Dear SteelSeries Nation,

We are sure many of you are aware of our recent issue with SteelSeries Engine 2 and the Windows 8.1 update.  We’ve been busy working on a solution but want to take a moment to describe the problem, how we are working to fix it, and when you can expect that fix to be available.

The Problem

When Microsoft was developing the latest update to Windows 8, a bug was created in the way that virtual devices are handled.  SteelSeries Engine 2 executes macros through the utilization of virtual mice and keyboards that would execute the user’s recorded commands.   Basically, if SteelSeries Engine 2 would try to create these virtual devices during installation while running Windows 8.1, a bug in Windows 8.1 would cause the virtual device driver installation to go into an infinite loop.  The user would grow frustrated with the wait and then reboot the computer, but because the driver for the device was only half installed, the system couldn’t boot. To resolve the issue, the gamer would have to hit F8 during start up to enter the command prompt and remove the half installed driver (Steelbus64.sys)

The Solution

Over the past couple weeks, Microsoft has been working very closely with our software engineers to identify the exact code change in Windows 8.1 that broke this process.  It appears that they have identified the issue and both Microsoft and SteelSeries are testing the Hotfix that Microsoft created.   Due to the broad reaching effects that any Hotfix could have, Microsoft is now testing that solution internally and plan on pushing an automatic update to Windows 8.1 that will solve the problem.  While it is clear that this issue was created by the new version of Windows, it should be noted that Microsoft has dedicated its engineers to the problem and gone above and beyond to help solve it as quickly as possible.  Microsoft intends to publish a Knowledgebase article about this hotfix in the immediate future.

Timeline

Currently, we are waiting for Microsoft to test and validate the Hotfix before sending it out to the public.  The current target date is an automatic push update on November 12.  It is our hope that this date is locked in, but please be patient as we are trying to make sure that this is a permanent fix and that it creates no further issues.

We’re sorry…

We wish to express our sincere apology for the confusion and, in some cases, frustrations that were caused.  No one likes when their gaming PC is compromised.  As many of you have said, we had plenty of time to test. We simply didn’t foresee a bug in what has been a reliably unchanged process in Windows for many versions.  We hope you understand and please trust that we are working very diligently with Microsoft to bring you a fix as soon as possible.

Sincerely,
SteelSeries