ToToTEK.COM Forum Index ToToTEK.COM
Help & Support Forum
 
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

Parallel port problems (cart not recognized)

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    ToToTEK.COM Forum Index -> MD-PRO Flash Cart
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Assman



Joined: 16 Apr 2010
Posts: 4

PostPosted: Fri Apr 16, 2010 3:23 am    Post subject: Parallel port problems (cart not recognized) Reply with quote

I just got my MD-Pro in the mail, and after making sure it would play in my CDX, am trying to program it (I'm using Vista, by the way). DreamWriter gives me a "no card found" message.

After reading up on some of the problems people have with PCI parallel ports, I took a quick peek inside my PC to see how the LPT it was connected. It is indeed built in to the motherboard.

I know the port is supposed to be set to EPP mode, but I see no apparent way of changing that. There's no option for it in my BIOS (all I get is an option to enable or disable the parallel port) and I don't see one in Vista. Any thoughts?

I did find a parallel PCI card on Amazon that specifically claims to support EPROM programming (as well as EPP mode). Should I just bite the bullet and nab that while I still can?

I would greatly appreciate any help.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Oerg



Joined: 12 May 2007
Posts: 78

PostPosted: Fri Apr 16, 2010 11:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hello, Assman.

First off, please note that a PCI parallel card will very probably not be able to recognize your MD-Pro. I have personally made some experiments with these. Out of 5 cards, none even allowed standard port ranges. The result is that neither ucon64 nor DreamWriter recognized it.

To your BIOS option issue, we can only help if we know the exact motherboard name, aswell as the brand of your computer. If your computer is branded Compaq, there might be an installation of a special configuration menu required.

Last but not least, I can completely assure you that the MD-Pro works fine on Vista and Windows 7 (personally tested.).

I would like to request that you tell us the port your parallel port is using at the moment. That way, detailed help is possible.

Kind regards,
Oerg866
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Assman



Joined: 16 Apr 2010
Posts: 4

PostPosted: Sat Apr 17, 2010 12:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The motherboard name is "Intel Coryville D945GCL". The ID is "CF94510J.15A.0038.2007.0226.1646". My PC is an Emachines.

I had already checked the ports to make sure everything matched up right. The I/0 range is 0378-037F and it gives the port number as LPT1 (it can be set as LPT 1, 2 or 3), so I'd assume that's being assigned to port 378 like the DreamWriter settings.

I've already tried and failed to find a BIOS upgrade that works (I downloaded one at the Intel site that said it was unsuitable for my system). I'm fried.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Oerg



Joined: 12 May 2007
Posts: 78

PostPosted: Sat Apr 17, 2010 12:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hello, Assman.

Emachines does tend to cut down BIOS functionality. I have had a board from the D945-Series of Intel before. It had brilliant support for the parallel port and had a lot of options including the EPP-Setting.

The Adress 0x378 is standard, which is good.

Good sir, could you kindly download the program "ucon64" from http://ucon64.sf.net, extract it to C:\UCON64, open a command line (Start->Run->cmd) and type:

CD C:\UCON64
ucon64 --xmd --port=0x378 INSTALL.HTML

This will try and flash a html file on your MD-Pro.

Don't worry, it won't break. And it won't harm anything either. It is solely a test to see if the program recognizes the MD-Pro at all and will flash anything.

If it says that it couldn't find the programmer, then please do tell so.

I wish you a good night.

Cheers Smile
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Assman



Joined: 16 Apr 2010
Posts: 4

PostPosted: Sat Apr 17, 2010 5:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oy. I can't do anything in that program, let alone get a mention of the programmer; I always get two errors which I can't seem to be able to fix.

The first is that it can't open the "NTUSER.DAT" file in my user folder, which I found out through the FAQ was a problem with the program looking in those sorts of directories by default, yet any attempt to change the directory only gives me more errors.

The second error I get is that I have no working I/O port driver. I followed the FAQ's instructions for installing a driver, yet I still get nothing.

Sorry, I haven't used command lines since I was a kid, and this thing is just kicking my ass. I do appreciate the help, nonetheless.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Oerg



Joined: 12 May 2007
Posts: 78

PostPosted: Mon Apr 26, 2010 8:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi. Sorry for the late reply. Might I direct your attention to this program: http://oerg866.tototek.com/mdpro.html

Please test and copypaste the output.

Regards,
Eric
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Chilly Willy



Joined: 08 Feb 2009
Posts: 174

PostPosted: Tue Apr 27, 2010 8:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The first thing you need is a working IO driver. Unless you get a port driver working, nothing will ever work - not DreamWriter, not ucon64, nothing.

Vista makes things tougher for people trying to get direct access to the hardware - it's deliberate... MS doesn't want anyone accessing the hardware directly inside of Windows. Each new version makes it even tougher to do so.

I have no trouble getting the port driver to work in XP, and if it comes to it, you may wish to set up XP on your system. If you don't have XP, I suggest using linux - Ubuntu allows you to use ucon64, and Ubuntu is pretty nice and simple - anyone can install and use it. Cool
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Oerg



Joined: 12 May 2007
Posts: 78

PostPosted: Wed Apr 28, 2010 11:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Chilly Willy,

a working IO driver is included in the software I linked to above Wink

tested and working under Windows 7.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Chilly Willy



Joined: 08 Feb 2009
Posts: 174

PostPosted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 5:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oerg wrote:
Chilly Willy,

a working IO driver is included in the software I linked to above Wink

tested and working under Windows 7.


But if HE can't get it working on his system, it doesn't matter. Nothing will work until he gets the driver WORKING. Some people just have all sorts of problems getting the driver to work. Half the posts in this forum are requests for help getting the driver working (slight exaggeration, but only by a LITTLE).
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Oerg



Joined: 12 May 2007
Posts: 78

PostPosted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 9:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

No, you don't understand Smile

He meant ucon64 -- admittedly it is hard to set up, but the last link I provided has a preconfigured ucon64 environment that has never failed on any computer I tested it on.

Cheers,
Eric Smile
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Assman



Joined: 16 Apr 2010
Posts: 4

PostPosted: Mon May 03, 2010 4:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Oerg wrote:
Hi. Sorry for the late reply. Might I direct your attention to this program: http://oerg866.tototek.com/mdpro.html

Please test and copypaste the output.

Regards,
Eric


I had actually already downloaded and attempted to use that program back when I got the cart. When I try to flash something, I get an error saying that the card/programmer isn't detected.

At this point I'm going to try to track down a PC with an LPT port that doesn't have a gimped BIOS. I ended up buying a PCI card for the hell of it (it was fairly cheap), and as you theorized, it did indeed assign bizarre port ranges that I couldn't do anything with.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    ToToTEK.COM Forum Index -> MD-PRO Flash Cart All times are GMT
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You cannot attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group