jaclaz

@Dave-H Yep, that is the plan at the moment, BUT I would do that tracking on Windows XP first, now that we know that the Setip approach works. I believe that the *something* that is missing is some entry in the Registry, and particularly in HKLM, but cannot really say for sure. If it is, TrackWinInstall should be able to "catch" it. The two possible issues might be: 1) the TrackWinInstall is a reliable old mule, but it is possible that for some reasons it doesn't run or doesn't run correctly in 8.1 2) the *whatever* the Setup does on 8.1 is - ohh - so slightly - different from what the same program renamed Setip does on XP jaclaz

Oops, sorry, missed these No, that cannot possibly work because of the current driver signing. Any file you replace in the source will make the Setup (or Setip) not working (and plainly installing via the .inf will result - until we trace and find the differences - in a non-working driver, as we already tested). jaclaz

Wouldn't it be (longer, but more productive) do the tests already hinted? The whole point is that - from your reports - when the setup.exe rectius setip.exe *something* happens that makes the driver magically working, whilst using the .inf that same magic does not happen (for *whatever* reasons). So what is needed is to find out what is the difference between them, which again means tracing the one and the other install. I am pretty much confident (I am an optimist, you know ) that on XP (not so much on 8.1 but it also has to be seen) we could try removing the reference to the etd.cat file (and the etd.cat file from the source folder) and try installing the thingy as an unsigned driver with a "customized/modified" .inf, but we first need anyway to have the installs traced and find the differences. https://msfn.org/board/topic/181362-xp-driver-for-amd-hd8180-graphics-and-elan-ps2-touchpad/?do=findComment&comment=1181792 Once we learn what (the heck) these differences are, we can reproduce them and thus create a working "custom" .inf. Until then we are doing random (educated guesses but still wild guesses) attempts that: 1) if they don't work, they don't work 2) if they work, they work (like the last, finally successsful "setip.exe") method BUT that does not add any useful addition to what we already know to the "final goal" (which is not only to have a working driver in XP - which we already have - but rather to understand how to have it in an easier, reproducible, automated/scripted way that does not involve the (complex) replacement of files from different versions of the driver, and does not (as the current method does) create a number of Registry entries that are corresponding to the Z115203-cab driver whilst the actually installed driver is the tptp118w7). In other words, the current practical result is good (and "enough" as it simply works) but it is awkard, untidy and far from elegant or efficient. jaclaz

And now, for no apparent reason, an interesting document about installation of Elantech drivers (on Windows 10) from MSI "knowledge base": https://www.msi.com/faq/notebook-3177 https://storage-asset.msi.com/global/picture/faq/10017150@2019-0520-0521-284039@kb_03177_en.pdf jaclaz

Sure and it is a good recommendation, still, as Win32 reported, normally the Windows 2000 USB stack (as ported/arranged in USP 3.xx) works fine on Me. jaclaz

Sure it is not, still, the U98SEUSB.EXE is NOT NUSB, it is part of USP 3.x, which is again NOT NUSB. jaclaz

Yep, though it has to be seen which .inf is in use (and that will be used by the uninstall), which more or less is the reason why - if possible - the goal is to find a way to install *somehow* (but "directly") the driver with a modified .inf and with the "right version" files from the beginning. in this case, the ETDUninst.exe (and ETDUninst.dll) should work fine, because the "Uninstall" section of both .infs is seemingly the same. Yes, that would be a nice addition, it is possible that the AsusUi.exe (which version are you using BTW) *needs* some particular version of the driver, surely profiling it (on my half@§§ed XP SP2 install) with Dependency Walker it has a lot of (unresolved) dependencies on .NET and other system files, that could be the case on your install as well. You can also try (but as always not any guarantee) the ETDUI.cpl which is in the Z11509, Z11521 and Z11542. Good. jaclaz

