[crapmonster]

Thinking of different things I can try at this point and been considering either simply getting a different self-powered usb dac to see whether the problem persists, or changing to a different connection type.  For example SPDIF. I currently have the older original Modi with just USB, but the Modi 2 Uber seems to have SPDIF and is self powered making the Wyrd redundant.
 
Only thing is, don't know a whole lot about SPDIF.  I see I have a plug for one on my mobo, am I good to go with that?

 

[Roseval]

Bit of a step back imho.
In case of async USB the DAC is in control of the timing.
In case of SPDIF the sample rate is generated by the clock on the mobo.
In general not typically a high quality one. Might generate a lot of input jitter at the DAC.
http://thewelltemperedcomputer.com/KB/SPDIF.html
 
The Modi2 comes with its own USB UAC2 drivers. Might solve your problem as it looks like a driver issue.

 

[Kodhifi]

Take the modi, tie a brick to it, and find the nearest body of water. You could just shovel mud into your ears and pay for privilege. All seriousness aside, you are describing a problem with the USB circuit of your Modi. DAC chips aren't USB compatible so they usually use a USB front end that handles the USB communication and outputs a bitstream to the DAC. Since you already had a working modi, we will assume it's not a driver issue. 
 
Flat out, it sounds like your cable is bad, or the USB decoder in the modi is flaking out and you should get a new DAC or cable. If you're sensible you'll stop reading now.
 
If you're desperate read on.
 
1. Disable CPU power throttling/speedstep in the BIOS. This is a power saving function that changes the multiplier of the CPU dependant upon load, and it can cause problems with many USB devices. Usually along the lines of disconnects, pops and clicks etc, rarely the "unknown device".
 
2. If you're overclocking said CPU, stop that. Changing the FSB of the chip, also changes the PCI bus speed, which affects all devices plugged in. Since computer audio in particular is so timing dependant, having a clock out of spec (like your cpu FSB or pci speed) can spread havoc.
 
3. Ditch the Wyrd. Try another USB port, etc. See if the problem follows the modi, the wyrd, or the port.
 
4. If you have anything like an amp plugged into the modi, make sure it's power plug is on the same wall outlet as your PC. Even in brand new houses, the difference of ground potential between outlets even in the same room, can cause enough DC voltage to burn your finger tips. Think tongue on 9v battery on steroids. At the least it can cause ground loop hum, at worst it can burn out components, or cause electrical interference which will disconnect USB.
 
5. Try the modi on another PC and see if the problem persists. If it works normally then it may be your USB on the other PC. Cheapest easiest solution is add in a USB card and just use that.

 

[crapmonster]

  Take the modi, tie a brick to it, and find the nearest body of water.

Gotta be honest, had to fight the urge many times to just grab the darn thing and fling it against the wall.
 
I've actually honestly given up by this point.  Switched over to my onboard for the last few days while I decide exactly what I want to do.  To answer your suggestions though, currently not overclocking, obviously tried it without the Wyrd as I only bought it because I started having issues.  I've tried the 15 or so ports I have dozens of times, different cables, as well as combinations of it on my macbook pro.  Absolutely no issues on the latter.  Also everything in question is plugged into the same UPC unit.
 
But yea, I'm done trying to get the thing to work.  I've already decided to simply ditch using a USB DAC altogether at least on my current system.  Because if it turns out to be something faulty with my mobo usb, this won't be reason enough to replace it.  I just need to decide whether I should use an internal soundcard, spdif, or something else.

