In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Sun, 19 Aug 2018 17:21:29 -0400, Paul
wrote:

micky wrote:


This part is just a narrative. I'll get to questions later: I took
everything out to the car and although the driver I said above it says
**"is working properly" still was, another new device I hadn't seen in
the list before (I forget its name) had no driver. I had it search my
computer, no luck. I made the cell phone a hot spot and it spent a lot
of time looking online, but it found something. Then it spent a lot of
time downloading (with no indication of how many bytes, etc.)and then
iirc some measurable amount of time for installing. And it said it was
done, finished with no error message.

But when I looked in Device Manger under the device, it said the driver
needed updating, but the Update button, in fact all 3 buttons were
greyed out. Only the top button worked.

Later, the whole device disappeared from Device Manager. I unplugged
the car and pluggged it back in, but it still didn't reappear. This
means it will be harder to fix without going out to the car to see if
it's fixed.

Even one of the ebay reviews for this said that one had to get the
driver from Google, and I think there are a variety of possible drivers
online.

It's easier to install them on my desktop than the laptop (which is
folded up and takes up a lot of my deskspace when open.)

If I install drivers on a win10 desktop that have no use for the
desktop, does that matter? Is it just a tiny bit of harddrive space
and one or more entries in a list of drivers. So does that mean it
doesn't matter? OR, can I later uninstall drivers that have no use.

Usually I see a button for deleting drivers in device properties, but if
a driver has no device to go with, it won't be there, will it?

Generally, leaving a driver sitting there, for a kind of
hardware that doesn't "compete" with any other similar
hardware, is OK.

That's good.

That's what the INF and VEN/DEV and
PNP codes are for. To prevent a driver from binding
to the wrong thing. The worst for this sort of thing,
is the touchpad filter driver, where sometimes the
sketchiest PNP info is used by the manufacturer.

You should give us some idea what the hardware is,

That's a little embarrassing, but you figured it out below anyhow.

for more comments. If you had installed a USB hub, and
then connected the USB hub to a second device, you
would expect a "new hardware detection". For a lot
of other scenarios, you should have been able
to install all drivers in advance.

I know this is one of your OBDI devices (as you've been
on little car projects before),

So I said what it was before? Then there is little point in not saying
so now. Yes, it's labeled Mini-VCI J2534 and it connects the laptop
with the OBD jack on cars since 1998? iirc.

My only defense is that buying the factory device is 500 or 700 dollars
and a year's subscription to the software is $1500. I think there was
the possibility of buying a weeks's use, but it was still going to be
800 dollar or more and all I want to do is stop the headlights from
staying on for 30 seconds (since I've had battery problems since my
first car) and have the fob unlock both doors at the same time.

See further rant below**.

But I'm making progress apace now, so please don't go to much trouble
for me, as you often do.

The error message when trying to install both the drivers that came with
the cable, that I ask about at the start of this thread, and the one I
just dl'd separately is the same.

"mini-vci driver for toyota tis setup ended prematurely"

so I googled that and got 2 hits, one from 2011 saying, "It doesn't
work" and one who say what follows

Note that I haven't done this yet and he might be wrong in my case, but
he says we've got 32 bit driver msi files for 64-bit systems and "The
MVCI driver repeatedly failed to install so after a quick search it
appeared that other people also had this issue when using 64 bit
versions of Windows 7, I was running 64 bit Windows 8."

Interestingly, the video that came with the device shows the use of
Win7. Are all win7 installs 64bit? Maybe not.

https://paulhartigan.net/2014/04/24/...4-bit-windows/
He got two replies one saying it worked and the sayign it didnt!

His advice: "The solution was very simple are required manually
extracting the MVCI driver, I used 7 zip which worked very well but the
are many other applications that will extract this installer. The steps
are as follows:

Create the folder C:\Program Files (x86)\XHorse Electronics\MVCI
Driver for Toyota TIS
Open the file MVCI Driver for TOYOTA.msi with 7zip and extract to
the folder you created.
Browse to the folder with Windows Explorer.
Right click on the file ftdiport.inf and select install.
Right click on the file ftdibus.inf and select install.

Connect the Mini VCI cable and run the application FirmwareUpdateTool
and click the Device Info button. If your device is showing as
connected then it is ready to be used with Techstream."

This was certainly worthwhile. For one thing, among the 28 files in the
..msi file, there was a pdf user manual, that I'm not sure I would have
seen otherwise and might be useful to see in advance. Plus it
extracted the FirmwareUpdateTool which I had seen mentioned before but
couldn't find with google.

WAIT. THEY SEEM TO EXPECT ME TO UPDATE THE FIRMWARE IN THE CABLE. THAT
SEEMS LIKE A BAD IDEA TO ME. ?????

??????????

Well, I didn't get to that step. I coudln't even get past the two
install .inf steps. It says, in win7, "The INF file you selected does
not support this method of installation. "

So if the guy was right in the first place, that it's a 32-bit install
package for a 64 bit system, Is there anything I can do to install the
drivers? Sevenforums article says ". Try opening device manager,
selecting the Monitor in question, then select update driver, and then
"Browse My Computer" to the inf file." Whether that works or not, I
should have thought of it. Well, the device doesn't show up, so I
think I have to go down to the car and connect not just the cable but
the car. That was the only time it showed up,although not always then.
:-) .

I guess I've never extracted an msi file before. I like them because I
don't have to do that. ;-)

All the files are from 2009, a little after Win7 came out.


but it would help
to have something to Google for hints as to
what subsystems might be involved.

And no, it's not normal for Device Manager
entries to disappear. That implies a fuse opened
somewhere, and the datapath stopped working. Or worse.

See if the device has status LEDs,

N.. Oh, it does have a red power light.

or a screen with
lighting,

Nope

where you can determine from visual
symptoms, whether power is still present.

Paul

I'll get back to you with a progress report.



**I could go to Toyota but the only time I've had work done there, wheel
aligmment after I replaced the right half axle, they tried to cheat me.
They told me I needed new CV joints for both sides, even though the side
I'd done had only 15 miles on it, and the other side I jacked up the car
special and felt all over and it was like new. Plus they claimed I had
a large oil leak, even though 6 months later, I still needed less than a
1/4 quart. And other things they said I needed that I didn't. I knew
they wouldn't give me any money since I hadn't fallen for their lies,
but I coudln't figure out what I wanted instead. Changing these
settings would be something to ask for, but the dealership has been sold
so they won't feel they owe me anything. I suspect the same mechanics
work there.

And even if I asked them to do it, I don't know what all can be done,
don't understand the effect of somethings, and I might want to undo
something, which means a second trip and another charge, and it would be
totally unsatisfying.