Good , actually VERY GOOD . It is entirely possible that the ETDCtrlHelper.exe is only needed in Vista+ (only philologically, a helper file should be something that is only needed on some installs, otherwise *whatever* it does could be added to the "main" ETDCtrl.exe) . The ETDService.exe is "stranger" (that it is not needed under XP, I mean). BUT, if you check very old Elantech drivers (like the Z70513) there is a ETDCtrlHelper.exe AND NOT an ETDService.exe. So you can try deleting (better moving them to an "\Elantech\Unneeded\" folder) from the \Elantech\ folder: ETDCtrlHelper.exe 11.0.0.7 ETDDeviceInformation.exe 11.19.0.1 ETDService.exe 11.0.0.4 ETDUn_inst.exe 10.0.0.9 Setup.exe 11.0.0.4 ETDUninst.dll 10.0.0.1 Then, you can try doing the same to (one at the time): ETD_DLL.dll 11.0.0.4 ETDApi.dll 10.0.0.9 ETDApix.dll 11.0.0.8 ETDCmds.dll 11.0.0.8 ETDFavorite.dll 11.0.0.7 ETDMcpl.dll 11.0.0.10 until either the smartpad stops working or the settings are not changeable or become "volatile" again. Yes, but you will also need (since we have found two ways to have it working also on XP) to do the differencing between the two methods ".inf install" and "Setip.exe install" on XP (where trackwinistall surely works).

Yep, and I am optimist about that , but you should re-try on XP ALL the various suggested methods, this last "Setip.exe" is the last one because it is the one most complicated to replicate, if on XP we *somehow* get around the strict driver signing policy you encountered on these attempts (before the last "Setip.exe" one) it would be easier to provide a simpler, repeatable method (though even this last "Setip.exe" approach is repeatable, if it works on XP). jaclaz

Do you have that on XP? Or you did try this latest "Setip.exe" install on 8.1? The idea, starting from this post: is to do the tests in XP, the mechanism about driver signing may be different in XP, so any of the various tests may work in XP (while it doesn't in 8.1), jaclaz

Which is fine, since that is basically the Win2000 USB stack and the only .vxd in U98SEUSB.EXE is USBDSC2.VXD which is only used/needed for Casio cameras: jaclaz

Good. Now replace all the installed files in the \Elantech\ folder and the .sys with the ones from 11.4.14.1. Do not add (for the moment) any .exe or .dll file that is not already in the \Elantech\ folder. That should leave out: ETDApi32.dll ETDGesture.exe ETDIntelligent.exe Lenovo.exe Lenovo_Win8.exe And the Sensepoint.exe can be deleted. jaclaz

Yet another (very likely to fail) attempt. Make the \Frankendriver\x86\ a copy of the \115203-cab\x86\. Add to it the Setup.exe from \tp118w7\{app}\Elantech\11.4.14.1\X86\ but renamed to Setip.exe (so that in the folder there are both the original Setup.exe and the Setip.exe), then run this Setip.exe. If also this fails, the ONLY remaining avenue is a complete trace of the install on 8.1 of Z115203-cab: 1) via the Device Manager/Have disk 2) via the Setup.exe and the differences between them (of course starting from a "cleaned" system/registry). Since we have already seen that the first will result in a non-saving-settings driver, there should be no need to clean/revert the system before running the second, as a matter of fact the key differences should be exactly those that happen when the 2nd is run) At this point you need to run either Procmon (which as you might know is rather "verbose" if *filters* are not applied, but the moment we apply any filter we risk to miss something vital) or try some other "simpler" program. In the past (but cannot really say if it suitable in your particular case) I had good results with this good ol' thingy here: http://www.withopf.com/tools/trackwinstall/ http://www.withopf.com/tools/trackwinstall/trackwinstall-115.zip Since it creates a sort of snapshot of both the Registry and of the filesystem (hashing files with MD5) it will take some (a lot of) time (you'll need some patience), and of course it may not run at all in 8.1, I believe that the simpler (and faster) filesystem check based on file date/time modification is enough. The doubt might be if it is better to run it in 1 phase mode or in 2 phase mode (check the TrackWinstallE.hlp). What I would try doing : 1) clean the 8.1 system from traces of previous installations 2) install the Z115203-cab via Device Manager/Have disk .inf 3) verify that the settings changes are "volatile", reboot, etc. 4) start the trackwininstall and have it snapshot the system (in 2 phase mode) 5) make sure (better be safe than sorry) that the %program files%\Elantech\ folder is included in the snapshot and set the tool to not use MD5 for files (in the Options) 6) start the trackwininstall and have it snapshot the system (in 2 phase mode) 7) wait until it asks you to save the snapshot 8) install the Z115203-cab via its Setup.exe 9) re-launch the trackwinistall 10) check the differences (copying and saving them for later review) If the above does not work, you will need to repeat, cleaning between the two installs (and thus have two differences files to be compared between them) jaclaz

