e-link on to windows 10

[alan_peacock]

help A new laptop arriving soon with windows 10. My vista one is on its last legs and the help i need is when i do the change over will i lose all my info like the decoder settings. Do i deactivate first or install  on to the new lap top. alan

[96RAF]

 First you should take a copy of your named plan file and resources database files and any programs you have written from the RM folder onto a memory stick, which you then later copy back into the RM folder on your new laptop.

 

You then have to go into RM and deactivate it on the old laptop and this will allow you to load RM onto your new laptop and reactivate it again. Then reactivate Pro if you have it. Copy in your saved files.

 

That way you shouldn't lose any of your 'settings'.

[Chrissaf]

The information you require is on Pages 131 and 132 of the current 1.64 RailMaster user guide, plus some of Page 130.

.

In principle, the steps you need to take are:

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1. Plug in your controller into the new Windows 10 PC (USB) and let Windows 'Plug 'n' Play detect it and install the driver from the Microsoft Driver repository.
2. Install the latest version of RM using the rm_set-up.exe file downloaded from the clickable link at the top of the forum RailMaster section. At this moment in time, leave the fresh installation in 'Evaluation' mode.
3. Copy over all your personal RM files from the old Vista to the new Win 10 PC. The files are listed on page 132 of the manual.
4. Deactivate RM Key on the old Vista PC - see Page 131 of the RM manual.
5. Reactivate RM Key on the new Win 10 PC - see Page 130 of the RM manual.

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If the activation doesn't fail, then you know your AV and Firewall settings are good. If the activation does fail then post back here for further advice.

 

[Chrissaf]

RAF, got in just ahead of me as I was typing.

[Chrissaf]

PS - Your new Win 10 PC is likely to have some USB 3.0 ports on it, denoted by the Blue colour of the plastic strip within the connector housing. On USB 2.0 ports this plastic is White. You are less likely to have any issues with the transfer if you connect your controller to a White USB 2.0 port.

[Chrissaf]

Here is a thread for a user who has recently performed a similar upgrade of their PC to Win 10 (totally successfully)......... you might want to review it. This user had unfounded concerns, everything went well with our help.

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Re-installing RM on new Windows 10 PC

[Augustus Caesar]

@Chris

 

Just as a quick reference to your colours of USB ports for USB 2 type sockets...

 

The vast majority of USB 2 ports on PC and/or laptop are coloured either white or black. The cables are mostly white connectors and those for USB 3 ports on newer machines especially are mostly blue.

 

Some connectors were also coloured red at one stage but this thankfully didn't last long.

 

Hope you don't mind my small correction... it is intended for those who won't find white sockets on their machines. :-)

[Chrissaf]

Yes you are quite right AC, now you mention it I do recall seeing some USB2.0 in Black, although I think (I haven't gone round checking them all individually yet) mine are all White. I've never seen Red ones myself. The main thing is that the USB 3.0 ones are in the main identifiably Blue. I have no objections to factual corrections. As you say, it might have confused anyone with Black or maybe even Red USB ports.

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PS - If your reading this AC, any progress on the IP Primer I sent you to peer review.

[Augustus Caesar]

@Chris

Hi... yes, the red ones were very few and far between and haven't been seen in new laptops for a number of years now. No doubt someone who has looked after theirs will still have one of those running... :-) Black are the most common and will be replaced in years to come by the newer USB 3 blue and then USB 4 when it arrives or until a newer interface supercedes it.

 

Re the IP Primer... I did read it and send an email to you although I can't find a copy of that in my folders. Odd... so I suggest I re-read the document and get back to you privately with any suggestions etc. as soon as I can. That will save me looking for something that probably went missing upon the send... which is unusual in itself but not worth worrying about at this stage. I have since then reinstalled Win10 with a full Enterprise version as I have access to it through a charitable organisation whose IT I look after. So, hang fire on that one for a very short while and I will come back to you on it... it will probably tie in with a re-vamp of the Help Site anyway.

[StephenD]

 AC/Chrissaf, As I recently found out, and posted on another thread, the HP-15 laptop doesn't have colour-coded USB ports.  The following is an extract from a review of the laptop on the net:

"Two of the three USB ports are USB 3.0, but the third is USB 2.0. This wouldn't be a problem except that the USB 3.0 ports are black instead of the usual blue. This means that novice users may connect a USB 3.0 hard drive to the USB 2.0 port by mistake. Thankfully, the USB ports are on different spots on the chassis: the USB 3.0 ports are on the right, while the USB 2.0 port is on the left."

So, unfortunately we cannot rely on the laptop makers to maintain this simple standard!