 

[QiKing]

I have had this exact problem with my Schiit Modi on a MSI H77ma-g43 mobo. When I first bought the Modi it plugged in and was recognized for a short period of time, then started getting the error 43 when i plugged it in. So I resorted to the plug/ unplug system till it was recognized sometimes requiring over 100 un/ replug till it would work, eventually a short time later that failed to work. Meanwhile the Modi did work on my older HP laptop which didn't even really have true usb 2.0 ports as even though it worked on my HP laptop the Modi would only work up to 24/ 48 khz but when working properly on my desktop MSI mobo machine it could be set in sound options to 24/ 96khz. I eventually went the route of a powered usb hub and like the original poster had said it worked fine at first and immediately on my next boot even that option was back to square one. I am now just looking into a Audioquest Dragonfly dac and possibly going that route and say goodbye to Schiit. It seems that Schiit's customer service would be more helpful technically speaking instead of just all of the kindegarten solutions that they give to fix the problems that have not helped in my case at all, instead of mostly enjoying the music which when the Modi works does a fine job I am getting tormented just trying to get the thing to work.

 

[gvarsity]

Have this same issue on Win 7 and I try to download and install drivers and they won't install.  They say they are installed but don't work.  Have spent hours and hours monkeying with drivers and registry hacks and every other suggestion on the web and none of them worked.  It run won't run on windows 7 ultimate.  Tried two different Modi's on multiple Win 7 ultimate machines all the same.  Must have been an OS update that ganked it as I had been using it successfully for months and then had to power down and disassemble everything because I rearranged my setup and when I brought it back up Windows couldn't find it.  Never connected successfully again.  Went many rounds with Schiit and I found them polite if not necessarily terribly helpful.  Works on Win 10 and Mac OS flawlessly.  Although without a powered hub it will occasionally get dropped by the Win 10 machine and I have to unplug replug the usb.  It really looks to me like something is blocking Win 7 from auto downloading the drivers from whatever archive windows gets drivers from but you can't prevent Windows from trying to auto configure which ganks the ability to manually run their drivers.  So I just run my sound off of a different box as in my office I have many.  If I didn't have that option I would be livid as it is I am frustrated but functioning.

 

[Kodhifi]

It is possible that windows 7 is blocking the drivers because of a signing issue. I had this problem with the updated Soundblaster E5 driver on my work computer. It's easy enough to test this. Google "disable driver signing". You have to hit F8 during boot several times and windows will give you different boot options including to temporarily disable driver signing. If that fixes the problem, then the permanent fix is to sign the driver yourself if you're sure it's good. Google self sign driver to see how to do it. You just create a certificate and apply it to the driver file. Worked like a charm for me.

 

[exdmd]

When I first received my new Magni 3 / Modi 2 Uber Windows 7 Pro would not load drivers for the Modi. The OS saw the Modi Uber in devices but no drivers were found. This is a fully updated Win 7 install. I tried downloading the drivers at http://www.schiit.com/drivers but they would not install completely, every time the install failed. While pulling my hair out trying to figure out what the problem was I tried the very last step on the drivers page which was to download and install the ASIO package. After rebooting that did the trick now working fine. For awhile I thought I was going to have to upgrade to Windows 10 but not necessary.

 

[hchanrn]

I am frustrated with the same exact problem. I am running the modi 1 on ubuntu basically having the exact same problems. Appears when it wants to. I tried to hook up on my other windows systems....same problem. All I can say is that it's finally crapped out after 5 years. Time to look for a new dac

 

[Calypto]

Have the same exact problem. Initially disabling/enabling in Sounds worked, then I had to replug it a few times, then dozens, and now it's not even recognized in device manager. This is absolutely ridiculous given the price of $100.

 

[Eulier]

This could be a temperature related issue.
The last month or so my Modi 2 has not been recognized by my laptop when I startup. So I've tried to plug/unplug the device with mixed results, like many others on this thread. But last week I realized that the Modi was more easily picked up if the laptop had been on for some time, maybe 20-30min. Ok, so that was a clue. Two possibilities: 1. some processes on the laptop had to finish running before the dac could work, or 2. some warmup was needed. Warmup was easier to test. So, before turning on my laptop in the morning, I pulled the Modi next to a heater for a few minutes and then started my laptop. And voila, it was picked up immediately! I've done this four times now and every time it has worked. Of course a little more testing is needed before I can say for sure, but it sure looks like it could be a temperature issue. I'm not an expert but maybe the electrical properties of the dac circuitry change slightly with higher temperature and then the laptop can pick it up.