Can't run MRSS on Windows XP

rbtabanao · Post by **rbtabanao** » Fri Oct 10, 2003 9:26 pm

Hi all,
What's the problem why I can't run MRSS for GP88/GP300 on my Windows XP, is there any patch?

Thanks.

werdnuts · Post by **werdnuts** » Fri Oct 10, 2003 9:46 pm

uh... DOS. you weren't supposed to be running it in a dos window in windows. the dos software requires that you boot into dos. since win2K you can't boot to dos. you will need a seperate partition. if not, you can usually read a radio from dos window in windows, but you smoke the radio if you try to program. do a bit of research and save yourself a lot of trouble.

good luck.

werdnuts

Cowthief · Post by **Cowthief** » Fri Oct 10, 2003 10:17 pm

Hello.

Windows, to 3,1, 16 bit, 95, 98, and ME are all DOS based.
XP and 2000 are based on NT, having very little to do with DOS.
You will not find a patch for this, a full rewrite would be needed.
Not to say it can not be done, there is non-motorla software for /\/\ radios that runs under linux.

Screwed · Post by **Screwed** » Fri Oct 10, 2003 10:57 pm

i run my mrss in xp i then save the codeplug and have a radio shop drop the plug in or ill find a slower system and dos it in

nmfire10 · Post by **nmfire10** » Sat Oct 11, 2003 3:51 am

rbtabanao wrote:Hi all,
What's the problem

There is no problem. Perfectly normal.

rbtabanao · Post by **rbtabanao** » Sat Oct 11, 2003 7:04 am

Well, thanks a lot, now I know...
So there might be some MRSS software that support GP88/GP300 that runs on WinXP?? If yes, then somebody be kind enough to tell..

Thanks for your time to answer my post.

nmfire10 · Post by **nmfire10** » Sat Oct 11, 2003 8:02 am

I don't think so. Those are very old models (although arguably better than the new ones in some respects).

You can probably find an old DOS laptop or desktop dirt cheap somewhere and use it as a programming computer.

rbtabanao · Post by **rbtabanao** » Sat Oct 11, 2003 9:12 am

Too bad about it..

I never think that this good looking radios are a decade old..

Old as DOS....
Finding a good old 486 might help.

Thanks anyway buddy, and regards.

StanComm · Post by **StanComm** » Sat Oct 11, 2003 1:13 pm

You might try getting a system disk, one which has the DOS operating system loaded as part of a Format (/s) operation from a "real" DOS machine, stick it into your floppy drive and boot your machine to the "A" prompt. You then could try running the RSS from another floppy, as long as the *installed* RSS would fit all on one disk.
To make that disk, you'd have to install the RSS on your machine and then copy it to the floppy with the directory structure in tact.
Note, I've never had cause to try this myself, but is seems as though it should work.

Good luck... Stan

k4wtf · Post by **k4wtf** » Sat Oct 11, 2003 4:58 pm

Cowthief wrote:...a full rewrite would be needed.
Not to say it can not be done, there is non-motorla software for /\/\ radios that runs under linux.

Please, DO TELL! I'd love to have a look at it.

--
John

OX · Post by OX » Sat Oct 11, 2003 5:13 pm

StanComm wrote:You might try getting a system disk, one which has the DOS operating system loaded as part of a Format (/s) operation from a "real" DOS machine, stick it into your floppy drive and boot your machine to the "A" prompt. You then could try running the RSS from another floppy, as long as the *installed* RSS would fit all on one disk.
To make that disk, you'd have to install the RSS on your machine and then copy it to the floppy with the directory structure in tact.
Note, I've never had cause to try this myself, but is seems as though it should work.

Good luck... Stan

I created a DOS boot disk and left a partition formatted as FAT32 and ran the rss from that partition. Similar to creating a multiboot loader.

kf4sqb · Post by **kf4sqb** » Sun Oct 12, 2003 7:01 pm

I use an old 486/25 laptop for all of my programming. Even the 1225 series and the Waris line. I use a program called System Commander that allows you to run several OS's on one harddrive, so that when I first boot up, I can select either DOS 6.22 or Windows95, depending on what I need to program at the time. System Commander will work with XP, but I don't know how well the older RSS's will run on that fast a machine. Definately, find an old 486!

Interceptor · Post by **Interceptor** » Sun Oct 12, 2003 9:27 pm

The most compatible machine I have used for ALL versions of RSS is a 486DX266Mhz. It is capable of running the newest, to the oldest RSS. But like others have said, you will need either separate partitions, or modify your AUTOEXEC.BAT file to enable a boot menu to select between DOS and your OS, such as WIN95 or 98. There is a very valuable shareware program called QUIKMENU that is wonderful for keeping track of all your RSS software in DOS.

That's my 2 cents worth......

Rob

billy7834 · Post by **billy7834** » Sun Oct 12, 2003 10:11 pm

What about the option in Windows shutdown menu that says "re-boot in MS-DOS mode" Would that do the trick?

doi · Post by **doi** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 1:53 am

first, WinXP does not have the "boot in dos mode" option simply because it does not have DOS, as it is a variation of NT.

and then (even if a bit away from the topic):

nmfire10 wrote:I don't think so. Those are very old models (although arguably better than the new ones in some respects).

please tell me more.... I am very curious what you mean by this exactly.