Yep , the first test is with the setup.exe from the \x86\ folder of tp118w7 copied to the \Frankendriver\x86\ folder. There are two setup.exe's. One is in \tp118w7\{app}\Elantech\11.4.14.1\X86\ And the second is one level above in \tp118w7\{app}\Elantech\11.4.14.1\ Now the issue is whether *any* Setup.exe checks the driver signing/catalogue. From what you report this is the case the Setup.exe starts, checks the signature (as the .sys and .cat are from Z115203-cab BUT the .inf is from tp118w7), and exits doing nothing. Copying to the \Frankendriver\ folder (one level above) the second setup.exe (from \tp118w7\{app}\Elantech\11.4.14.1) and running it will most probably do the same . (but it is worth trying). Then there are the other tests. IF the Setup.exe and/or the other files in the \x86\ folder are part of the signature this won't work (but it is still worth an attempt): 1) keep in \Frankendriver\x86\ the Setup.exe from \tp118w7\{app}\Elantech\11.4.14.1\X86 2) replace the ETD.sys in \Frankendriver\x86\ with the one from Z115203-cab\x86\ 3) try running the \Frankendriver\x86\setup.exe If the setup runs the result should be an installed (but not working) driver which should start working once you replace the ETD.sys with the one from \tp118w7\{app}\Elantech\11.4.14.1\X86. Otherwise, next test, copy ALL files from Z115203-cab\x86\ to the \Frankendriver\x86\. Now the Frankendriver is (or should be) an exact copy of the Z-115203\x86\ folder, thus any signing should be valid. Now copy to one level above, to \Frankendriver\ the Setup.exe from one level above in \tp118w7, i.e. \tp118w7\{app}\Elantech\11.4.14.1\Setup.exe and try running it. It should have no issues with the driver signing, BUT if it somehow it calls the Setup.exe inside (the \Frankendriver\x86\setup.exe which is from Z115203-cab and "6.0") it will fail as well. Last attempt is then to try replacing the \Frankendriver\x86\setup.exe with the \tp118w7\{app}\Elantech\11.4.14.1\X86\Setup.exe and try again running both the \Frankendriver\x86\setup.exe and the \Frankendriver\setup.exe. If either of the two actually run and install, you should be in the same situation as in 8.1, a driver correctly installed but not working (and unlike 8.1 also throwing some errors as files are "6.0" ) and you have to replace manually the files with those from \tp118w7\{app}\Elantech\11.4.14.1\X86. If any of these don't work, we need to find a way to "testsign" the driver, something that I have no real idea on how to do exactly. Or we are back to square one, trace what the Z115203-cab Setup.exe actually does on 8.1 and replicate manually the SAME changes in XP. Since we have now determined that (in 8.1) there is a notable difference between: 1) installing the Z115203-cab driver via its Setup.exe and: 2) installing the Z115203-cab driver via Device Manager/Have disk (through the .inf and bypassing the Setup.exe) jaclaz

No, it is not. The "other way around" referred to: is: "ETDCtrlHelper.exe runs fine when you start it but won't run if it is auto-started." and your expanded explanation is confusing (to me at least). jaclaz

No, it is not "the other way around". The ETDCtrlHelper.exe DOES NOT autostart (with the driver or with the ETDCrtl.exe) at boot. <- this is the actual issue IF run manually throws an error. Adding a "run" key in the Registry it should start BUT the unmodified one should also throw an error, exactly like when run manually. The attempt to make it not error out when run manually was to exclude that it actually *somehow* started AND failed immediately and silently, this is seemingly not the case. jaclaz

Really? Never knew about that. Come on , the issue is that it depends on how exactly the Registries are compared/snapshot/copied/etc. and by which specific software the comparison is made. jaclaz

We don't know yet, as the ETDCtrlHelper.exe won't autostart in XP. I only guessed that - since the same calls to Vista+ user32.dll version are present in very old versions of the driver actually "named" to be for XP - this could be the case, at least for the call to "ChangeWindowMessageFilter". jaclaz

