W7 and USB dongle

[pokietech34331]

Hi E1
I am running W7 and for the life of me I cannot get the hardware utililty to see the USB dongle. I have re-installed the software ,tried different ports, tried manual setup ect ect ect. I tried The disc that came with the dongle but it didn't work either.I have tried the USB-485 with booster dongle and the standard tiny dongle and neither will work.Is there any software that is for W7 as the disc supplied does not got up to W7 only vista.Also W7 wants to install its only software. Not sure if thats a problem but I am at my witts end with it.Any help or suggestions would be greatly recieved.
Thanks in advance
David
Kingaroy QLD Australia

[-klb-]

Is it not showing up as a COM port? Or is the hardware utility not recognizing it? Remember that the hardware utility will only recognize it if there is a live controller connected to the adapter.

[Guest guest]

Check your PM messages pokietech34331.

[storminstang06]

I'm having the same problem with my starter pack dongle (a few years old now) and Win7 Starter on 1gb netbook. I can't find my driver CD so I downloaded it. BUT I did that AFTER connecting a powered up controller to the computer. HU can't find the dongle at all, the controller led continues flashing, and windows does nothing every time I connect the dongle. I have tried different ports without any changes. All LOR programs work fine on this machine. I think this is a driver thing; how do I fix it? Thank you!

[Geoff Harvey]

Hi David

As per the converters user manual, http://www.lightorama.com/PDF/RS485_Adapters_Man_Web.pdf on page 6, the latest drivers are available from the chipset manufacturers web site at http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm .

When I went to Windows 7 and installed the 64 bit driver, everything seems to work fine. The com port shows up under control panel (with or without controllers connected) and quite happily runs the lights under LOR. I did have to manually download and install the driver - it was not found by Windows update.

Hope this helps Geoff

[TJ Hvasta]

The standard method for installing -any- piece of hardware with Windows (any version), is install the drivers first, before you plug in anything..

Always, always, always do the software install, then the hardware.

If you install the drivers for the USB485, then plug it in the dongle, and you're still having trouble getting it to appear, check the comm port asssigned to the USB485. Windows will just assign a port, willy-nilly, somewhere around the altitude of a low earth-orbitting satellite.. you will typically see a comm port 10-15 or higher. The Hardware Utility wont really see anything above 9, so check / change your comm port for the USB485 to something 5 or less.

You're supposed to use the USB driver from LOR, not Win Update. I cant count the number of time Win Update has screwed up my machines, video (completely lost any video output), sound card, (lost sound) and network card, (no more network/wifi), so I dont do any hardware updates from Windows, I get them right from the mfgr. If there isnt a specific update for my OS, I dont go looking for one. I can do the "Roll-back driver" dance blindfolded now..

Edited August 15, 2012 by TJ Hvasta

[magish01]

So is the "Roll-back driver" blindfolded similar to flying IFR?

[storminstang06]

Thank you for your responses.

Ok, I know now that I should've installed the drivers first, but most of my usb stuff auto installs and I forgot that LOR does not and needed the CD, which I can't find. I used the manual to locate the driver on the web, downloaded and installed it. HU's manual drop down box will not give me any option to choose other than "NONE" so I cannot set it manually. My machine is a 32 bit and I have read that it cannot be switched to a 64 bit. I don't know if upgrading win7 to home edition will help or not and I'd rather not spend the money if it isn't going to work.

The error msg I get when I open HU is this: The serial port (Comm1) assigned to LOR has a problem. You may need to select another port. Open of Serial port 1 has failed. Error: (8002) Invalid port number. While: Executing port open property.

With Auto Configure: Unable to locate the Light-O-Rama port. Check that the controller is connected and that it is powered on.

My controller's led is flashing and it is connected to the PC properly. My machine has 3 usb ports and I've tried all of them. Should I try reinstalling LOR? Any ideas? And off topic, and I honestly don't care too much, but my name isn't David

[storminstang06]

Also, I downloaded the "setup executable" driver due to my not being able to figure out how to install the 32 bit version manually, so I don't know which version I have or if it is compatible with my 32 bit machine. It did however install without telling me of any problems.

So, can you tell me how to do the "Roll-Back Driver" dance?

[TJ Hvasta]

Ok, Not David First, right, you can't use the 64bit driver for a 32bit OS. And you cant use a 64bit OS unless the processor can support it. And you cant switch to a 64bit OS without a total re-partition/reformat of the drive and the loss of everything on it, so you can skip that.

