Dell Laptop with VAG-COM advice needed

[kninio]

Spink: he have serial cable not usb

[spink]

yes i know,does the serial one not need a driver then?

[Jamo]

yes i know,does the serial one not need a driver then?

Nah, it would just make a system call via the OS to the configured COM ports available at a specied baud rate.

USB devices invariabley need individual drivers to recognise the device attached to the USB port of the computer / laptop.

[spink]

Nah, it would just make a system call via the OS to the configured COM ports available at a specied baud rate.

USB devices invariabley need individual drivers to recognise the device attached to the USB port of the computer / laptop.

oh yeah i forgot

[LHD_Kid]

OK, I have looked into stuff....
I have no cards at all in those 2 slots on the side.... there are 2 plastic bits blocking the holes which can be removed and are simply plastic....
In the device manager, it says I have PCMCIA adapters (Texas Instruments PCI-1420 Cardbus Controller) both working properly (I assume this is simply to contol whatever you plug into the slots...)
The worrying one is the yellow question mark for PCI Modem under other devices...
I obviously have no driver for this....
Should I just disable it and try again? Or should I try and get a driver, if so how?
Thanks chaps...!

[LHD_Kid]

Right, I really need to get to the bottom of this....
As stated above, there are no PCMCI cards at all, I have uninstalled the modem which I don't have a driver for...
PC will talk to VAG-COM, but will not see any controllers in the car..
I have tried every single baud rate, all with the car running.
All it says every time I try is

"no response from controller"

WTF can I do?

Any ideas guys?
Cheers
Chris

Edit... I also tried in the VAG-COM settings to test com port, and it says port ok, but adaptor not found...?
What does this mean?

[LHD_Kid]

I have to add, I have tried again, but I misread what it said...
when I run the com port test, it says
STATUS 0
found, ready
I thought this meant zero found.....
If I run the LEDs test, it says it is fine too....
But will not communicate with any controllers
What can I do?

[Boez]

I have successfully used a dell latitude to communicate with my non-s2 coupe (ABK engine) via the serial port (no usb convertors used).

In order to get it to work I had to disable the FIFO buffer (this is mentioned a few posts back). Once I'd done that I had no problems - it must be worth a try.

Quick instructions:
Right click on My Computer and select Properties.
Click on Hardware tab and press Device Manager button.
Towards the bottom of the list click on the '+' to expand the Ports branch.
Right click on COM1 and select Properties.
Click on Port Settings tab and click the Advanced button.
Make sure the check box is Unticked.
Reboot the laptop.

Removal is the reverse of fitting (should you have any other applications which rely on a buffered COM port).


HTH
Andy

[LHD_Kid]

thanks, I will try that again, I have done it like you said - but without rebooting pc, although presumably it would be like a reboot every time I turn on and try VAG-COM...
will spend a little while on it... If not, I will have to buy a long power extension lead, and trail a socket out of a 5th floor window, and 100 metres round the block to the car park, and carry my pc out there....

[Boez]

thanks, I will try that again, I have done it like you said - but without rebooting pc, although presumably it would be like a reboot every time I turn on and try VAG-COM...

...only if you switched back on the FIFO buffer. If you are sure you have no other use for the serial port then just leave it switched off (I leave the FIFO buffer off on my laptop).

HTH
Andy