I am writing to report a critical issue with my Hercules DJ Console MK2 on Windows 11. I also wanted to inform you that your French support website currently appears to be down/out of service.
Issue Summary: Following the recent Windows 11 KB5074105 update, the MIDI control surface of my console has become completely unresponsive. While the audio interface (ASIO) continues to function perfectly, allowing for playback and headphone monitoring, no MIDI signals are being transmitted or received by the system.
Environment Details:
-
Computer: Lenovo Ideapad 3 14ITL6.
-
OS: Windows 11 (Post-KB5074105 update).
-
Software: Virtual DJ 2026 (v2026 b9004).
-
Drivers: Package 2.HDJS.2023 (Driver v6.3.0.0, Firmware v1.3.6.15).
-
Hardware: Tested with two different MK2 units (one of which is brand new/NOS) across multiple USB cables and ports.
Technical Breakdown (as <a href=" removed link " target="_blank" rel="noopener">identified via Virtual DJ community and system logs):
-
Driver Blocking: The KB5074105 update has significantly reinforced Windows 11 security policies regarding legacy drivers. Even with Core Isolation (HVCI), Memory Integrity, and the Vulnerable Driver Blocklist manually disabled, the MIDI/Bulk layer of the 2.HDJS.2023 driver is being filtered or ignored by the OS.
-
MidiIn Silent: System logs (HDJInfo.txt) show that while the
Hercules® DJ Control MP3service is running, the "MidiIn" counter remains at zero. -
USB Controller Conflict: There is a failure in the data handshake between the Intel USB 3.1 Controller and the console’s legacy protocol. I have already attempted to disable all USB power management settings (Selective Suspend) for the Root Hubs without success.
Request: Virtual DJ support has confirmed that this is a software/driver conflict caused by Microsoft's new security architecture in Windows 11. Since the hardware is functional, does Hercules/Guillemot plan to release a driver update to restore MIDI compatibility with these newer Windows 11 security layers?
@Cedricpah Welcome to the forum.
I think Windows needs to address this—it seems to be a Windows issue—so I hope Windows, or rather Microsoft, gets it fixed at some point.
Here is the fix that worked with me, guys:
"Before I post this, I will say MS does not support this officially nor is it a guarantee that it will continue to work after updates over time, so use at your own risk.
1. you will need ViVeTool to do this and disable the MIDI 2.0 feature by itself. Found here: https://github.com/thebookisclosed/ViVe/releases/download/v0.3.3/ViVeTool-v0.3.3.zip
2. I extracted this to c:\vive, but you can extract it to wherever you like.
3. After you extract ViVeTool, navigate to its directory and open a Power Shell terminal in it.
4. The command is:
.\ViVeTool.exe /disable /id:58988972
5. Restart your machine.
This worked as expected on my machine. Not the exact fix I wanted but at least I won't have to pause updates until InMusic addresses the problem on their end. This will disable the MIDI 2.0 feature alone. Hope it helps.
The video describing this can be found here:
Look at time index 2:30.
TY Pete for the heads up!"
Thanks @BAUMI, but as mentioned in the topic, DJ LE CHIFFRE says that Microsoft has reinforced Windows driver security with recent updates. Even though these controllers are getting old, we all hope Hercules will provide a fix. You could say it worked before, but we can’t simply stop installing Windows security updates. Moreover, I think many people who don’t use their controller frequently will only realize it’s no longer working at their next gig… and by then, they may not be able to roll back the updates.
Otherwise, just say clearly that Hercules will no longer support these older devices and that we should buy a new one.
@Cedricpah I think Herkules will work on a solution and, in this case, might soon release a new driver that works better. I would also like to see an error code log introduced for this product so that customers can send the error details to the developers. That way, if a crash occurs, the developers are immediately notified of the error and can investigate the cause.
@BAUMI I’m ready to help resolving this issue.
Hello Cedricpah,
KB5074105 is not a security update, it is a preview update:
"This non-security update for Windows 11, version 25H2 and 24H2 (KB5074105)..."
DJ Console Mk2 is not a native USB MIDI device as when it was released (2008), native USB MIDI devices were not as stable in Windows as they are today, so its MIDI is enabled by a driver instead of being native. (Hercules had native USB MIDI controllers, as DJ Console MK1 Mac released in 2005, but it was only for MacOS as native USB MIDI was stable in MacOS).
If future Windows 11 updates block MIDI functions generated by drivers, Hercules will or will not be able to fix it, depending on what Windows 11 update allows.
