedure (including in a command prompt window) of installing various drivers and in each case asking me if it was okay to install each one. The install seemed to go according to plan but STILL, it does not find the Spark nor the controller when plugged in (and yes, they were turned on!).

Help. This is driving me nuts and makes no sense. I have never encountered an issue like this before and can't imagine that somebody out there hasn't figured it out. The program may not be an essential necessity, but I'd like to get it going and find out what it is that is keeping it from seeing the drone and controller connected to a USB port. It has to be a driver issue, but what!

Windows 7 is almost ten years old (Oct 2009) and no longer has full support and updates even from Microsoft.

DJI Assistant 2 has better compatibility with Windows 10. I can appreciate the cost and perhaps your computer processor may be unable to handle the OS updates but that's likely the issue.

Most pilots will never need Assistant 2 so I wouldn't waste a lot of energy or money trying to get it to work.

 

[Sparky4222]

Hi Andre, thanks for your reply.

I have been bending over backwards to avoid switching to Win 10 but I think I need to pull the trigger and go for it. I am just quite surprised that this is the first time that I have encountered a problem due to an operating system upgrade (or lack thereof) and have added numerous USB peripherals, some requiring quite a bit of processor power such as video applications. I have never seen Assistant and I am not sure exactly what it does other than firmware or software updates but, I imagined it to be fairly straightforward USB communication.

Nonetheless, thanks for your reply. No more time wasted on trying to get it to work.

Len

 

[Andre Levite]

Hi Andre, thanks for your reply.

I have been bending over backwards to avoid switching to Win 10 but I think I need to pull the trigger and go for it. I am just quite surprised that this is the first time that I have encountered a problem due to an operating system upgrade (or lack thereof) and have added numerous USB peripherals, some requiring quite a bit of processor power such as video applications. I have never seen Assistant and I am not sure exactly what it does other than firmware or software updates but, I imagined it to be fairly straightforward USB communication.

Nonetheless, thanks for your reply. No more time wasted on trying to get it to work.

Len

DJI Assistant can be buggy even on an updated system. Thankfully it's only needed for lower level troubleshooting or the rare stubborn update. No routine purpose that I've found.

Making the program backwards compatible with older version of Windows isn't a priority for DJI -- they have plenty of other bugs to squash!

Stick with Windows 7 as long as you can -- it's the best MSFT version I ever used (before switching to Mac)

 

[Sparky4222]

Thanks. That has been my feeling all along especially after having to deal with my wife's Win 10 machine.

I hope I never have to use Assistant.

Re switching to a Mac, I have thought about it but have so much Win software that it would be a pain...maybe Linux ?, it's free!

Thanks again.

 

[Dodge DeBoulet]

I've been on Windows 10 for some time now, and I'm having the exact same issue as @Sparky4222. I wouldn't be in such a rush to upgrade. My hardware is reasonably robust, with a 4C/8T Intel processor (i7-6820HQ), 32GB of RAM and close to 1TB of available disk space. Windows 10 Pro x64 v1803 with all available updates applied.

While Windows 7 is scheduled for "End of Life" in January of 2020, it is currently still getting security and bug fixes (I have a number of virtual machines running Win7x64 and they received updates within the last 7 days).

 

[Sparky4222]

I am still getting updates for Win 7 (except for the few recent ones that are known to interact with Avast which I avoided) but I know it's a losing battle and I will HAVE to change in the near future. Meanwhile, you both are certainly more experienced than I with my grand total of 32 minutes of flying time so let me pick your brain a little more;

Some version of thee Assistant software must have been compatible with Windows 7 at some point in the past. I have looked all over the web to try and find an older version but to no avail. I found one website or post, don't recall which, that listed numerous older versions but, when accessing them, the download links were broken and generated an error message. Is there such a copy somewhere and I haven't found it? Somebody out there must have one sitting in their download directory. If so, wouldn't that be an option? Again, I may never need it or have cause to use it, but I'd still like to see what it's all about.

Also, I have had no dealings yet with DJI Tech Support, keep in mind, I'm totally new to this. Is there even the remotest chance that addressing the issue to them will yield some result?

