# XBOX 360 Controller on PC



## paran0id42 (Sep 6, 2009)

Hello FAF, got a tech issue and I am pretty confused, heres the situation:

I am trying to hook up my 360 controller to my computer via USB plug in (not wireless).  I went to Microsofts download the drivers on my pc thing, and I got this on my Start menu...
Start>Programs>Microsoft Xbox 360 Accessories> *Microsoft Xbox 360 Accessories Status*.

I hit the Status program, and I get an ovular menu thing like on the 360 when you plug in a controller.  The controller logo has no lights on, and says "Connections  Click for Help".  I clicked for help and it really doesn't offer much advice, and it doesnt explain *why my 360 controller has the green ring blinking.  *

When I plug in my controller to my PC, I hear an alert but nothing comes up.  It also alerts me when its taken out.  When I plug it in, there is no blinking green ring.  When I hit the Xbox logo button, the ring starts blinking again.

Im pretty confused here, my OS is Windows XP SP2 Media Center Edition.
Anyone who can offer any advice I will greatly appreciate it.


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## TDK (Sep 6, 2009)

Try to reinstall the driver and see if that helps.


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## AshleyAshes (Sep 7, 2009)

Because what the hell is Windows going to do with the Xbox controller lights?  What's it going to use the Xbox button for?  It's WINDOWS.

On the PC, the Xbox controller is JUST a USB Gamepad.  The lights don't turn on in use on the PC.

After plugging it in, did you even go to control panel and go to Game Controllers and see if the Xbox controller was listed there and what it's status was?  Or did you just see no solid lights on the controller and go 'Whelp, it dun werk!' without even TESTING it?


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## paran0id42 (Sep 7, 2009)

Motor Mouth said:


> Try to reinstall the driver and see if that helps.



That did not work, thanks though.


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## TDK (Sep 7, 2009)

AshleyAshes said:


> Because what the hell is Windows going to do with the Xbox controller lights?  What's it going to use the Xbox button for?  It's WINDOWS.
> 
> On the PC, the Xbox controller is JUST a USB Gamepad.  The lights don't turn on in use on the PC.
> 
> After plugging it in, did you even go to control panel and go to Game Controllers and see if the Xbox controller was listed there and what it's status was?  Or did you just see no solid lights on the controller and go 'Whelp, it dun werk!' without even TESTING it?



Ashley, you should be arrested for homicide. Because you just MURDERED his ego . 

But he does have a point, I got a Logitech game pad for 12 bucks at Gamestop. Since their made for PC, their optimized for the PC and have neat little feature the 360 controller dosent.


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## paran0id42 (Sep 7, 2009)

AshleyAshes said:


> Because what the hell is Windows going to do with the Xbox controller lights?  What's it going to use the Xbox button for?  It's WINDOWS.
> 
> On the PC, the Xbox controller is JUST a USB Gamepad.  The lights don't turn on in use on the PC.
> 
> After plugging it in, did you even go to control panel and go to Game Controllers and see if the Xbox controller was listed there and what it's status was?  Or did you just see no solid lights on the controller and go 'Whelp, it dun werk!' without even TESTING it?



Lets tone it down :3
I dont understand what youre trying to say with "It's WINDOWS."  I downloaded the software from microsoft's website and they said to hit the controllers 360 button to configure it with the software.

So it is just a "USB Gamepad"?  Allright.
And yes, I forgot to mention I went to Control Panel> Game Controllers and there is nothing in there.


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## Kuraggo (Sep 7, 2009)

I recommend using the XBCD drivers, they are MUCH more customizable than the standard drivers, you can adjust deadzones, buttons and a bunch of other stuff.

You can find the files and the installation guide here:
http://www.redcl0ud.com/xbcd.html

Hopefully they'll work for you. =]


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## FireWolf (Sep 7, 2009)

AshleyAshes said:


> Because what the hell is Windows going to do with the Xbox controller lights?  What's it going to use the Xbox button for?  It's WINDOWS.


Good answer! I called tech support and that's exactly what they told me! They said "lol windows xDDDDD!".



AshleyAshes said:


> On the PC, the Xbox controller is JUST a USB Gamepad.  The lights don't turn on in use on the PC.



The lights turn on when it is connected and when the PC is on. Yeah.



AshleyAshes said:


> Or did you just see no solid lights on the controller and go 'Whelp, it dun werk!' without even TESTING it?



WHELP, THIS RESPONSE DUN WERK.

Please, the sentence before that was more appropriate than this one, why did you even add this?

6/10. You almost had me going.


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## TDK (Sep 7, 2009)

FireWolf said:


> WHELP, THIS RESPONSE DUN WERK.
> 
> Please, the sentence before that was more appropriate than this one, why did you even add this?
> 
> 6/10. You almost had me going.



