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DS4Windows and HIDGuardian Install and Setup Guide

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Travis Nickles edited this page Feb 4, 2021 · 31 revisions

How To Install DS4Windows And HIDGuardian

The scope of this document covers installation and setup of the core packages and scripts. It does not cover configuration of DS4Windows (profiles, mappings, and options).

This installation uses the following software packages:

  • DS4Windows
  • HIDGuardian
  • Windows Driver Kit (optional)
  • HIDGuardian Helper Files (optional)

Installing DS4Windows

  1. Download the latest DS4Windows package. The latest can be found here:
    https://github.com/Ryochan7/DS4Windows/releases

    Minimum required version for HIDGuardian support: v1.4.111
    Recommended version: latest

  2. Open the DS4Windows package.

  3. Open a File Explorer window (press WIN + E) and navigate to one of the following folders:
    For x86 32bit Windows: C:\Program Files (x86)
    For x64 64bit Windows: C:\Program Files

    Simply copy and paste one of the above locations to the address bar in File Explorer.

  4. Copy the DS4Windows folder from the window created from step 2 to the window created in step 3.

  5. If you're planning on using HIDGuardian to guarantee exclusive access to the game controller, proceed with the next steps. Otherwise, proceed to the steps under Setting up DS4Windows.

Windows 7 and ViGem virtual gamepad driver compatibility fix

ViGem virtual gamepad driver is a signed driver and it is supported both in Windows 7 and Windows 10 platforms. However, Windows 7 needs few Microsoft hotfixes to support the driver signature. Please see the following "Necessary preparations for Windows 7" steps". ViGem gamepad driver and Win7 signature hotfix and Microsoft Security Advisory 3033929

Also, both Win7 and Win10 users of Oculus tools should be aware of potential conflicts in ViGem gamepad drivers. See the following web page for more information. Potential conflict between Nefariou's original official ViGem gamepad driver and a rip off version in Oculus application package.

HidGuardian Test Installer

TLDR version. The HidGuardian filter driver is the most sure way of getting DS4Windows exclusive access to the DS4 controller. A test installer for HidGuardian version 1.14.3.0 has been made to help make installing and getting a base configuration easier to set up. You can download the installer program at the following URL. Updated 2021/02/04

HidGuardianInstaller_20191218.7z
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PNL3uv_4KektN00S9fm61djypSQ-3HED/view?usp=sharing

After installing HidGuardian driver (manually or via the above linked automatic installer) then the following little helper app may be useful to fine tune HidGuardian configuration (which DS4 gamepad hardware IDs you want to hide or not to hide). https://github.com/Ryochan7/DS4Windows/issues/1219

Manual instructions for installing and configuring HidGuardian can be found later in the section Installing HIDGuardian and later. If you wish to configure HidGuardian manually, read on. If you used the "Test Installer" linked above to install HidGuardian then you can stop reading unless you are interested to know what happens under the hood.

Setting up DS4Windows

  1. Open DS4Windows.

  2. Under the Settings tab, click 'Controller/Driver Setup'.

  3. Follow the instructions in the newly-opened window, performing step 1 (required), and step 2 (if running Windows 7 or below), and then perform the bluetooth pairing if using wireless controllers.

Installing HIDGuardian

If you used the above linked Test Installer to install HidGuardian driver then you can stop reading unless you wanna know what happens under the hood. The only recommended method is to use the Test Installer.

Update Windows Registry with list of Affected Devices

  1. You can update the Windows registry with the list of devices to guard manually, automatically using the supplied .reg file, or via DS4Windows. Pick one of the next 3 steps(1a, 1b or 1c).

    1a. Manual method - Use notepad to edit the file 'HID Guardian AffectedDevices.reg' to retrieve the necessary info. If you need help using regedit, you probably shouldn't be using regedit ;)

    1b. Registry file import - double-click the registry file 'HID Guardian AffectedDevices.reg' and merge it into your Windows registry.

    1c. If DS4Windows is running, terminate it. Run DS4Windows as administrator by opening the folder where DS4Windows is saved, right-click on DS4Windows and select 'Run as administrator'. Then under the Settings tab, select 'Write HID Guardian Device List'. DS4Windows must be running as administrator in order to write to the Windows registry.

Here is a link to one post which explains a bit more how HidGuardian uses system registry settings: https://github.com/Ryochan7/DS4Windows/issues/844#issuecomment-541345798 https://github.com/Ryochan7/DS4Windows/issues/1219

Major Windows Updates - HIDGuardian Stops Working

Performing a major Windows update clears the HIDGuardian filter driver. To fix, re-run the 'Install HIDGuardian' batchfile from step 4 of the 'Installing and using the HIDGuardian Helper Files' section. This includes updating from Windows 2017 Fall Creator's Update to Windows 2018 Spring Creator's Update (and any future updates), or if you subscribe to the Windows Insider Preview and receive preview updates.

HidGuardian driver removed until it was properly uninstalled. Now keyboard and mouse doesn't work. What to do?

Something like this could theoretically happen if HidGuardian device driver files are deleted before the driver registration is removed from WinOS registry. The worst case scenario is that usb keyboard and mouse doesn't work anymore (PS/2 kbd and mouse would work). Please see the following post for more info how to solve this issue via Windows safe boot. https://github.com/Ryochan7/DS4Windows/issues/1525#issuecomment-706096639

Quick-Start Guide Author: Tristan Young
Last updated: April 15 2018

The author of this help file can be reached through his discord server. https://discord.gg/YuWuK

Please keep all Dualshock 4, DS4Windows and HIDGuardian related discussions to the appropriate dualshock-4 group. This is not a bug tracker for the above packages. Thank you.

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