Recorders not recognized by LENA Pro

This article covers recorder recognition failures - what to do if you've plugged in your recorder, but LENA Pro does not respond, and there are no other warnings or messages on the screen.

If you receive a formatting prompt, see here instead.

1. Determine which type of recorder(s) you have.

The troubleshooting tips are a little different depending on whether it's a new-style or old-style recorder.

New
 Old
Serial numbers 20000 and higher Serial numbers below 20000
Buttons on the side Buttons on the top face beside the screen
Generally shipped 2017 or later Shipped before April 2017

2. Check that your installation is generally compatible with LENA recorders.

LENA recorder transfer software is not supported on a Mac, a VM, or non-English Windows machine. See the LENA Pro system requirements* for more information.

*LENA Pro works with Windows 7, but Microsoft has discontinued Windows 7 mainline support.

3. Make sure LENA Pro is up to date.

New-style recorders require LENA Pro version 3.5.0.

Old-style recorders require LENA Pro version 3.4.0 or higher to potentially work on Windows 10 (see more about Windows 10 compatibility issues below). Usually a formatting prompt will appear if the software version is the problem, but sometimes there is no indication.

See what version of Pro is installed, and install an updated version if necessary.

Be sure to back up your data before updating.

4. Old-style recorders - rule out driver problem.

The driver may be missing, or there may be a compatibility issue.

In either case, the next step is to update the default driver.

Note: this driver is irrelevant for new-style recorders.

About Win10 / old recorder incompatibility

Technology is constantly evolving. Old smartphones cannot run OS updates or current apps. Similarly, a chip in the old recorder makes it incompatible with some Win10 computers.

The incompatibility causes the COM driver to fail, preventing LENA Pro from communicating with the recorder. Device Manager will show an alert on the driver.

There is no universal remedy for the Window 10 / old-style recorder incompatibility, but users experiencing this issue are encouraged to update the default driver to the CP210x Universal Windows Driver. Restart the computer after updating the driver. This update seems to resolve the issue on some systems.

Your computer may "see" one old-style recorder per Windows "session." If so, and if you are collecting only one recording a day, then restarting your LENA Pro computer every day will help manage the issue. If you are collecting higher volumes of LENA data, you will need to update your recorder stock to new-style devices, or maintain LENA Pro on a Windows 7 computer.

5. Check your connection procedures.

  • Order of operations
    • Open LENA Pro first, and then connect a recorder that is already powered on.
  • Number of recorders
    • LENA Pro can see only one recorder at a time. If you connect a second recorder, it won't be recognized. Disconnect both recorders, then try the second recorder again.

6. Rule out a bad cable or port.

  1. Try a different USB cable. If the recorder is now recognized your USB cable is probably bad. Please discontinue using it.
    • If changing the cable doesn't help, try another recorder with this same cable. If other recorders are recognized, there may be a problem with your recorder.
  2. Try a different USB port, if available. If the recorder is now recognized you may have a bad port. Note which port and contact your IT support.
    • If changing ports doesn't help, try another recorder on this same port. If other recorders are recognized, there may be a problem with your recorder.
  3. Make sure that your computer is able to recognize other USB devices. If not, unplug the recorder, restart the computer, open LENA Pro, and try again.

7. Rule out a frozen recorder.

Double check that the recorder's screen isn't stuck on an error message, or frozen on "Recording" or something else unusual.

The screen should go from a regular status message (Paused, Sleeping, or Memory Full) to Charging or Charged when you connect it.

8. "Have you tried turning it off and then on again?"

It may sound like the punch line to a bad joke, but it's true! A recorder can get into a state where no Windows computer will recognize it.

Disconnect it, turn it off, whisper words of encouragement, turn it back on, and connect it again.

9. Check your anti-virus/anti-malware rules.

Security tools can prevent Windows or LENA Pro from communicating with the recorder. Here's what your IT support team may need to check.

  1. Is your security software is blocking the device itself? Reference the VID and PID numbers listed below, and whitelist as necessary:
    • VID 1C3C and PID 0008
    • VID 0424 and PID 2502
    • VID 058F and PID either 6335 or 6569
  2. Is your security software triggered to scan the recorder when Hub tries to read it? IT may need to whitelist the service that communicates with the recorder:
    • C:\Program Files (x86)\LENA\Service\LenaService.exe.

10. Contact LENA Support.

If you are unable to resolve the issue or need help with any of the troubleshooting, please contact [email protected]. Please provide the following:

  • Name
  • Organization
  • Recorder serial number(s) that are not recognized (usually on a silver sticker on the back of the recorder, with a barcode)
  • Scope - does the problem affect just one recorder, or all recorders, or all recorders of the same type, or does it seem random?
  • Computer operating system (Windows 7, Windows 10, etc.)
  • LENA Pro version number
  • LENA Pro product key
  • A note or screenshot about any messages you see when the recorder is connected.