Sustain Pedal Data Not Recognized by Windows. Any ideas?

[PavlovsCat]

I turned on my Windows 10 PC -- a recently custom built Windows PC with 32GB RAM made specifically for DAW use -- and my sustain pedal is no longer working/recognized. While a red light flashes in my system tray to indicate MIDI data is being received when I play my controller, nothing occurs when I press the sustain pedal. This problem occurred right after my C drive became nearly filled. I did make more space on my C drive, but that didn't result in the sustain pedal being recognized. FTR, the identical problem happened several months ago and I don't recall how I resolved it.  I use a NEKTAR IMPACT LX61+ controller and NEKTAR sustain pedal and own 4 sustain pedals in total that I have tested and have another DAW PC in our house that I have tested the sustain pedals with and all are working fine with that MIDI controller and PC.

-I have another DAW and MIDI controller and 4 sustain pedals and all have been tested with that controller/PC and are working. 
- I ran MIDI-OX but it doesn't show any MIDI data when I play my MIDI controller.  So it appears to me that from my knowing the hardware isn't the problem and MIDI-OX not recognizing MIDI data that there is some Windows issue(s), but I don't know how to resolve it. I'm guessing it's memory related from when my C drive was nearly filled? 
- I googled and tried various solutions people offered in this forum for similar problems without success. 

Any ideas? 

[msmcleod]

First rule out a config issue:

1.  Check your Keyboard Shortcuts aren't configured to use the sustain pedal as a SHIFT key:

2.  Make sure Controller events are enabled:



3. Make sure you have no control surfaces using the MIDI port your pedal is coming in on:




Once you've ruled those out, check the hardware configuration of your pedal.  Quite a few pedals have a polarity switch. Some keyboards automatically detect the polarity on start up, whereas others require it to be set a particular way.  If your pedal has such a switch, try flipping it and trying again.



 

[PavlovsCat]

Thanks for your help @msmcleod. I went through all of those steps in a previous post here, but tried them again just in case and unfortunately had no success. I did try the polarity switch on my pedal early on, but had no success. However, I just tried it again and something different happened than I noticed before. The sustain turned and stayed on when I played my MIDI controller. While the sustain pedal mechanically works properly, when after I flipped the polarity switch, pressed the sustain pedal down and the sustain came on and pressing it again doesn't turn it off or have any effect -- the sustain is now always on (I have a piano library loaded in KONTAKT, so there's sustain on everything I play that can't be turned off). When I flip the polarity swtich back, the sustain turns off.  Any guesses what might be going on? 

Edited February 4, 2023 by PavlovsCat