Not necessarily is "Elantech". As an example we have seen that ETDService.exe -install creates a key in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\ETDService For all we know the Setup.exe may create any number of such keys, without Elantech in the name/path. And the .inf contains several HKLM entries, I could understand if - for whatever reason - some are not there in XP, but they should be there in 8.1. Say (a couple for all): HKLM,"%ServiceRoot%\Elantech\DeviceInformation",Port0_MasterDeviceType,%REG_DWORD%,0 HKLM,"%ServiceRoot%\Elantech\GroupOption\GroupMap\IC1059Series_UID_2D",SeriesType,%REG_SZ%,"5" which should expand to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Elantech\... Which in itself may actualy be (offline) either of: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Control\Elantech\... or: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Control\Elantech\... jaclaz

Well that is HKCU only? If there are differences connected to the starting of something they are more likely to be in HKLM. And then (if you include HKLM) you have probably CurrentControlSet "misaligned", the data you provided earlier pointed to having in 8.1 CurrentControlSet corresponding to ControlSet002 (while normally it is ControlSet001). Anyway, let's first see if the crazy Frankendriver Setup.exe attempt leads us forward, otherwise we need to find a way to do a "proper" Registry comparison (there must be a way to get all the info without having MBs in size of unneded other data ). jaclaz

I will throw this on the table (and quickly hide my hand behind my back): https://www.nakka.com/soft/npop/index_eng.html https://npopuk.org.uk/3.04/ jaclaz

Ok, on second thought, it seems like the Setup.exe in tp118w7.exe is XP compatible . Create a new \Frankendriver\X86 directory and populate it with the files from either Z11503-cab or tp118w7 according to the attachment (Frankendriver_setup.xls). Then try running (in XP) the Setup.exe \Frankendriver\X86 If it works, it works. If you still have the issue with ETDCtrlHelper.exe (and only in this case) replace the ETDCtrlHelper.exe with the modified one coming from ETDCtrlHelper_mod_2.zip. If the Setup.exe checks the driver signing (which is invalid), we are stuck. BUT we have still another possibility, in the tp118w7 there are TWO Setup.exe one is in the driver folder \tp118w7\{app}\Elantech\11.4.14.1\X86\ : Setup.exe 05/03/2013 Version 11.0.0.4 whilst the other one is one level above, in \tp118w7\{app}\Elantech\11.4.14.1\ : Setup.exe 14/06/2012 Version 11.0.0.1 which - most probably - should use the setup.ini and the files in \X86 So you could also try to have ALL the files from Z11503-cab in a directory, let's say \mytest\X86, then copy to \mytest\ the Setup.exe from \tp118w7\{app}\Elantech\11.4.14.1\ and run it (the Setup.exe outside the \X86\directory cannot be part of the driver signing). If it installs (wit the same stupid errors as with the .inf install of Z11503-cab, due to the "too high" versions of the files), then you can replace them with the needed ones from tp118w7 as you already did with the current .inf install that partially works. jaclaz Frankendriver_setup.xls

You need to compare the Registry in the Windows 8.1 (where now everything works as it should) with the Registry in XP. It is entirely possible that the key is in installing through the Setup.exe (as opposed to the simpler .inf install). As well it is possible that - when run through the *whatever* autostart mechanism the "normal" ETDCtrlHelper.exe does not throw that error, notwithstanding the dependencies. jaclaz

@Dave-H ONLY intended as "Malo nodo, malus quærendus cuneus" try (it costs nothing) the two attachments (one at the time, of course). To be filed under: half-@§§ed hacks jaclaz P.S.: let me know once you have downloaded them, so that I will remove the attachments.

All the ETDCtrlHelper.exe's (including the one in the very early Z10052) do have a call to User32.dll "ChangeWindowMessageFilter" (while later ones after Z10590 have both that one and the one to "UnregisterPowerSettingNotification"). It is "queer" as at least Z10052 is "expressly" for XP. Anyway, if - as it seems - the missing link is ETDService.exe instead, your next step is searching the Windows 8.1 Registry to find any reference to ETDService.exe. When run on command line we have: ETDService.exe Parameters: -install to install the service. -remove to remove the service. Service failed to run w/err 0x00000427 ETDService.exe -install ETDService is installed. And an entry in the Registry is made: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\ETDService and: ETDService.exe -remove ETDService is removed. the entry is removed allright. It is absolutely possible that the Setup.exe (and not the .inf processing) runs ETDService.exe -install. Check the 8.1 Registry. Try installing the service in XP. The text strings in ETDService.exe do connect it to ETDCtrl.exe: jaclaz