Reinstall Railmodeler Pro

[Weymatt]

Can I delete my Railmodeller Pro and reinstall it?

I am having so many Problems.

I am using 2 E-Links One for the track bus and one for my Cobalt AD-S8sx.

I believe my problem started because I had the USBs plugged in rather than let RM find them!!!

Many thanks for any assistance given.

Cheers

Mattwey1945

[Fishmanoz]

Weymatt, you will need to be more specific about your problem before anyone can give you decent help.

However, I’ll start by suggesting you do not “delete” RM (do you mean uninstall?) as it is unlikely to solve anything.

And for a start, might I suggest you download the latest version from the link at the top of the forum and install it over your existing copy.

Then, if I have interpreted you correctly, and I’m by no means sure about that, open Device Manager with you eLinks powered up and determine which Comm ports they are connected to. Then, start RM, go to the Setup tab and make sure those ports match for Controller A and Controller B.

Once you have that match, report back on any further problems encountered.

PS. I’m assuming you mean Railmaster (RM), Pro version, not Railmodeler.

[P-Henny]

First of all it is Railmaster not Railmodeler.

Try using the 3 dot 'Edit' menu option to edit your thread title. If the edit doesn't stick (due to a forum bug) include a very slight edit in the main question context text before saving the edit i.e change Railmodeler to Railmaster in the main context text as well as the title.

Reinstalling Railmaster very rarely fixes issues. RM is written for Windows XP and therefore issues are more often fixed by manually making configuration changes to the RM 'System Settings' screen and the 'railmaster.ini' file, in conjunction with reviewing the Windows 'Device Manager' screen.

The number one thing to check first of all with eLink controller connection issues, is to review the 'railmaster.ini' file content and ensure that the "restart eLink on start" line is =0 and not =1.

FAQ 1 in the 'Railmaster FAQ Index' pinned sticky thread may help with making configuration changes, but note that this was written mainly for single controller configurations not dual controllers.

Personally my preferred fix attempt would be to download the very latest RM Installer from the DL links on this website (version 1.74.5) then run the installer 'over the top' of the installed version without uninstalling it first.

Then I would connect ONLY Controller A and use the FAQ 1 guidance to generate a stable connection. Then and only then, would I connect Controller B and use elements of FAQ 1 to stabilise that connection too.

If you were to post an image capture of your 'Railmaster.ini' text file, then the knowledgeable would be able to review it and might spot an obvious error. Note that all images are held back for approval and will not appear straight away.

Also post an image capture of your Railmaster 'System Settings' screen showing the Controller A & Controller B settings along with your Windows 'Device Manager' screen.

Posting these three requested images first BEFORE tinkering further may provide an easy fix solution for you to try.

If you insist on uninstalling Railmaster, then in answer to your question. Read page 132 of the RM manual. You need to deactivate the RM key BEFORE you uninstall it. If you don't, then you are likely to have re-activation issues. If the deactivation process fails DO NOT uninstall RM as you will make things worse.

If successful, the deactivation process will deactive the main RM Program key AS WELL AS the PRO Key. Once re-installed, you will need to re-enter the main RM Key then follow that up with re-entering the PRO Key as a separate task. The PRO Key is entered in the 'System Settings - Loco Detection TAB'.

Since you have PRO, use the inbuilt 'Back Up' feature (how to is in the manual) as this will allow you to get your loco data and track plan back without having to recreate them from scratch.

Save a copy of the "activate.dat" file in the RM Program folder as this readable text file contains your original key activation data. Note, copying this file into a new RM installation DOES NOT convert the 'Evaluation' copy into an 'Activated' copy. It only tells you what information you entered when you originally activated it.

EDIT: Fishman posted his reply whilst I was still typing mine, hence there is some duplication in the suggested fix guidance given.

This is a very long reply. Please do not use "Quoted Reply" to answer it, just use the reply text box at the bottom of the page.