P3000 Support
Welcome to the P3000 support pages. Here you will find commonly requested files such as game configurations and the latest software and answers to commonly asked questions to help you get the most out of your P3000.
Q1: When I plug in my controller it installs as an Unknown Device. Why is this?
A1:There could be a few reasons for this. One is if you have Windows 98 Second Edition (SE) and are running an AMD processor with a VIA chipset motherboard. If this is the case then USB devices sometimes won't detect correctly so you can go to the following link for a fix.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/release.asp?ReleaseID=12904 It may also be because the controller is actually faulty or if you are plugging it into an external hub then try plugging it directly into a USB port on the computer itself/
Q2: Game Controllers/Gaming Options recognizes that my controller is present but when I click Properties I get the following error message, "An error occurred whilst working with the file c:\windows\system\joy.cpl" What do I do now?
A2:This is a fault with a file on your PC called dinput.dll. Please go to the following link for suggestions on how to solve this.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q188106
If the fix outlined in this article does not help then You need to extract the HID.DLL from the Windows '98 Cabs. To copy this file in to the C:WindowsSystem directory and overwrite the existing HID.DLL please follow the instructions below.
1. Place the Windows98 CD in the drive. Now go to Start then Run and where it says 'Open' enter SFC and click OK.
2. Click on 'Extract one file' and enter HID.DLL. Now click the Start button.
3. Where it says 'Restore from' this should be the location of the Windows 98 CD. So If your CD-ROM drive is letter 'Q' it would read 'Q:WIN98. 'Save file in' should read 'c:/windows/system'. After this click on OK
4. Now it will ask you to back up the HID.DLL file. Make a note of the directory if need be and then click on OK, then click yes to create the Folder.
5. Now restart your PC and everything should now be OK.
If that doesn't work then there are only two other fixes that we are aware of.
The first is to reinstall Windows over the top of itself - this would involve no data loss on your hard drive and does seem to fix the fault in the majority of cases.
If that doesn't work then the only other way is to format your PC's hard drive and reinstall Windows completely.
Q3:I'm trying to use the pad in a first person shooter game like Medal Of Honor, so that it performs similarly to my Playstation/X Box/Gamecube pad. However, I can't seem to get it to work, why is this?
A3: Games like Medal Of Honor on PC are typically called First Person Shooters (FPS) and they are nearly always set up exclusively for use with the keyboard and mouse. Game Controllers support in these games is either very basic or non-existent because the developers of these games consider them to be best controlled with the keyboard and mouse.
With the latest version of our programming software though, it is possible to get the pad working in these games by assigning mouse and keyboard commands to the analogue sticks on the pad. If you go to the profiles page for the pad you will find various profiles for FPS games - just download them to your C:\Program Files\Saitek\Software directory, as you do with all profiles and they will then appear in the pop-up list you get when you right click the controller icon next to your clock. Just left-click them, as usual to load them into the pad and the pad should then work fine in the game. If you wish to adjust the look sensitivity of the right analogue stick just change the mouse sensitivity setting in the game; likewise, if you want to change whether pushing up on the stick makes you look up or down then simply adjust the Invert Mouse option that is always present in FPS games.
If you can't find a profile for your particular FPS game then simply download the Generic FPS Game profile as this has the sticks set up for basic movement and looking functions and you can then program the other buttons on the pad to do what you need them to in your particular game.
Q4: One of my battery packs doesn't seem to be charging. What can I do about this?
A4: If you are having any trouble at all with the charging of the batteries on your P3000 then please read this faq
Q5: My Controller isn't working in my game, why is this?
or
My controller is not performing correctly in my game, what's happening?
A5: The first thing to check if the controller isn't working in the game is whether it is working in Game Controllers/Gaming Options in Control Panel. You can do this following the instructions in the General FAQ. If it is working okay in there then we know the controller is okay and problem has to do with the game itself.
First, make sure that the game actually supports game controllers, because some PC games just don't (if you're unsure you should contact the game publisher for more info on this).
Secondly, make sure you have correctly enabled the controller in the game's control options screen - most games have an options screen where you have to set up the controls - if this is a little unclear to you then the best people to contact this are, again, the publisher of the game as they will be more familiar with the game's inner workings.
Thirdly, the game may well need an update to correct an existing problem that the game may have shipped with. Always check the game's website to see if there are any updates for it (typically called Patches).
Q6: My pad was working fine but when I went back to using it again the calibration for my analogue sticks was off-center. How do I correct this?
A6: When you don't use the pad it goes into a sleep mode after a period of inactivity and sometimes when you 'wake it up' the calibration can be misread. To solve this, simply unplug the battery and plug it back in again; that should solve it.
Q7: I'm running Windows XP and if I load a profile into my controller I find that my PC crashes and either restarts completely or presents me with a blue error screen. How can I fix this?
A7: You need to download the latest version of the drivers and programming software from this link. This will stop the crashes from occurring.
Q8: My d-pad was working fine but when I restart my PC it no longer works when using the digital button to activate it. What can I do?
A8: Some people find that their PC does not correctly activate the driver on restart. To solve this you will need to open the Game Controllers icon in Control Panel and access the Properties for the pad. Test the d-pad by pressing the digital button and when it works, close Game Controllers and play your game - it should then be fine.
