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Author Topic: Getting up and running in Vista  (Read 237649 times)

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Offline ART

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Getting up and running in Vista
« on: February 04, 2007, 04:55:22 PM »
In order to run under Vista takes a couple of steps..

1) First, run the install as per normal.

2) Now you need to run the file enclosed as the attachment to this topic. Save it , unzip it to memoryoverride.reg , and just double click it, it modifies
the registry to allow MAch3's driver to run.

3) Now you need to go to the C:\Mach3 folder, (or wherever you installed Mach3) and right click drivertest.exe , select
"Run as Adminstrator.". It should tell you to reboot. Do so, or you will crash. No question about it..

4) Now you shoudl be able to run Mach3, try the drivertest.exe again, and it shoudl run.

 Note:
   You may get errors reported when running DriverTest, in fact it may not run at all first time, then
Vista will ask you if you wish to run it in compatability mode. DO so, and it will run..


Re: Getting up and running in Vista
« Reply #1 on: March 22, 2007, 03:12:15 PM »
Senerio:

Installed Mach 3 as per instructions.  Modified registry with .reg file.  Everything works, but with version .049 which caused some jittery motion with G-Code. 

Un-installed Mach 3 and re-installed using .059 version.  Checked driver, all seems well, but Mach 3 does not show driver being enabled on when running the controller.

Tried re-running the .reg file.  Re-tested using drivertest.exe.  Still no response on the controller.

Please advise.

Offline Haik

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Re: Getting up and running in Vista
« Reply #2 on: April 25, 2007, 05:54:27 AM »
Vista Laptop/Notebook wireless-LAN (WLAN) confuses Grex-Loader.exe and G100 Discovery:

I've discovered that Grex-Loader.exe will not find the G100 that's connected to the (wired) LAN in a laptop that has it's WLAN "enabled."  I've validated this on 2 different laptops running Vista. Apparently, Grex-Loader.exe only polls the 1st network device it finds instead of enumerating the available devices.

The fix is to simply defeat the internal WLAN hardware using the physical ON/OFF switch or button that most laptops have.  If your WLAN hardware is PCMCIA just eject it when connecting to G100 via LAN cable if you're having this problem.

-Haik

Keywords: No G100's found in system, No G100 instances found, Error during DISCOVERY phase, G100 Status
« Last Edit: April 25, 2007, 06:07:56 AM by hbaba »

Offline Haik

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Re: Getting up and running in Vista
« Reply #3 on: April 25, 2007, 06:57:58 AM »
Vista UAC (User Account Control) is an avoidable hassle:

You know all those popups that nag you to Continue asking you to "Allow" or "Cancel", especially when you've set the property on an application (like Mach3.exe) or it's shortcut to "Run as administrator"?

Well... there's a couple of better ways to go.

1) Log in as "Administrator"; When logged in as Administrator, and beware that logged in with an account that belongs to the "Administrators Group" won't do, you'll never be nagged by UAC again!  To do this you will 1st need to "enable" the Administrator user account as it is defaulted as "disabled", then set it's Password (recommended) and you're ready to log in as Administrator.  Obviously, Administrator is a "local" account so if you're joined to a domain (not using a workgroup) you won't have access to your domain assets until you log back in with domain user account.  Very few of us setup a domain so this should't be a problem.

Or...

2) Disable Admin Approval Mode;  This defeats the feature all together, which is kind of dramatic compared to the above.  The article at this link explains all about it-
http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsVista/en/library/0d75f774-8514-4c9e-ac08-4c21f5c6c2d91033.mspx?mfr=true
(Scroll down half the page and look for title "Disable Admin Approval Mode")

What is it? How it works and more is at that link too.

I like to use the 1st one, It has really simplified my use of Vista while running Mach3 and some other software I use while machining.

-Haik

Keywords: Run as administrator, Allow, Cancel
« Last Edit: April 27, 2007, 12:53:25 PM by hbaba »

Offline CDyckes

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Re: Getting up and running in Vista
« Reply #4 on: May 03, 2007, 10:28:07 AM »
Anyone else managed to get Mach3 (latest build) running on Vista?

I can get drivertest and Mach3 to run, but the pulse timing is VERY erratic and makes it unusable.

I'm running on a 2.13GHz Dell Inspiron 9300 Notebook with 6800Go graphics.

