Tag: Silhouette connection

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Silhouette Connection Troubleshooting – Updated 2/9/22

Have you been cutting along and then all of a sudden the Send button on the Send tab is no longer highlighted to press to send a job to cut?

Or the Silhouette machine is not being picked up on the Send tab?
If there is no information on the right side of the Silhouette machine icon in the red rectangle area, then it is not being recognized properly.

Have you had a cut disconnect in the middle of cutting lately?
Or you cannot get the cut settings to show up because the tool isn’t recognized?

If you are a Windows 10/11 user, the issue may be nothing related to your Silhouette machine at all, but could be because of a Windows update. In the two years I’ve noticed that Windows updates are changing and controlling more and more.
This also includes shutting off power to the USB ports as it chooses.

4 Tips to Get Connected Again

#1 – Unplug all the cords from the Silhouette machine, including to the wall outlet and the power bank in the middle of the power cord.

Let it sit for 5 minutes.
While it’s sitting do a complete computer shut down from the Windows Menu option, not just a restart.

Screenshot from Windows 11

Plug everything back in and try again.

A complete computer shut down can help to clear out everything and if it’s the #2 reason below it will reset it.
Note: if it’s because of #2, it’s not a fix, but a short term resolution – read more under #2.

#2 – Power is being turned off to the usb port

One minute it shows as connected and you turn around and it’s no longer reading it. You see the “-” next to the machine icon.

So what is happening is Windows 10/11 is deciding on it’s own what it should turn off to “save power”. I had this happen to me on my brand new computer. I had disabled it in one location but it kept happening, so I had to do a little more digging and found there was one more location to disable the USB power save options.

I found the fix here and I would recommend for Silhouette users to change these settings if you are a Windows 10/11 user as well. This will help ensure you won’t lose connection in the middle of a cut or while you are working on a project.
Follow Steps 2 and 3 at this link
https://windowsreport.com/fix-windows-8-1-external-hard-drive-keeps-disconnecting/

And keep in mind that Windows updates hit user’s computers all at different times, so it may not be something that everyone experiences at the same time. I had not had the issue on my old computer, but when I started using the new computer regularly, it kept turning off my external hard drive access.

I have also had to do this every single time Windows does a new update since getting my new computer.

#3 – Uninstall USB port drivers and let them reinstall

If the above does not fix your connection issue, then I would suggest uninstalling the USB port drivers and letting them reinstall. I am also noticing that Windows updates are messing with this again too.

Instructions on how to do that can be found here:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/install/using-device-manager-to-uninstall-devices-and-driver-packages

Or Google “Uninstall USB port driver” and several others pop up with instructions.

If you have had this happen in the past and are sitting scratching your head, hopefully this helped explain it. I know it can be very frustrating when it’s working and then it’s no longer there. I’ve was cussing at my new computer and external hard drive for a few days now. Unplugging it and plugging it back in restarted the power on it, but that was not a permanent “fix”. As much as I use my computer and external hard drive, I needed it to work all the time!

Once the Silhouette machine is recognized by the computer, it should show in the software like this.

The message next to the machine icon should say “Ready to Load”, “Ready”, “Available”, or possibly another term meaning it is ready to go and has been detected. The Send button at the bottom will be highlighted and the cut setting will appear for a Cameo 4, Cameo Plus, Cameo Pro, and Portrait 3 model that have the tool recognition.

If you see any messages in orange, that means something needs attention and it’s usually a Firmware update that is needed. This pertains to the Cameo 4, Cameo Plus, Cameo Pro, and Portrait 3 models as the firmware is automatically checked upon each connection to the machine.
The firmware update can only be completed by USB connection.

You can switch between connections or machines by clicking on the Machine list icon at the bottom of the screen.

For more information about all the details on what everything means on the Send tab, check out this post
Let’s Explore v4 – The Send tab – Simple

#4 – Still not connecting?

If you are still having issues, click HERE, choose PC or MAC, and follow these steps exactly. It is very important that steps are not skipped or it may not be resolved.

If you are a Cameo 1 or Portrait 1 user and you cannot get it to connect, it could also be due to Windows 10 but due to a different cause. You will need to update the firmware on the Cameo 1 or Portrait 1 in order to connect to a Windows 10 updated computer.
Click HERE for step by step instructions on how to do that.

I’d love to see what you are creating with your Silhouette machines.
Feel free post on the
Silhouette Secrets+ Facebook Group.
We love to see what you are doing and creating with your Silhouette machines!

Save this for future reference by pinning the image below.

Enjoy!

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THANK YOU for your support! How can you help? Click HERE & buy a coffee.
Every little bit helps with the cost of running the site.

Or if you are looking for more in-depth, step-by-step classes, check out all of my online Silhouette classes on my Teachable site HERE.

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**This post may contain affiliate links. What that means is that I may receive compensation if you purchase through the links I have provided. The price you pay for the product or service is not higher but I may get compensated for sharing.

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Important information for Windows 10-11 users

Information for Silhouette users on Windows 10

Information published on 7/8/2021
We are seeing Windows 10 users affected, but that does not mean older versions may not also see effects of this update as well. We just have not seen reports of it yet.