Thanks for your observations and suggestions.

Len

 

[Dodge DeBoulet]

If it installs on Windows 7 without incident, it's compatible. Microsoft's installer checks for a compatible Windows version, and unless DJI screwed up in setting the minimum recommended, it should work.

In my case Windows doesn't even acknowledge that something's been plugged into the USB port. I would at the very least expect to see a plug 'n play notification that a new device has been found. The only indication that it's connected is the battery light's flashing its charging status. I'm thinking there may actually be a hardware problem with the Spark ... maybe the USB D+ and/or D- lines aren't connected inside the drone. I've tried multiple cables, too.

 

[Sparky4222]

I am almost embarrassed to post this but as I continued to search, I came across this little tidbit: Tutorial: The DJI Assistant 2 Can Not Recognise The Drone.
and lo and behold, IT WORKS!!!

Now the Assistant program recognizes the spark.

Persistence, persistence, persistence. Hope you guys are able to benefit from the procedure. I did use gpedit.msc to disable driver signature checking rather than the method they suggest but it's all the same. Glad I kept trying.

Regard,
Len

 

[Dodge DeBoulet]

No joy for me, @Sparky4222. Attempting to install drivers using the method supplied in your link results in a message that no suitable drivers were found.

I even performed a manual install of the drivers using the batch file supplied with the software, C:\Program Files (x86)\DJI Product\DJI Assistant 2\Drivers_all\Drivers_Win10\DriverSetup64.bat* followed by a reboot. There is an unrecognized device in Device Manager, but it's there whether the Spark is plugged in or not. I think it may be an Intel chipset management device rather than the Spark itself, though.

* Had to edit this file due to it looking in the wrong place for pnputil.exe.

 

[Sparky4222]

Any chance that you're using a USB cord that does not have a full complement of wires connected?

 

[Dodge DeBoulet]

Any chance that you're using a USB cord that does not have a full complement of wires connected?

I've tried at least 3 cables and none of them work with the Spark. My computer has both USB2 and USB3 ports, and I've tried those cables in both.

 

[Sparky4222]

Weird. Good luck. Let me know if you get it to work.

Len

 

[Dodge DeBoulet]

I finally got around to contacting DJI about this and they've agreed that there's a hardware issue with my Spark. It's going in for warranty service.

 

[weajr]

Just the opposite problem, I can connect, update my Spark, but it wont connect to the controller!

 

[Andre Levite]

Just the opposite problem, I can connect, update my Spark, but it wont connect to the controller!

Page 4 of the User Manual [Linking RC to the Spark]



If that doesn't do it for you there are many step by step video instructions on DJI's website and YouTube.

 

[Dodge DeBoulet]

I finally got around to contacting DJI about this and they've agreed that there's a hardware issue with my Spark. It's going in for warranty service.

According to DJI's analysis and service report, I needed a new main board. It's been repaired and through "quality assurance," now waiting to be shipped back to me.

 

[Andre Levite]

According to DJI's analysis and service report, I needed a new main board. It's been repaired and through "quality assurance," now waiting to be shipped back to me.

That's great news.

Was that covered by warranty or DJI Care? I would hope so!

 

[Dodge DeBoulet]

That's great news.

Was that covered by warranty or DJI Care? I would hope so!

Although I do have DJI Care, they covered it under warranty. Hopefully I'll have it back by the weekend ... I just got the tracking number on the return shipment this morning. It went to them UPS ground (DJI had issued a call tag for it), so I'm assuming that's how it will come back.

 

[Dodge DeBoulet]

My Spark arrived about 30 minutes ago. Best I can tell, they sent me a brand new unit rather than repairing my original (or replacing with a refurb). My suspicion that it's new is based on the fact that the serial number decodes to a manufacturing date of March 27, 2019. It's completely pristine and has protective film over both the forward sensors and the camera lens, and there was a serial number/barcode label with the backing still on tucked under the SD-card/USB flap on the tail. I also remember reading that refurbs have the letter R in the serial number ... and this one does not.