OX · Post by OX » Mon Oct 13, 2003 2:17 am

Let's swing this another direction. The RSS, RIB and target radio all expect communications to occur within a certain time frame. Using DOS, there are no drivers interrupting the flow of serial data so this communication can work with no problems.

Inject Windows to the equation. Bill Gates thinks that he needs to play traffic cop with every piece of hardware on a computer. So now instead of that serial data going directly to the serial port, it goes through a Windows routine who routes the serial data to/from the port.

This added routing causes delays in the data transfer which can cause the software or radio to keep retrying data packets until one, the other or both give up. If you happen to be sending codeplug data to the radio and it has already received some data and it stops, you chance having a corrupted codeplug that may not be so easy to fix. A combination of old data and new data with mismatched checksums would be a small problem. Depending on where this new data and old data mixed, you could have a boat anchor or you could be lucky and be able to reload the codeplug.
I could go farther but hopefully you get the point.

You cannot trust using the Windows DOS modes. Because they also play traffic cop. Apparently Bill Gates does not like DOS. So as a general rule, any DOS prompt that you get without physically restarting your machine with START-SHUTDOWN-RESTART or doing a hard power cycle is not true DOS. Yes, even using the START-SHUTDOWN-RESTART_IN_DOS_MODE will use the Windows DOS and not the true DOS and cause the same problems.

Hope that helps you understand. CPS was written to work from Windows and properly deal with the way that Windows plays traffic cop.

StanComm · Post by **StanComm** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 6:04 am

1) There's an easy way to selectively start a DOS/Windows machine without having to punch F8 on bootup. It's a freebie called TweakUI which among other things offers the ability to start up in a timed DOS menu screen which allows you to select the startup mode. It's mainly intended for diagnostic work, but makes starting a Win95/98 machine in DOS easy.
2) There are also DOS based menu programs which will allow you to sojourn in DOS as part of a Win bootup. They are started from a line in the autoexec.bat and will hold the machine in DOS untill terminated which then allows the machine to load the rest of Winxx. I've found this to work well in Win 95 thru 98SE with the Mota RSS behaving properly.

Stan

RKG · Post by **RKG** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 9:10 am

The "DOS" you get with StanComm's methods is not native DOS, but rather a DOS emulation running under Windows. For a number of reasons, this is a no-no; Windows, even when running a DOS emulation, will not allow the RSS to take direct control of the UART chip, absent which you risk corrupting a radio.

If you want to run "real" DOS and a flavor of Windows on the same machine, you have to use System Commander.

nc5p · Post by **nc5p** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 9:59 am

I won't even try it on the XP machine. I use the older laptop, just shutdown and tell it to restart in dos. Then I run the RSS and it hasn't failed me yet.

I am also curious about Cowthief's Linux RSS. I have a Linux machine in the hamshack. The timing issue with windows is the same reason why sound card programs can't do amtor, pactor, etc. You can do them under Linux, however. I wonder if somebody dissasembled Motorola's RSS and reassembled it under Linux? Or did they monitor the flow of data between the computer and radio and replicate it? The former quite illegal, the later a very grey area. I have one of those programs for my wife's car computer. The guy captured the serial dataand wrote his own software.

Doug

Cowthief · Post by **Cowthief** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 11:30 am

Hello.

The linux RSS is not legal, as it works with hardware and firmware that is motorola copyright.
The software I am thinking about was written for the Arab market.
It is written in english, but with a twist, it can work with whatever RSS was used before.
It is my understanding that it is nothing more than a copy of the RSS, rewritten for C, and ported to linux, I, however am not sure how correct that is, I have not tried to crack it, just use it.

rbtabanao · Post by **rbtabanao** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 2:37 pm

I successfully run the RSS on P1, 100mhz machine before with no problem, even on my new P4, 1.8ghz running Win98 not until I upgraded to Win XP. the RSS will actually run but have trouble accessing the serial port. I will access the serial port forever I think???

kf4sqb · Post by **kf4sqb** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 4:21 pm

OK, people, pay attention this time. Yes, you can run some versions of RSS in Windows "DOS mode", or under a Windows DOS prompt, but unless it was made for Windows, like 1225 series and CPS, you run the risk of corupting the codeplug. You might get by with a DOS window 99.9% of the time, but then you get the other 0.1%, and wind up with a very expensive electronic paperweight. As Monty has already stressed so many times:

Use a slow machine (preferably a 486/20 or slower) and true DOS (6.22 or lower)! On the other hand, who are we to stop you from making yourself a few new paperweights..........

Tom in D.C. · Post by **Tom in D.C.** » Mon Oct 13, 2003 4:52 pm

I heard recently of a person who put 911 on his phone's speed dial, so now all he had to do is to dial *12...

(How's that again?)

Can't run MRSS on Windows XP

Can't run MRSS on Windows XP

NT

Re: Can't run MRSS on Windows XP

Running MRSS on WinXP

Running MRSS on WinXP

Maybe try running it from disk?

Re: NT

Re: Maybe try running it from disk?

Even Better

A couple of thoughts

Linux RSS

911