Welcome to FAF, Fire .

9/10 for starting off with a bang.


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## AshleyAshes (Sep 7, 2009)

FireWolf said:


> Please, the sentence before that was more appropriate than this one, why did you even add this?


 
The exact thing happened to a friend.

"It doesn't work.  The lights don't come on."
"Did you actually try it in a game?"
"No...  ...Oh it works!"


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## FireWolf (Sep 7, 2009)

Motor Mouth said:


> Welcome to FAF, Fire .
> 
> 9/10 for starting off with a bang.



I play a ferret on the internet btw.



AshleyAshes said:


> The exact thing happened to a friend.
> 
> "It doesn't work.  The lights don't come on."
> "Did you actually try it in a game?"
> "No...  ...Oh it works!"



All situations are different.

PS: I'm Adrian.


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## paran0id42 (Sep 7, 2009)

Kuraggo said:


> I recommend using the XBCD drivers, they are MUCH more customizable than the standard drivers, you can adjust deadzones, buttons and a bunch of other stuff.
> 
> You can find the files and the installation guide here:
> http://www.redcl0ud.com/xbcd.html
> ...



Is this for the regular xbox controller or a 360 controller?


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## paran0id42 (Sep 7, 2009)

AshleyAshes said:


> The exact thing happened to a friend.
> 
> "It doesn't work.  The lights don't come on."
> "Did you actually try it in a game?"
> "No...  ...Oh it works!"




The green ring on a 360 controller (You know what that is right?) that appears around the Xbox logo is blinking.  The blinking ring is not explained in the Help section under the program.  All of this can be avoided if you just said "That means it is on standby, try it in a game".  Thing is, this is a different situation from oh say using the controller in a microsoft game, how about a Playstation emulator?  Does that change things?

Heres further into my scenario then.  I am trying to play Megaman on an emulator, surely the controller can do this.


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## AshleyAshes (Sep 7, 2009)

paran0id42 said:


> Heres further into my scenario then. I am trying to play Megaman on an emulator, surely the controller can do this.


 
Like I said, with the driver installed, it should just be plug and play like any other USB controller that already has the drivers installed.  Though this driver looks a lot more complicated than when I last saw it YEARS ago.

I'd uninstall that crap and try XBCD which supports both classic and 360 controllers but not the wireless controllers yet.  Apparently that's in development still.

Ihave to admit, I don't get why MS didn't make the 360 controller operate under basic USB Game Controller specs by default.  My Cordless Rumblepad2 works out of the box in XP just by plugging it in.  Sure there's no rumble untill you install the Logitech drivers but it still WORKS. >_>  Microsoft had to make their controllers 'Special'.


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## paran0id42 (Sep 7, 2009)

Somewhat important update:
The 360 Controller I have is considered wireless apparently.  When I first bought my 360 it came with a pair of batteries.  I used that pair and switched to the USB plug the controller comes with.  Does this change anything?

Ill clarify.  My controller has a removable cord that can come off the top of the controller.  It makes it so I can connect to my 360 via the USB.  I dont know whether the USB cord is supplying power to my controller, and then sends out a wireless signal to my 360, or the USB cord is acting like a wired controller.  Thoughts?

Edit:  The device manager name for it is *Xbox 360 Wireless Controller via Play & Charge Kit*


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## TDK (Sep 7, 2009)

Nope. It won't work. You need an actual wired controller, the Play & Charge only  CHARGES the controller through the 360 and it won't act as a USB cable for the PC.


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## FireWolf (Sep 7, 2009)

Motor Mouth said:


> Nope. It won't work. You need an actual wired controller, the Play & Charge only  CHARGES the controller through the 360 and it won't act as a USB cable for the PC.



There is a wireless receiver though, but it costs money.


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## Runefox (Sep 7, 2009)

paran0id42 said:


> Ill clarify.  My controller has a removable cord that can come off the top of the controller.  It makes it so I can connect to my 360 via the USB.  I dont know whether the USB cord is supplying power to my controller, and then sends out a wireless signal to my 360, or the USB cord is acting like a wired controller.  Thoughts?
> 
> Edit:  The device manager name for it is *Xbox 360 Wireless Controller via Play & Charge Kit*



Yeah, the Play & Charge kit. That's the first thing I thought when I heard this. The Play & Charge kit doesn't send any data back and forth, and only facilitates charging. Windows can't use the controller using the P&C kit; You'll need an X-Box 360 Wireless Receiver (like mine!) or an actual wired controller.

To reiterate, the Play & Charge kit *cannot* be used to connect the controller to the computer. No data is transmitted through it, only the required USB identifier and the voltage running to the battery. All communications to the 360 / Wireless Receiver are still wireless.