With the USB485 drivers installed from LOR (the ones you downloaded, not the ones from WinUpdate, plug in the USB485. Do you get the message "new hardware found, installing drivers" or something similar? Once it's installed, go into the Device Manager (Start, Control Panel, Device Manager), Open the + for Universal Serial Bus Controllers. Does the USB485 appear in the list? Does it have the triangle/exclaimation point? Click on it, go to the Properties tab, what does it say for it being enabled? Does it have a driver error message?.

To Rollback to the previous driver, click on the Driver tab, second or third button down (doing this from memory), click Roll Back Driver.. it'll uninstall the current driver, and put the previous one back in.

To really get it to start off fresh, instead of Roll back, select Uninstall Driver. It'll remove the driver and leave nothing in its place. With the USB485 drivers removed, and dongle not plugged in, do a reboot. Once it's back up, go to the location of the LOR drivers you had already downloaded and saved. If you didnt, go to the link thats in the manual and d/l the dongle drivers. Before you plug anything in, click the LOR dongle driver to reinstall it. Answer whatever you have to do to overwrite whatever dongle driver (if any) is already in Windows. The executable is fine.. the .zip file is a bit tricky to usem so using the "drivers .exe" file is ok.

Once the drivers arrre finished installing, you might have to reboot (I think I would). When its back up, plug in the dongle and check the Com Port Windows assigned to it. What port is it set to? I think you said it was on Com 1, ovbiously its conflicting with something already using Com1.. Change the USB485 to Com 2, 3, 4 or 5.. It does not matter how many USB ports you have, they can be set to any com port. Change it to something else, write it down, save, exit out out of the Dev Mgr, reboot, Once its back up again (remember I said it'll take multiple reboots) and with the dongle plugged in, open the HU and manually set the com port to what you set the USB485 to.. You can try the Auto Configure, but I'd start off manually. Ok, what does it say for finding the port? If it say found device at Com xx, then you're set. You can plug in the cat5 cable to the USB485, the other end into a controller and set the unit ID (if it wasnt already).

If none of this fixed the problem, repost here, and we'll try something else. Its a hit-or-miss method of tracking down the problem and it will take multiple changing/rebooting to find a free Com port.

Edited August 16, 2012 by TJ Hvasta

[storminstang06]

Wow, thank you for your response. I think this will be a little time consuming, so I may not get to it until the weekend. I will let you know either way, so if another has this problem it may help them as well. THANK YOU! I really hope this works!

[storminstang06]

Ok, I got this to work! But first, let me answer your questions...

When I plugged in the dongle, I never once got a 'new hardware found' bit, not even when the driver from LOR was downloaded and installed.

In Device Manager, my dongle was not listed under USB Controllers; it was listed under 'Other Devices' which I figured out by connecting and disconnecting it from my computer, since Device Mngr updates immediately and automatically. It was also the only device listed, and so "Other Devices' disappeared when it was not connected. I don't recall what was listed as the dongle's name, though.

After opening the dongle's tab, I saw exactly why it wasn't working: there was no driver assigned to it. Not even the one I downloaded or any by Windows. So, Uninstall Driver and Roll back Driver were not available as options (still there, just grayed out). After locating where I'd saved the downloaded (and already installed) driver, I clicked on Update Drivers and browsed for the location. The driver was found and applied to be used with the dongle.

I connected a powered up controller to HU and was able to assign a Comm port! And the flashing stopped! I didn't restart the computer (but would have if it still didn't work), but I did thank God and do a little victory dance!!

So, THANK YOU for you help! I would not have figured this out on own! I didn't even think to go to Device Mngr. Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!!

[TJ Hvasta]

Storm, that's good to hear! I think even with the LOR driver software installed, it should have said New Hardware Found, but as long as you got it to find the correct driver, thats terrific. I was happy to help! .. 'reminds me, now thats it's assigned, is the dongle still listed as "Other Device" or is it labeled in the Device Manager under the USB devices? I'm curious (I'm in the hotel in Detroit now so I cant check what it says myself) where it's listed once it's "drivered"..

Pokie (David), did you get your driver issue resolved? If not, follow the step I typed in above, see if that helps get yours "drivered" too. If it doesn't, let us know so we can try a different attack.

Edited August 19, 2012 by TJ Hvasta

[Geoff Harvey]

......................... 'reminds me, now thats it's assigned, is the dongle still listed as "Other Device" or is it labeled in the Device Manager under the USB devices? I'm curious (I'm in the hotel in Detroit now so I cant check what it says myself) where it's listed once it's "drivered"..

On my System, the LOR USB serial port shows under both Ports and USB. eg

[storminstang06]

Yeah I thought it was odd that I didn't get New Hardware Found too.....oh well. It is listed under USB Controllers as USB Serial Converter. Not sure if its listed anywhere else. "Other Devices" no longer appears in Device Mngr.