Alright, I need to preface this post a little bit.
First and foremost, if you're viewing this thread, chances are we have a lot in common. Upon first receiving the product, I spent the initial forty eight hours in a constant state of wanting to throw my brand new ProFire 2626 out the window. After those two days, and having established a dialog with M-Audio's tech support, everything changed. I was then in a constant state of wanting to throw my interface, phone, and computer out the window. More on that momentarily.
Again, if you're reading this, chances are you've become fairly self-educated on the plague that is FireWire interfaces and Windows 7 x64 (or PC, or laptop, depending on who you ask) compatibility. It's fairly easy to do so, as the internet is awash with threads from frustrated users experiencing the same issue. Trouble is, none of them seem to provide any sure-fire solutions. This is the point in any new technological venture at which one typically turns to technical support.
My biggest problem with this entire issue, which truly seems to be bordering on conspiracy, is the way that M-Audio's support approached it. I, a layperson and modest producer, having zero experience in troubleshooting such a problem, had uncovered enough digital literature regarding FireWire compatibility (and audio dropout in general) to be systematically categorized, alphabetized, and filed in the warehouse at the end of Raiders of The Lost Ark. So why is it that tech support for a major manufacturer of FireWire interfaces told me that this audio dropout I was describing was not a known issue? In my mind, the answer is either a lack of knowledge, or a lack of honesty. Neither is acceptable. So, left to my own devices, I continued to research and experiment. Luckily, a friend of a friend has the exact configuration I do. A PC, Windows 7 x64, and a ProFire 2626.
After a bit of parallel research, he helped me come to the conclusion that my FireWire card was the issue. As I had read several times previously, a card containing a Texas Instruments chipset is crucial with FireWire interface compatibility. Until he had taken a look, I had been unsure of my chipset (which turned out to be Sony i-LINK). Anyway, one hundred dollars and a week later, I have a functioning interface thanks to a new ExpressCard SIIG Dual Port FireWire card (highly recommended). Now don't get me wrong, this product is great, and I would buy it again, if I had the knowledge I currently do. But that's the key. There is a huge population of ProFire 2626 owners, both current and future, that are struggling, or will struggle with the same issue. And, as previously mentioned, my extensive research didn't really reveal anything definitive. In an effort to turn the tables even slightly, here's the process to help determine the chipset in your FireWire card, which could lead to resolution of your trouble, as it did me.
1. Enter the "Device Manager" (accessible via Control Panel).
2. Identify "IEEE 1394 Bus host controllers" (your FireWire card), and click the arrow to maximize.
3. A typical on-board FireWire card may read as "1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller." This doesn't really tell us anything. However, there's a chance that it will read as "Texas Instruments 1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller." It's the prefix (in this case, Texas Instruments) that will identify the chipset. This could give you your answer. If it's anything other than TI, you've likely found your problem.
4. If, like me, there was no discernible chipset manufacturer, right-click on "1394 OHCI Compliant Host Controller" and enter the Properties menu.
5. There is a "Manufacturer" field in the General Properties, but odds are that this will be just as vague.
6. Move to the Driver tab of the Properties menu. Either the Driver Provider or Digital Signer fields may give you tips as to the chipset found in your FireWire card.
I went through all of these steps myself, and still didn't have any answers. I then had to Google the make and model of my laptop (Toshiba Qosmio x505 Q880), as well as have someone else do some similar research, before I had my answer.
If you're working with a PC, especially a laptop, and are experiencing random audio dropout, or other fidelity issues, I highly suggest giving this a shot. And, if it works, or if you resolve the problem some other way, publish it! I would've been inexplicably thankful for some clarity, and I'm hoping that this post will provide some of you with just that.
Toshiba Qosmio x505 Q880
Intel i7 - 1.60GHz - 6GB RAM
Windows 7 64-bit
64GB solid state drive - 1TB storage drive.
ProFire 2626
Reason 6.5