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## paran0id42 (Sep 7, 2009)

Allright, so that is the absolute problem.  Thanks everyone.  I just totally forgot my controller was wireless and I thought the wire acted as a usb utility.

Thank you, *no more replies to this thread are necessary*


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## AshleyAshes (Sep 7, 2009)

Yeah that would be the problem.  The USB cable for the wireless controllers doesn't transfer any data.  It's a 'dumb' connection for power only.  You need to use a wireless reciver.  (Don't ask me WHY MS decided to go that way)


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## paran0id42 (Sep 7, 2009)

AshleyAshes said:


> Yeah that would be the problem.  The USB cable for the wireless controllers doesn't transfer any data.  It's a 'dumb' connection for power only.  You need to use a wireless reciver.  (Don't ask me WHY MS decided to go that way)



I dont know if my 360 came with a wireless controller because I got the Halo 3 special edition pack.  I dont know if all other 360s come with wireless controllers by default, but it is yet another way for microsoft to gut you for your money.  Buy a wireless reciever?  So you pay extra for 1) it being wireless, 2) it being unable to connect to a PC, so you pay more for just that.

Ugh


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## lilEmber (Sep 7, 2009)

You can get a USB 360 wireless hub...thing for the PC from The Source, gamestop/eb games, best buy, futureshop, or any other place. It works really, really good. :3


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## Runefox (Sep 7, 2009)

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that every 360 comes with a wireless controller aside from the Arcade model (which I'm pretty sure comes with a wired USB controller). I know that the 360 Elite comes with a wireless controller, as did the Professional SKU back when it was Core/Pro/Elite.

Anyway, if you do get a USB controller or a wireless receiver, the controller connection lights will actually function as normal (if you have multiple controllers with that function, they'll each get assigned player numbers). This works particularly with the Games For Windows-branded games that make use of the 360 controllers (like Battlestations Pacific). Aside from that (as in, for every other game ever), it doesn't really mean much except to identify which one you pressed the centre button on.


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## AshleyAshes (Sep 7, 2009)

Runefox said:


> Anyway, if you do get a USB controller or a wireless receiver, the controller connection lights will actually function as normal (if you have multiple controllers with that function, they'll each get assigned player numbers). This works particularly with the Games For Windows-branded games that make use of the 360 controllers (like Battlestations Pacific). Aside from that (as in, for every other game ever), it doesn't really mean much except to identify which one you pressed the centre button on.


 
I have to admit,t his does kinda alleviate the current issue with USB controllers on windows.  Namely, there's no logic to which controller gets assigned which controller number.  Even plugging in more controllers can rearrange that order.  I had a wired Logitech controller and a wireless one.  Reguardless of which ports and which one got plugged in first, the wired one would always be #1 if both were plugged in.  If the wireless was on and then the wired was plugged in, it'd BUMP the wireless to #2.  When I Had two wireless ones of the same model, they'd just get seemingly random assignments.  It made mapping which controller was for which player a pain.  Only thing that aleviated it on the wireless ones was I could re-assign the controllers to the opposite recivers if I choose since it was really the reciver that's getting the assignment.


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## Runefox (Sep 7, 2009)

Yeah, I know what you mean. With the Games For Windows controller assignments, whichever controller gets assigned player 1 gets mapped to the controller ID that player 1 had (at least, it does in my experience). So if you have a wireless controller and you turn it on, and it gets player 1, and you set up your button mappings in a program, it'll stick across to whichever other GFW-compatible controller you use that might get player 1 later on, including other wireless controllers, USB controllers, or specials (like the ACE-EDGE). In the absence of actually being able to assign joystick ID's directly in XP/Vista (oddly, you could in 9x), this makes things a lot easier, particularly when certain applications don't respect the "Preferred device" setting and simply runs with the first available controller (which, in XP/Vista, is the first controller in the alphabetical listing).

Only thing it sucks for though is that I have two USB-connected controllers (a Logitech ChillStream and an ACE-EDGE) that take up the first two ID's automatically.


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## Shino (Sep 7, 2009)

Uhh... if I remember correctly, the USB charging cable that the wireless controllers come with doesn't actually have any data connection, it simply uses the USB bus power to charge. If that's the cable you're using, you're not doing anything other than charging the controller, there's no data transfer with that cable, and therefore, no device for the compy to recognize other than the charging cable itsself.

If on the other hand you're using a wired XBox 360 controller, please ignore me and continue, as I was to lazy to read all the posts.


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## damian12 (Sep 9, 2009)

*Do wired Xbox 360 controllers work with the pc?*

I bought halo for the pc does the controller for xbox 360 work with that?


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