More Railmaster problems,unable to connect !

[Baz48]

Hi , Everybody , Sorry to be a pain, but once again I have been beset with railmaster problems, all week I have started up railmaster, once a day, - My e link is connected to my test track on my office desk with my windows vista PC connected to my e link, the connections have been left in all week ,  I have just shut down the computer after each short test run.- and then powered down the e link (after the computer)- All was OK  - I tried Railmaster every day and ran my litle pug test engine up and down my test track - NO Problems- until yesterday! -When I started on railmaster as always, I got the dreaded "unable to connect to your DCC controller" message,  and "unplug USB for 5 secs and then reconnect", this of course didn't work ! - Nothing had changed the set up and start sequence was as normal , so I am at a loss to understand the reason for this failure to connect?

I tried all the usual things but then I received a new railmaster message " If you are regularly having problems with railmaster connecting to your DCC controller you should Uninstall USB serial port driver within windows device manager, (and also tick the box to deleted the driver) then unplug the USB, plug it back in and let windows download a new driver", I am reluctant to do this as when I tied yesterday to "update this device driver by searching online it ran for 4 hours with no result. As microdsoft no longer support Vista, and I "uninstall and delate this driver" will searching on line find and download a  new driver? - The computer does not recognise this "device, could it be a faulty e link, although it has worked OK and the feen light is always full on when powered up- ANY HELP would be appreciated , especially from Chris, Fishmanoz, Stingray and RAF, !!!! Many Thanks, Barry.

[Chrissaf]

Barry check your com port again. Just like you did last time. Windows Vista may have reset your eLink back to Com Port 5 again.

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PS - When using Vista, you won't find an eLink USB driver via Microsoft. In Vista, the eLink uses the proprietary driver provided by Hornby. It uses the same driver as the Elite. I don't think this driver has been updated in yonks.

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If you want to try reinstalling the Hornby driver, download the Elite firmware update ZIP folder from here. Extract this file (R8214 Elite Vista W7-8 Driver.inf) and double click it. Ignore all other files contained in the ZIP. I would expect a message along the lines of "you have the latest driver already installed" or similar to pop up. But worth a try, in case it is a later driver. I haven't done this procedure myself as my RM PC is Windows 10 and uses the Microsoft provided driver for my Elite.

 

[96RAF]

As the eLink green light is on and steady that suggests a working device, and as all was working fine before the last shutdown I would suggest a restart of the eLink, followed by the pc, then once all has settled, which can take some time, then start RM.

 

I would think it unlikely the driver has been lost but it doesn't do any harm to reload it from the RM folder per Chris suggestion.

 

My initial assumption was the comm port has changed also as suggested above.

 

As an indicator on my pc - it boots into Win10, then it loads my gadgets sidebar, then it fires up Skype and once I hear that 'whoosh' I know it is safe to crank up RM.

 

Of interest though others have found that starting the pc, then the eLink, then RM works for them, so it's down to what works for you and repeat it at every RM session.

Rob

 

[Baz48]

Thanks, Chris and RAF, Chris I've downloaded the  Elite Firmware ZIP folder as you advised, and extracted R8214 Elite Vista W7-8 driver  (set up information) folder, when I double click on this file I get a message " R8214 Elute Vista update etc --- do you want to open this file , "open" or "cancel", when I open it I get a wordpad document listing a load of data? Have I made a mistake?

You are correct in assuming that the port setting on the device manager has changed, again there is no "ports (com & lpt" section showing even though the e link USB has been left in position all last week.- I get the message "device not recognised", and if I open the USB serial BUS section (lower down the list in Device manager) there is a "unknown device " listed. 

Also RAF, I have carefully followed the same "successful " procedure all week, power up e link, leave for several minutes, then start up PC, leave PC for 5 minutes to completely complete its boot up, then open RM, this worked successfully until Friday? - I will however try the sequence which you suggest, but until I can get Ports (comm4) listed in the device manager it will not work.

I have tried every thing that I can think of but no success.- As I said previously the mystery is that NOTHING had changed, I was especially careful to leave everything as it was, I just shut down RM ,then the computer and after a few minutes I unplugged the e link from the mains, the USB connection and connections to the e link were NOT disturbed. -  Many thanks Barry.

[Chrissaf]

Your Vista thinks it is a text file, which of course it is. OK, if double clicking doesn't run the driver installation applet. 'Right Click' the file and look for an option called "Install" in the 'right click' menu list.

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If it doesn't show at all in the "COM & LPT" branch of 'Device Manager', then that means that your Windows Vista is not recognising the eLink as being present on the connected USB port, and is not loading the driver into memory.

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As an experiment try this:

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1. With the eLink disconnected, boot up Windows Vista and let everything load up and stabilise until disk activity is minimal.
2. Power up eLink.
3. Connect eLink USB to Vista PC
4. If still no joy, then try a different USB port if an alternative port is available. This can sometimes force (trick) Windows into loading the driver again.

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After step 3...see if 'Device Manager (DM)' now shows the eLink as being present. If not, try step 4 and look at DM again.

[96RAF]

I have found that if a bit of kit is playing up but is shown in DM, then uninstalling it and the driver (tick the  associated check box), then refreshing DM to find the device again often works.

 

Also to update or refresh the driver,  do it from DM (properties for the device) by navigating to the RM folder and letting it find it there.

 

Something else to be aware of is if you have fiddled with anything in RM then save those changes you must also close down RM and restart it, else it doesn't put all its ducks in a row and you are trying to do other things from that unstable state.

