Make FAQ be actually usable

[X9VoiD]

Relevant issues

• "Device is currently in use section", FAQ title/description unclear #109

Problem

Currently the FAQ, especially Linux FAQ, do not have enough documentation to know that it is what you should follow.

When a user's tablet is not detected, the very first thing they ask is "Why is my tablet not working despite being supported?".

And apparently this is the answer for it:

Windows:

Linux:

N/A

For the Windows entry... It doesn't handle cases where the failure to detect the tablet is not actually caused by any other tablet driver, but by the following:

• Requires new identifier
• Settings is invalid
• Plugin broken/outdated

And on the Linux side it's just much much worse... Nobody would know what any of the headers actually mean - what it's symptoms are.

None of these tell you how to diagnose any of these issues to actually answer "why is my tablet not working?"

Proposed Solution

Instead of listing very specific fixes immediately, it should be restructured such that the most obvious and simplest question is the header for each FAQ entry.

The content should guide the user to determine the root cause and fix it.

Going back to the "Why is my tablet not working despite being supported?". The following is a good start for such changes. (windows-specific because linux has a lot more branching for diagnosis and will be too convoluted for just an example)

Sample Windows FAQ entry

---

If none of the following entries worked or applies to you, consider joining our Discord server.

My tablet is not working/detected

Determine if your tablet is actually connected to your PC. Windows makes a certain sound when connecting devices to the PC. If this sound is not present after replugging your tablet, consider replacing the cable (make sure that the cable carries data and doesn't only carry power - some charging cables do not support sending data), or changing ports.

Once it is certain that your tablet is connected to your PC, check if your tablet is listed here as supported by OpenTabletDriver.

It is supported

Make sure that no other tablet driver is currently installed in your system. Follow the instructions from TabletDriverCleanup then come back here.

See if your tablet requires WinUSB here. If it does, follow these instructions then come back here. Replug the tablet and restart OTD. Continue below if still not working...

If you are running OpenTabletDriver.UX, navigate to the Console tab, else if you are running the daemon directly then check its output for logs. Look for any entries that match or resemble the following:

• Tablet driver interference

[Detect:Warning]  Another tablet driver found: <tablet_driver_name>

Uninstall other tablet drivers using their uninstaller or use TabletDriverCleanup. Restart OTD, then check for this entry again. If the log entry is still there, try joining our Discord server for further help.

• Invalid WinUSB driver installation state

[IOException:Error]  Failed to open file handle to WinUSB interface
[ArgumentNullException:Error]  SafeHandle cannot be null. (Parameter 'pHandle')

Restart your PC.

If none applies, delete the folder %localappdata%/OpenTabletDriver.

It is not supported

If you wanna add tablet support by yourself, try checking out <insert link to a different page> for guidance. Otherwise, consider join our Discord server so we may get your tablet supported.