Stephen

[Augustus Caesar]

@StephenD

Unfortunately manufacturer' will place whatever coloured stock of these ports they have in their factory into new models. There is a clammering for colour coded sockets for USB standardisation but alas it has not been taken on fully or adhered to by these manufacturers.

Costs are more important to some. 😮

One general guide is that any laptops built in China, no offence intended, are generally those who do not follow up  on the standards because cheaper builds make bigger profits and can be seen as being 'competitive'.

The model you refer to was a Chinese built machine through HP and, like a lot of others, no matter the make, has good and bad reviews. That isn't important however.

The sockets I talk about in posts above are, as I state, fitted as a majority and are most common. Thus following a 'desired' standard which is not fully implemented as of now.

So of course some laptops and desktops etc are not going to be as I describe but look around and you will see they are in the majority as I have mentioned above. I come across these every day in my business when carrying out fixes to these products and buying for offices etc so I do need to know what I am looking for as my clients do sometimes insist on no USB 3 sockets for compatibility purposes for older stock printers and scanners.

My comments are intended as an observation only so please don't think I am having a 'pop' at anything... 😎

[StephenD]

No, AC, I don't think you're having a 'pop' but neither was I.  I'm just amazed (and perhaps, disappointed) that a company like HP would not adopt the de-facto standard in all of their laptops.  It seems such a simple thing and can hardly have any significant bearing on cost.

Personally, I wouldn't have been aware of this issue had it not been mentioned recently in that other thread I referred to.  I would probably have tried to use one of the USB3 ports without realising that I needed to use the port on the other side of the laptop.

Stephen

[96RAF]

No need to be prejudiced about Chinese kit - the rest of the world looks after that for us - my neighbour went to Korea and tried to buy a local sim card for his Samsung phone to avoid roming charges phoning home.

 

Apart from needing to see his ID/Passport, before they would sell him a sim card they also insisted on examining his phone - oops, inside it says its made in China so no you can't have a sim card. If your Samsung phone had been made here - no problems.

 

My USB 3.0 blue insert (I presume its a printer) cable looks non std and wouldn't fit the normal B end socket of a USB 2.0 printer. The USB 'forked arrows' symbol on the cable is appended SS. The cable is a Belkin brand and I'm not even sure what kit it came with now.

/media/tinymce_upload/841c17761bc8787fd51c1860af00fbfc.JPG

[96RAF]

Not trying to highjack the thread but a quick aside Question for AC.

My HP (keeping roughly on topic) tower has 2 USB 3.0 ports on the front case, but only one works. Is it likely to be a bad connection or is it possible for one port to disconnect electronically, rather than mechanically (broken wire, poor contact, etc).

Rob

[Augustus Caesar]

@Stephen

It may not be down to cost apart from the fact that if they have already got thousands of black sockets in their stock they wouldn't dispose of them just to follow a standard. Thus, they would use those first. In all probability this is what happens elsewhere too...

 

@RAF

Good question... this is usually connected via a cable to one single port on the motherboard as the cable is 'split' for the two front of case connectors. There are a few reasons this can cause an issue.

First off the cable may be loosely pushed into the motherboard and needs a firm push down.

Secondly, the wiring could have been damaged on the front of case side where they are connected to that panel and could simply have been over tight to fit correctly.

Thirdly, damage to the motherboard side would only be caused by one of three things: a damaged or bent pin on the connector or one of the copper tracks feeding away from the socket on the board has been damaged (not usually likely though) and, lastly, bad soldering on the underside of the board (again not highly likely).

Fourth, On the front of case panel check for the connectors there too as a poor conection can cause many issues here... or even bad soldering.

 

You are not likely to have, or ever get, a situation where one socket is disabled by connecting another peripheral to the second socket unless there is a short caused by bad soldering, loose or touching cables or a plug with incorrect or loose wiring. So, no, a socket will not disconnect electronically under normal circumstances where USB is concerned... no matter whether USB 1,2 or 3.

If you want clarification on any of the above don't hesitate to ask. Glad to be of assistance 😀

[Augustus Caesar]

Typical story re the phone RAF... :-)

 

The cable you have on the right that is marked 'SS' means it is deifninetly USB 3.0 and the SS stands for 'SuperSpeed' which means a fast data transfer rate of up to 5Gb/s.

You can use it with USB 2.0 and USB 1.1 products with an adaptor. The sacrifice is data transfer at slower speeds for those standards.

The caveat with this new standard cable is that not ALL products are capable of running that transfer rate nor are all peripherals compatible. Wiring is the key. Hopefully, when fully implemented the standard will take on a more uniform look and feel.

As your cable is white is it not an Apple cable? All their stuff is glow in the dark white... (sorry, not an Apple fan :-) ). Anyway, no matter... it would be supplied with something that handles data transfer.