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Renaming the device, Device shows under Mass storage device -

By @test513607a
    2021-08-28 22:12:23.161Z2021-08-29 11:07:00.676Z
    1. How to rename the device ?
      Currently it shows as tinypilot USB device

    2. It currently shows under mass storage devices under Device Manager
      Is it possible to have it show up as something more generic?

    https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/kernel/hiding-devices-from-device-manager
    something like this also helps

    • 12 replies

    There are 12 replies. Estimated reading time: 11 minutes

    1. It's not possible to do this natively in the app. As a workaround, you could manually edit the file that controls the name by opening sudo nano /opt/tinypilot-privileged/init-usb-gadget

      The line you'd update is:

      readonly INQUIRY_STRING='        TinyPilot           '
      

      Note that if you update TinyPilot, the update will overwrite these changes and revert the name back to the original.

      We've gotten a few requests like this, so I'm interested in how we can serve this use-case better. Would your preference be that TinyPilot's web interface lets you to disable the USB device entirely? Or do you want to keep it and just assign it a different name?

      1. T@test513607a
          2021-08-30 19:27:35.364Z2021-08-30 19:40:41.239Z

          Ok! Thanks @michael !
          will try that command

          atleast thats my current requirement to not let the Admin( whoever) know what exactly the device is (keeping it under the radar)

          "Would your preference be that TinyPilot's web interface lets you to disable the USB device entirely? Or do you want to keep it and just assign it a different name?"
          just a different name

          Also how about having it under a different device manager sub list
          Lets say i want to show it under "Mouse" as "Logitech Mouse", what do i have to do
          As of now, i will rename it using your command, but it will show up under **mass storage device **

          1. T@test513607a
              2021-08-31 08:43:45.050Z

              Hi Michael,
              Is there a way i can connect to Tinypilot's raspberry pi os, without sshing, like connecting hdmi to monitor , usb mouse to usb ports etc ?
              tried it , did not work . Am i missing something here. SSH from a laptop the only way ?
              Trying to get into to the machine to change the name using the command you gave

              A bug for you when you get time, not urgent or relevant to me
              I see there is a hostname change (not related to device manager display name i guess), from the menu from the browser , which i tried to change and only the title bar of the page got updated to tinypilot1, the browser url still showed tinypilot. It failed resarting btw

              One more pointer for you :
              On my second tinypilot, the ethernet seems to be down(not blinking), but if i hot plugin(while the tinypilot is running) the hdmi cable in and out , then the ethernet blinking seem to happen. Not sure where the anomaly is. The first one seems to work fine .

              (btw i am the one who purchased 1 + 1 + 2 tinypilots, i work through different emails, for your reference)

              1. MMurmad Man @manimgoindowndown
                  2022-12-23 18:58:40.190Z

                  same ..failed to restart

                  Dec 23 17:54:48 tinypilot python[651]: 2022-12-23 17:54:48.433 hid.write ERROR Failed to write to HID interface: /dev/hidg1. Is USB cable connected?
                  Dec 23 17:54:48 tinypilot python[651]: 2022-12-23 17:54:48.469 hid.write ERROR Failed to write to HID interface: /dev/hidg1. Is USB cable connected?

                • In reply totest513607a:

                  Also how about having it under a different device manager sub list
                  Lets say i want to show it under "Mouse" as "Logitech Mouse", what do i have to do
                  As of now, i will rename it using your command, but it will show up under **mass storage device **

                  I don't believe it's possible to have the USB storage functionality show up as a mouse. The target machine needs to know what sort of device it is in order to interact with it correctly.

                  Keep in mind that TinyPilot is not designed to evade detection. There are other identifiers in the init-usb-gadget file that TinyPilot presents to the target computer that uniquely identify it as a TinyPilot device.

                  Is there a way i can connect to Tinypilot's raspberry pi os, without sshing, like connecting hdmi to monitor , usb mouse to usb ports etc ?

                  Yes, you can alternatively connect a physical keyboard and monitor to the TinyPilot device. The ports on the power side of the device are microHDMI output ports, so you can plug those into a physical monitor. Since you have multiple TinyPilots, you can actually control one TinyPilot with another. You just need a microHDMI to HDMI cable.

                  But that's a little convoluted. Normal SSH should work. What happens when you try these instructions?

                  On my second tinypilot, the ethernet seems to be down(not blinking), but if i hot plugin(while the tinypilot is running) the hdmi cable in and out , then the ethernet blinking seem to happen. Not sure where the anomaly is. The first one seems to work fine .

                  That's strange. It's extremely rare for TinyPilot network hardware to fail. Can you try with a different network cable? It's possible the cable just isn't seated properly or that it's a faulty Ethernet cable.

              2. A
                In reply totest513607a:
                @Alt0
                  2021-12-22 20:00:50.383Z2021-12-27 23:32:51.183Z

                  Hello. New purchaser here and also interested in this feature.

                  Would your preference be that TinyPilot's web interface lets you to disable the USB device entirely? Or do you want to keep it and just assign it a different name?

                  When you mention to disable the USB, does that mean there will not be any input with a Mouse and KBD, and thus be video only, or is the USB utilized for something more?

                  Regarding that file, can we ssh in and change more strings in there too as a “best attempt” ?

                  Update 1: it appears that disabling the USB doesn’t impact the devices function, now that I received the product. Another question is if we can change the embedded serial number within the device itself? It’s associated with an rPI (obtained via NirSoft USB Deview)

                  Update 2: Changed the Serial in that same file after enabling root SSH Access and utilizing WinSCP to SFTP in, and giving root a password.
                  It also appears that there are not any registry string related to TinyPilot after the changes. Woohoo!
                  Also, changing the other tinypilot string appears more important than the USB Mass one, since that appears to luckily not operate at all when you disable the USB Mass Storage (aka Virtual Media) entirely via https://tinypilotkvm.com/faq/disable-virtual-media

                  1. Sorry for the delay! I've been travelling for the holidays.

                    Yes, as you've found, disabling USB mass storage just disables the virtual disk feature. It doesn't affect keyboard and mouse emulation.

                    If you're interested in how TinyPilot presents itself to the target system, there are some additional details in this thread.

                    1. A@Alt0
                        2021-12-30 04:36:47.625Z

                        Sweet, that's exactly what I found. Glad to have confirmation. Thank you for all you do!
                        This is definitely "sufficient". I cannot find anything in the registry related to TinyPilot, after the change, when plugged into a new PC... so hurry!

                    2. A
                      In reply totest513607a:
                      a7673 @a7673
                        2024-01-16 02:27:49.570Z

                        @michael @cghague
                        Does this still apply to tinypilot-voyager2a ?

                        1. Hi a7673, thanks for your message. You can find the most up-to-date details of how TinyPilot identifies itself in our article on whether anyone can detect TinyPilot. I believe that covers everything in this thread, but please let me know if you have any specific questions.

                          1. Aa7673 @a7673
                              2024-01-17 04:30:38.098Z

                              @cghague I am looking to rename the instance of TinyPilot for USB on a Voyager 2A device. Wanted to know if this post applies to this device too?

                              I am aware of the FAQ link that you tagged, but it doesnt solve what I am looking for.

                              1. Thanks for getting back to me. Unfortunately, changing the USB device identifiers isn't supported. The explanatory note on the linked page gives some more context:

                                Note: Changes to TinyPilot's USB identifiers are not supported. When you perform a TinyPilot software update, the update will overwrite any changes to the USB configuration files.