THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR ANY AND ALL HELP!!!
I know I'm not the first with this problem, and believe me - I've spent hours searching & reading posts before posting this topic, but I CANNOT get this figured out & it's KILLING ME!!!
I have two Radio Shack 15-2116 remotes, both of which I've programmed successfully with IR.exe numerous times before. I recently upgraded my OS to Windows 7 Pro 64 bit, and now CANNOT get connection with either remote.
Using a JP1.2/3 USB cable I purchased from Tommy Tyler a couple years ago which I have used successfully with Windows XP & both remotes.
When I plug the cable into USB port both the red & green lights on the cable blink, and in Device Manager I do see the port enumerated "USB Serial Port (COM4)".
The REMOTE plug of the cable has a black dot that I assume = pin 1. I match it with the bottom left pin on the remote (with remote pointing towards ceiling) which has a 45 degree angle line drawn at it's corner which I also assume means pin 1. When I plug it in this way the remote LCD remains blank. I've also tried it "upside down" as I had written an "F" on the plug on the remote end of the cable with magic marker sometime in the past, I think meaning "Front" (which does NOT agree with the dot/angled-line) - when I do this the LCD displays blocks of jibberish and then says MEM FAULT (so I assume this way is wrong).
When I run IR.EXE and try the CHECK INTERFACE I get "Failed to open JP1 interface". The "JP1.x Serial or USB Serial" item is checked under the Interface menu item (the other 3 choices are greyed out & can't be selected).
I read a post about resetting the remote, which I THINK I've done. I remove the batteries and press a button for over 2 secs (not sure how this resets it without power but that's what I read in a ost). I then put the remote in Program mode, select OPS RESET, then get CLR SETUP, then RESET RAM, & when I hit that I get RESET E2 then it exits setup. I try to connect again but cannot.
I THINK I have the right drivers. The first time I plugged the cable into computer I did see a device driver error message but couldn't stop it to see what it said. After reading posts here, I uninstalled the driver that the port was using, plugged in again & this time told Windows to go to Win Update to get appropriate driver. Driver installed fine - said "New hardware ready to use". Still cannot connect.
Removed THAT driver, downloaded & installed the FTDI driver version 2.8.14.0 dated 3/18/11 referenced in other posts on this forum. The USB serial port now shows the FTDI driver & is on COM4. There is a COM1 port shown also, not sure exactly what it is or what's using it. Both ports say working properly with no conflicts in Device Manager.
Here's where it gets worse.
I have 2 laptops, one with Windows 7 Home Premium & another with XP Pro - same situation with both - cannot get either IR.exe or the TESTJP program to connect. The USB end of the cable blinks when I try, but the remote is just dead - no blinking lights.
On the XP laptop the other interface choices in IR.exe are NOT greyed out - I tried selecting all of them, still no connect.
I put brand new batteries in the remotes - no change.
BOTH these remotes show same behavior - neither one connects.
I used the cable previously with no probs so I can't believe the cable is bad...
I'm pulling out what little hair I have left!!!
PRAYING that someone can help me....
(bugman