The device works great now that I've got it running. It was also one of the cheapest available devices that I could find, so not a bad deal overall. It was a little tricky to setup, though. The disk didn't work for me, I actually think the drivers on the disk were out of date and that's why they didn't work. I followed some of the steps others had posted in the comments section to get the drivers installed. I'm using Windows 8 right now, so the steps I followed were a bit different.
Before you begin, I suggest visiting the Microsoft support website and following their instructions for downloading and installing their Xbox receiver software:
[...]
or just google: wireless xbox 360 controller on pc
I basically followed Brandon's instructions in the comments section, so these steps will be very similar, with just a few small differences.
1. Plug in the device.
2. Let it try to install the driver, it will fail.
3. Go into Control Panel, and underneath System and Security click Find and fix problems.
4. Click the header Hardware and Sound
5. Click Hardware and Devices to start the troubleshooter for hardware and devices.
6. Don't do anything more with the troubleshooter, just let it find the problem and then exit out. (Note: If it gives you a choice to update the driver software on the unknown device you may be able to skip to step 9, if you are unsure then just follow the along with the rest of the directions)
7. You'll need to open up the Device Manager window now. The easiest way on Windows 8 is to hover your mouse in the bottom right corner, click on Settings, then click on PC info. On the left side of the window click the link to Device Manager.
8. You should see a device with a yellow exclamation mark under a section called Unknown Devices. Right click the unknown device and click Update Driver Software...
9. Click Browse my computer for driver software
10. Click Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer
11. You'll get a list of device drivers. Make sure you installed the Xbox receiver software from the Microsoft website I mentioned above. If you already have it installed you'll see a driver listed as Xbox 360 Peripherals. Click it and hit Next.
12. You'll see a list of manufacturers and models on the next screen. Select the one that says Xbox 360 Wireless Receiver. If there are multiple copies to choose from select the higher version number (i.e. the most recently updated version), and click next.
13. An update driver warning will pop up saying installation is not recommended because Windows cannot verify compatibility with the hardware. Ignore the warning and select Yes to continue installation.
14. Installation should be complete and successful at this point. Your computer may ask to restart, it's up to you if you want to. Try connecting your controller and testing it out. It should work at that point, so have fun!
This is not the official MS product, although the picture indicates that it is. It does work without problems though, after a difficult installation process. There are several existing reviews that explain how to set up the drivers, since Windows 7 doesn't automatically detect what the device does.In short, if you don't mind to do a little work to install the drivers, you can save $10 off the official adapter. Otherwise, don't bother with this product.
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