Rob

[Baz48]

Hi , Chris and RAF (Rob) thaks for your suggestions but I have tried them to no avail, if I power up the PC  and then energise the e link and then plug in the USB , I almost immediatley get the " USB evice not recognised", message apearing, I have tried swapping the usb sockets over many times, ( my PC has only 2 USB sockets)   and I get the "USB device not recognised" each time on both sockets.there is no Ports  (com & LPT) section showing on DM, however if I open DM and watch as I plug in the USB the only change iswithin the "Universl Serial Bus controllers" section, where an "unknown device" is listed, and when I withdraw the USB then this disappears?

ris, regaring the R8214 Elite Vista W 7-8 driver file, a double click on this (left) just opens the "Notepad data" sheet, a right click opens a box containing, "open, cut, copy,delete, properties", I click on properties and get a box?- with General info for R8214 Elite W7-8 driver info. ? Bst Regards, Barry.

 

[Chrissaf]

I can't think of what else to suggest. I went straight from XP to W7 and missed out Vista altogether. The 'Right Click' .inf driver install option is in W7 and above.

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You are sort of in a 'Catch 22' situation. The eLink driver needs to be visible in Device Manager before you can use the 'update driver' option to navigate manually to the .inf file, and since you can't get Windows Vista to load the driver.......and Vista does not seem to give you the 'Right Click' install option that W7 and above does.

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Your best bet is to contact HRMS via the inbuilt RM Help Page support request feature and ask them to remotely log in to your Vista PC and try and fix the driver issue for you.

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This involves you downloading under HRMS guidance a small utility that allows them remote access. I've never used this HRMS service myself, but other members on here who have, have reported it works well. HRMS tell you (I believe) all the steps you need to follow.

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One final thought.

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Have you tried running the RM installer that can be downloaded from the link at the top of the forum RM section. This will reload RM over the top of your existing RM installation and may possibly reset the installation. For example, re-write any Windows registry entries that might have been lost or corrupted. This does sometimes correct RM software issues. You don't need to uninstall the existing copy first.

 

[96RAF]

I can only suggest right click on that unknown device in DM to get to properties and go to the driver page and update the driver by navigating to the RM folder location ...

... but sometimes an unknown device will say this device is working perfectly and doesn't need drivers which we know is wrong. In that case I uninstall device and driver and let DM find it again by way of scan for hardware changes.

Rob

[Baz48]

Many Thanks, Chris and RAF (Rob) - I have carried out an experiment this morning, I booted up the PC , and took our printer from downstairs up to my office -this is alien to my Vista PC , never been used on it and has no driver installed for this printer.- when I power up the printer and then plug in the USB into the socket I have reserved for e link , I immediately get the message " windows needs to install driver software - HP series 1510 series ." and then leads you to an install panel with the usual choices for searching for and installing the driver software.- My question , why does the PC recognise this "device" when it won't recognise the e link?-Surely the e link should communicate with the e link via the USB , if only to tell the PC that it is a E link, in the case of the printer you you don't need a driver in place for this basic communication link to happen??

I will try your other suggestions later but I do feel that if the driver is to "blame" then the e link /PC should tell me ,that a driver is needed for this hardware.-  Many Thanks for your further suggestions I will try these later today.

However I would appreciate your comments on the printer experiment.- Many thanks Barry 

ps Rob whats the weather like in Cyprus, sunny I hope? Its raining again here in Bolton!

 

r

 linkregarding the "unknown device" found in DM , I have tried this , there is a box allowing you to update driver , and if I go into driver properties it says no driver necessary for this hardware

[96RAF]

Sunny and very hot in Cyprus Baz, but I am in UK at present so enjoying the East Anglian rain also.

 

I had expected the unknown device driver response but wondered if you could force a driver update from the RM folder to make it remember what it was.

 

The printer idea was a good one to prove the pc port and cable.

 

Failing all else I suspect that as the printer connects OK, the eLink USB port may have failed as our IT guru reports they aren't the best of connections. Knowing the printer cable works try that with the eLink.

 

If you had access to another pc (it doesn't need RM installed) with the same result, that would double prove a duff eLink.

Rob

[Baz48]

Many Thanks Rob, I wil try this !!!-  Welcome back to rainy old England, we had 2 days of sunshine in Bolton,now we are back to normal North West Weather !   You have to go to the Doctors in Bolton to get a prescription for sunglasses , and then go to Manchester to buy a pair!!!

Best regards Barry.

[Baz48]

Hi ,Everybody this message is really for RAF (Rob) and Chris, thank you for your advice and the time you have taken in trying to help sort out these e link problems, Rob I have tried the e link on my newer computer a Sony VIO, and with a different USB lead,  and I get the same result, a message appears " device not recognised " etc. - Does this mean that the e link is faulty??

Chris, I have downloaded the Railmaster program again, but the problem is still there although, last night, believe it or not , late on, I went to my office booted up the PC and e link, started railmaster and it connected straight away!!! - however my joy was shortlived as this morning, after shutting down last night, I started it up again and  it failed to connect to the e link.

I think that I have taken too much of your time , I will now go to Hornby direct and see if they have any more ideas on how to resolve this issue.- Maybe by trying a new e link??? Anyway many Thanks and Best Regards,, Barry.   

[96RAF]

Baz

The fact it is intermittent suggests to me the eLink probably has a dodgy USB connection, therefore contacting HCC may be your only option.

 

Mine is well out of warranty so I would have no hesitation whipping the top off to see if there is a duff connection, but in your case if still under warranty then Hornby or the seller is your first stop.

Rob 

[Baz48]

Thanks RAF, I agree with your comments and suggestions, I bought this e link by part exchanging my select controller, from a large Hornby retailer in the North West, I'm sure that you know the company ,they are very well known in the Railway modelling world.

I powered up my system and  tried the e link again late last night and it worked perfectly! - but the uncertainty is not good for my blood pressure, ( it fails more often than not!) - so I will contact the seller this morning and see what they have to say.

Many thanks for your help, Good Luck in Cyprus, Best Regards, Barry.