As soon as Rock Band hit the market, avid gamers tried to come up with ways to hack the system so that they could use the Rock Band drums with other games and programs on their PCs. It didn't take the gamers long to figure out a way. Instead of fighting with the gamers, Microsoft just made hacking the system unnecessary by releasing a driver that allows Xbox 360 and compatible controllers to work with Windows. Now anyone can play their Rock Band drums on a PC.
Instructions
1. Download and install the Xinput driver for Microsoft Common Controller (see Resources). The driver is available for download at the Microsoft Download Center, and allows Xbox 360 controllers or any controller using the same standard technology to work on Windows products.
2. Download and install Drum Machine, which is a program specifically designed to work with Rock Band drums. As long as you have Windows XP or Vista and a sound card in your PC, you can play your Rock Band drums like a real drum set.
3. Plug the Rock Band drums into your computer. The cord will plug in directly to a USB port on your computer, and your computer should immediately recognize it as a game controller.
4. Open Drum Machine. An image of the Rock Band drums will appear on your screen. Click on "Free Play." You can start playing as is, or load one of the presets available under the simple Drum Machine menu.
5. Play the drums just as you would play them with Rock Band. Your drums will make whatever sound they have been assigned or preset to make, allowing you to play them like a real set.