UPDATED 7/9/21 – This issue has now been resolved by Microsoft. Silhouette users should be able to connect to their machine again after the computer is restarted. I would suggest a complete shut down of the computer from the menu option for the best results. In some cases, some users may not notice the “fix” until 7/10/21 at 8 am.
YAY!

If you continue to have issues connecting with Silhouette please read the following below for more information on why the Windows update may be the cause.
If it still does not work, check out these Troubleshooting tips on the Silhouette America website HERE

If you have not heard about the impact of the most recent Windows 10 updates, they are impacting Silhouette users in a BIG way.

UPDATED 10/29/21 – We are seeing some users affected with the Windows 11 update as well.

First, I’d like to state that I am an independent Silhouette Instructor and that I am not an IT person or advising in any “official” capacity for any company. I am a Licensed Silhouette Instructor that teaches Silhouette users and troubleshoots Silhouette issues daily on many different platforms. I have been teaching as an instructor for almost 5 years and see many different issues posted.
I am writing this blog post to inform Silhouette user’s of the current issue we are seeing and to make them aware of the current options available.
I troubleshoot daily for Silhouette users and understand how frustrating it can be to encounter an issue. Even though I am a Licensed Silhouette Instructor and do this daily, that does not make me immune to issues either. Even experienced users encounter cut issues, software issues, etc. But as an Instructor and a software Beta tester for Silhouette, I may see issues arise earlier than the average user.

The following information is to make you aware of current issues we are seeing and to provide you with the information to make a decision on how to proceed.

The nitty gritty of it… Microsoft released Windows updates that have been rolling out over the past few weeks, but this week was pushed out to a lot of Windows users and this is affecting Silhouette users in a BIG way. After these updates are processed on your computer (or in some cases a little while after), the USB connection on the Silhouette machine is no longer recognized in the Silhouette software. The computer recognizes something has been plugged in, but the USB connection is not complete in the computer.
For some users, it is just happening out of the blue. One minute they are cutting and the next it will not connect.

The is as basic as I can describe it the issue that we are seeing.

Here is the official information from Silhouette America – I am providing a link to the information so that you are receiving the most up-to-date information that has been released.

CLICK HERE FOR THE OFFICIAL INFORMATION FROM SILHOUETTE AMERICA

I encourage everyone to click the link above and read it direct on the
Silhouette America website.

However, please understand that Microsoft has said that these updates are for “security” purposes & has pushed out the “fixes”. These “fixes” are what are making the Silhouette machines no longer able to connect. These “security risks” have been present in the Microsoft software as far back as Windows 7.
Why do I mention this?
It is to make you aware that you will need to decide how you are going to proceed with all the information presented to you.

Many users are finding that they can connect to their Silhouette machines if the Windows updates are rolled back or paused. There are a small percentage of users who seem to be the “lucky” ones that even rolling it back does not work. However, it is an option to try if you chose to do so.

The alternative is to let Windows updates stand and not be able to use your Silhouette machines that will not connect until a fix is created.
User’s can also try to connect by Bluetooth if that is available to them, however, this is not a guaranteed fix either. I am seeing issues with the Bluetooth connections as well.

Silhouette is working as fast as they can to identify what has changed and why it will not recognize the connection between some Silhouette machines. This situation has evolved very quickly and I am in contact with Silhouette directly to be able to provide the most up-to-date information I can. This is also why I provided the link above. You will be able to see the official information released as soon as possible and when a fix is found it will be posted at the link above.
I will also be posting any updates to all platforms that I troubleshoot on.

A few things to note:

– Silhouette has no control over what updates Microsoft or Apple release. These big software companies do not release information in advance to test how it affects other programs. It is a process of “wait and see” how users are affected and how to work with those updates. Especially in cases where updates are rolled out to a small group of individuals and then pushed out to the masses later, it can take time to identify an issue and to find that fix.
This process taken will take time to investigate, develop a fix, and to test that fix by a sample of users before it is pushed out for the masses. As a member of the Beta testing team, we test beta versions of the software prior to things getting released to the public.
Nothing is 100% accurate at identifying bugs, but we do try to test it as much as we can.
There are times that some bugs do not appear on our Beta tester computers but affect other user’s computers differently.

– User’s who have been affected by their Silhouette machines no longer connecting have been able to connect again after rolling back the updates.
The update numbers that seem to be the cause of the connection issues are:
KB5003690 as well as KB5004945 and 21H1 – it will all depend on how it shows on your computer under the Windows updates information.

– This works for most user’s but not all. Some users are still experiencing issues even after rolling the updates back. And some user’s are unable to roll the updates back far enough.

– There is no fix at the moment, but they are working on it as fast as they can. It will take time to implement. Again, it is not something that Silhouette has control over.

Just in case you missed it above, here is the link to the official announcement on the Silhouette America website.

CLICK HERE FOR THE OFFICIAL INFORMATION FROM SILHOUETTE AMERICA

Now, I know this is not the greatest news to bring to your inbox or for reading, but I hope it has answered some questions if you are having issues.

