E Link - How Do I load RailMaster without a CD drive

[Keith-369297]

Hi all i'm new to all this, I have purchased an E link Rail Master Control System. My issue is my laptop is running Windows 11 and it has no CD drive so how do i load it????

[RDS]

Hi Keith

Welcome to the Forum. I have changed the title of your post to make it easier to find for others that may have a similar problem.

There is an evaluation copy of RailMaster which you can Download from the RailMaster site. Download that and then use the code from your CD to upgrade your evaluation copy to the licenced version. This is the best way even if you have a CD drive because the Downloadable version is almost always a newer version than a CD.

[96RAF]

Be aware that the Railmaster licence is not transferable to a new owner if it has been previously registered. If you have problems authorising your key code it may have been used before. If so come back to the forum for further advice.

One thing that is essential is to plug your eLink into your PC and let Win 11 load its own MS drivers for it, before you load Railmaster. Do not use the Rail-master drivers although you may have to update the eLink firmware to v1.07 which is a different thing.

[P-Henny]

I suggest that before you start your Railmaster installation process that you first consult two of the pinned sticky threads at the top of this 'Railmaster Forum' section.

The two pinned sticky threads to look at are:

'RailMaster FAQ Index' and

'RailMaster download link'.

The second one covers how to obtain a copy of the current Railmaster installation file that does not require a CD Drive on your PC. In the first one, follow the link for FAQ1 which explains how to install the driver for the eLink. Do this before running the RailMaster Installation file. To run the 'installer' you must 'right click' the file and choose the 'Run as administrator' option. Also have the eLink connected, powered and driver loaded correctly before running the RM installer.

Following the FAQ1 methodology exactly as written for the driver installation part of the FAQ will maximise the liklihood of your RM installation working correctly first time.

[Augustus Caesar]

A couple of important notes here to add to the above...

If you are logging into Windows on any PC or laptop as an administrator you do NOT have to install RailMaster or run it as an administrator at any point. Logically, as you login to Windows as an admin you are automatically given admin rights to run and install any program as an admin immediately. To check this in Windows 11, as this is what you have, just simply click on Settings and then Accounts and you will see your username, local or non local account and Administrator or Standard User. If listed as a Standard User then admin rights will be required as stated prior in the FAQ.

The next part that is actually missing from the FAQ is a popup that Windows Defender shows when attemtping to install RM in Windows 10 or 11. The reason why Chris did not show this is almost certainly down to the fact he used Windows 7 and not 10 before he sadly left us.

The popup is a red box usually which states that the RM setup file you are running is malicious and may cause damage to your system. If you have downloaded the file from a reputable site then you can ignore the warning and simply click on 'More info'. Next click on 'run anyway'.

Your Anti Virus program MAY pick the file up as being that which contains a trojan and may lock the file away in a vault. If so, simply open the vault and allow the program to be marked as a false positive and it should be restored to its original download area on your system. Install as normal from here. If the file was deleted then you have an aggressive AV program and you will need to download it again. Make sure this time you DISABLE the AV program before installing RM.

If you are new as you say you may wish to follow a full step by step guide I wrote on my own RailMaster Help Site (link is one of the fixed threads at the head of this sub forum near the FAQ). This will guide you through from start to finish and is extremely detailed with graphics to make it fool proof. It is virtually impossible to not have a successful install when following these instructions. If it does fail you should consider that you have a faulty eLink.

Welcome to RailMaster and enjoy.