(I've just ordered an ncPod - is this the way forward for Vista usage?)

Colin

Offline Graham Waterworth

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Re: Getting up and running in Vista
« Reply #5 on: May 03, 2007, 02:05:09 PM »
My way forward with Vista was XP.

Graham.
Without engineers the world stops

Offline Haik

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Re: Getting up and running in Vista
« Reply #6 on: May 07, 2007, 07:19:12 PM »
Notebooks and laptops often use a 3.3v reference voltage as "High" on their LPT Port, which is down from the IEEE Standard of 5v (this is due to running on battery power and the need to extend operating time when on battery).
Most breakout boards depend on a full 5v logic signal, so this is the likely source of the problem.  Also, it helps some to use LPT Mode "EPP" or "Bi-directional", ECP or anything using DMA can become iffy and are not recomended.

If you can do a test using a desktop machine with the LPT Port set (in the BIOS) as "EPP" or "Bi-directional" and see if you get the desired results.  This should help get you to the next step.  Myself, I've moved to the Gecko G-Rex G100 to interface with my machine's drives. Connecting via LAN is incredibly better than LPT, I haven't used the ncPod but I investigated it a while back and thought it was nice.

Graham: Please don't take this negatively... since this is the "Getting up and running in Vista" forum I think helping people succeed with Mach3 in Vista is a better route. :)  I do love and appreciate XP, and like most I use it everyday. I also use Vista everyday and Longhorn/Vista Server, as a network architect for a fortune 500 company I need to be at the top of my game... for both my sake and my employers sake.  Vista isn't as bad as some make out, it is new and more complicated in ways that make it costly to ramp-up on. This cost is a real pain and for some it can be put off for a couple years.  I still think Vista is worth the trouble.

-Haik
« Last Edit: May 07, 2007, 07:25:23 PM by hbaba »

Offline CDyckes

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Re: Getting up and running in Vista
« Reply #7 on: May 08, 2007, 10:46:15 AM »
You may well have a point about the 3.3v issue, especially as I ordered an PCMCIA parallel port card and it was only on the despatch email that the the vendor said it may not be suitable for Dell Inspiron notebooks as they 'didn't supply 5v to the PCMCIA card slot'. However, the card runs a Laserjet 5000 perfectly, and appears to run the Bob Campbell interface board OK, though I can easily solve the 3.3v to 5v level shift if that proves to be an issue.

I suspect though that it's a Mach3 pulse driver/Vista interaction because I'm getting VERY variable rates in the diagnostic test program and in the diagnostics screen of Mach3. The motor movement suggests that the pulse driver is getting its timeslice interrupted as I get short bursts of smooth and then jumpy movement.

I've only got the Dell 9300 on Vista so far (Only willing to go so far along the 'bleeding edge' as all other machines are work critical). The old AJP 300MHz PIII notebook that used to drive Mach2 perfectly seems no longer adequate for Mach3 (and that did drive its built-in parallel port perfectly), so I wanted to try the Dell as I don't use the CNC often (1st time in three years after a house move and renovation), though want to get back to using it more.

Would like to help get Vista running (and have full DevStudio installed and can do any level of debugging if Art will trust me with driver code and test program). In the meantime, I've got nearly all the bits for another PC, so am putting together a 3GHz P4 to run XP.

Colin

« Last Edit: May 08, 2007, 10:49:48 AM by CDyckes »
Colin
Re: Getting up and running in Vista
« Reply #8 on: July 05, 2007, 07:06:34 AM »
I have an XP PC running my CNC.
Thinking of having another copy on my Vista machine to learn with.

1.   Would the registry changes affect my other programs, like Photoshop?
2.    Can the changes be easily undone if necessary?

TIA
JIm
Re: Getting up and running in Vista
« Reply #9 on: July 05, 2007, 10:11:50 AM »
Still hoping for a response.  I think my last post was lost somewhere down the list.  I cannot get mach 3 to work under Vista.  After trying the prescribed installation method the driver check works.  But when we go to run the program the drivers are not there.  Vista keeps deleting them.
I am going to try and load XP over Vista this evening.  From the reading has anybody actually gotten Mach 3 to work under Vista?  The program will run okay if its not driving a actual machine tool.   

Thanks, John