Wishing you the very best on your Silhouette journey!

If you have further questions or to follow along with the updates, join us on the
Silhouette Secrets+ Facebook Group.

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THANK YOU for your support! How can you help? Click HERE & buy a coffee.
Every little bit helps with the cost of running the site.

Or if you are looking for more in-depth, step-by-step classes, check out all of my online Silhouette classes on my Teachable site HERE.

SS Logo snip it
**This post may contain affiliate links. What that means is that I may receive compensation if you purchase through the links I have provided. The price you pay for the product or service is not higher but I may get compensated for sharing.


Posted on by — 4 Comments

Silhouette Connection Troubleshooting

Have you been cutting along and then all of a sudden the Send button on the Send tab is no longer highlighted to press to send a job to cut?

Or the Silhouette machine is not being picked up on the Send tab?
If there is no information on the right side of the Silhouette machine icon in the red rectangle area, then it is not being recognized properly.

Have you had a cut disconnect in the middle of cutting lately?
Or you cannot get the cut settings to show up because the tool isn’t recognized?

If you are a Windows 10/11 user, the issue may be nothing related to your Silhouette machine at all, but could be because of a Windows update. In the last year I’ve noticed that Windows updates are changing and controlling more and more.
This also includes shutting off power to the USB ports as it chooses.

#1 – Power is being turned off to the usb port

One minute it shows as connected and you turn around and it’s no longer reading it. You see the “-” next to the machine icon.

So what is happening is Windows 10/11 is deciding on it’s own what it should turn off to “save power”. I am seeing this issue pop up on the Facebook groups more and I just had it happen to me on my brand new computer. I had disabled it in one location but it kept happening, so I had to do a little more digging and found there was one more location to disable the USB power save options.

I found the fix here and I would recommend for Silhouette users to change these settings if you are a Windows 10/11 user as well. This will help ensure you won’t lose connection in the middle of a cut or while you are working on a project.
Follow Steps 2 and 3 at this link
https://windowsreport.com/fix-windows-8-1-external-hard-drive-keeps-disconnecting/

And keep in mind that Windows updates hit user’s computers all at different times, so it may not be something that everyone experiences at the same time. I had not had the issue on my old computer, but when I started using the new computer regularly, it kept turning off my external hard drive access.

I have also had to do this every single time Windows does a new update since getting my new computer.

If you are still having usb connection issues then proceed to the following:
#2 – Uninstall USB port drivers and let them reinstall

If the above does not fix your connection issue, then I would suggest uninstalling the USB port drivers and letting them reinstall. I am also noticing that Windows updates are messing with this again too.

Instructions on how to do that can be found here:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/install/using-device-manager-to-uninstall-devices-and-driver-packages

Or Google “Uninstall USB port driver” and several others pop up with instructions.

If you have had this happen in the past and are sitting scratching your head, hopefully this helped explain it. I know it can be very frustrating when it’s working and then it’s no longer there. I’ve been cussing at my new computer and external hard drive for a few days now. Unplugging it and plugging it back in restarted the power on it, but that was not a permanent “fix”. As much as I use my computer and external hard drive, I needed it to work all the time!

Once the Silhouette machine is recognized by the computer, it should show in the software like this.

The message next to the machine icon should say “Ready to Load”, “Ready”, “Available”, or possibly another term meaning it is ready to go and has been detected. The Send button at the bottom will be highlighted and the cut setting will appear for a Cameo 4, Cameo Plus, Cameo Pro, and Portrait 3 model that have the tool recognition.

If you see any messages in orange, that means something needs attention and it’s usually a Firmware update that is needed. This pertains to the Cameo 4, Cameo Plus, Cameo Pro, and Portrait 3 models as the firmware is automatically checked upon each connection to the machine.
The firmware update can only be completed by USB connection.

You can switch between connections or machines by clicking on the Machine list icon at the bottom of the screen.

For more information about all the details on what everything means on the Send tab, check out this post
Let’s Explore v4 – The Send tab – Simple

If you are a Cameo 1 or Portrait 1 user and you cannot get it to connect, it could also be due to Windows 10 but due to a different cause. You will need to update the firmware on the Cameo 1 or Portrait 1 in order to connect to a Windows 10 updated computer.
Click HERE for step by step instructions on how to do that.

I’d love to see what you are creating with your Silhouette machines.
Feel free post on the
Silhouette Secrets+ Facebook Group.
We love to see what you are doing and creating with your Silhouette machines!

Save this for future reference by pinning the image below.

Enjoy!

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is logo.jpg

THANK YOU for your support! How can you help? Click HERE & buy a coffee.
Every little bit helps with the cost of running the site.

Or if you are looking for more in-depth, step-by-step classes, check out all of my online Silhouette classes on my Teachable site HERE.

SS Logo snip it
**This post may contain affiliate links. What that means is that I may receive compensation if you purchase through the links I have provided. The price you pay for the product or service is not higher but I may get compensated for sharing.