trouble with USB drivers...

[istoo]

just downloaded vagCOM 805 complete bundle with USB drivers to compliment the usb cable i have bought, its a copy but as i understand a good copy, how true that is i dont know.

However, laptop is XP64, which i did check before buying vagcom i believe vagcom supports XP64, and certainly has the drivers. I have tried to download the diagnostics assuming its USB therefore HEX/KEY type? The cable bought is a VW/AUDI CAN BUS USB CABLE 607.3. But the installation file is a bundle so assume its all inclusive. However when i plug in the cable it recognizes the USB device but just will not recognize the drivers at all, i also tried this on an XP pro machine with the same results. Very odd...

any advise on what might be the issue?

Meantime i have virtual machine on here as well so i can roll back to 2000 if i have too. I have access to a 2000 machine as well which i will try on monday just to see if the cable is recognised. spec wise all machines are more than capable as the are all workstations (laptop included) tried disabling the virus scanner (AVG) no joy either. suggestions on a postcard. fustrating as the more i read on vagcom the more interested i get!

 

[bearthebruce]

805 will only run on Genuine Ross-Tech interfaces. The cable you bought is an illegal copy.

 

[istoo]

Thank you for the prompt but somewhat abrupt reply. I was under the impression (from roaming many forums) that there was a shareware/ free version for home mechanics like myself to check out our VAG cars. If i have misinterpreted this then i apologize. You can never get an idea of tone from the internet/forum replies, if a ross-tech cable is what i need then i will get one, a bit of courtesy doesn't go amiss.

 

[dansansome]

bearthebruce is one of the ross-tech guys who understandably get irritated when their kit is ripped off.

you could try downloading a shareware version of 409.1 from the ross-tech website. you may have more luck getting this to work with your cable

most "third party" interfaces will work with this version.

 

[istoo]

i appreciate the reply, I obviously knew the cable was cheaper and a copy when i bought, however didnt know i was buying ripped off/ illegal kit, i was under the impression it was a cheaper cable and if i want to go full wizzy bangy then i buy the full rosstech cable with all the toys. thanks for extending me the courtesy of at least informing me, knowledge sharing is what i come here for.

 

[dansansome]

AFAIK, the ross-tech guys tolerate the cloning of their non-canbus cables, and for that reason offer the shareware version of the older software versions. you can buy a license to go with an ebay cable for £50 which then offers full functionality of the software.

 

[Sebastian]

To give some more insight here, one has to differentiate between old style 3rd party hardware and pirated copies which claim to work with version newer than 504.

Old style hardware was nothing special, it is a simply signal converted which can be home made if you have some skill and knowledge about electronics. Of course even with such "simple" circuits there can be a difference in quality when it comes to the layout and the individual components.

New style hardware, or how we call them modern interfaces, uses a more dedicated circuit including a micro processor which runs an own software/firmware. This firmware has been created by us and/or our associated and is therefor copyright protected etc. Every interface hardware compatible with version 504 or newer has to support a specific protocol (command set) which is part of that firmware, therefor every interface which does work with version 504 or newer is using that firmware and if it is not made or sold by us there is no plausible explanation other than it being a non-authorized copy which is illegal. Last but not least every interface has a unique serial number which makes modern interfaces able to fully activate the software, obviously that serial number is part of an anti-piracy mechanism and therefor is reproduction etc. not legitimate either.

As Bruce already pointed out, your setup appears to be an illegal copy which is partly proven by the fact that it doesn't work with current/future versions of the software. We have never sold systems by advertising them with specific version numbers - especially not outdated ones.

The free but limited shareware version will work fine with old style hardware.

I hope this clears things a little, let me know if you have further questions.

 

[istoo]

Sebastian thats the answer i was looking for thank you. i just want to plug my car in simple as that, i am not after the new 8** version i was unaware of the differences. So i understand the originally short answer. I dont want access to things i can screw up i am an amateur mechanic (at best) with a series of Audis, i just want to do basic dianostics, reset service lights, read codes... of which the 409 software will do me more than fine for me. apolgies in haste i just assumed it would work out of the box and didn't realize that there were subtle differences. I can fully understand you wishing to protect your investment.

Hopwever, this still leaves me with the original issue. The issue i have is the USB drivers will not install, i have tried this on 8 different machines, from XP 64, vista, 2000 etc so its not machine specific. the cable is picked up when inserted which would imply the machine acknowledges an input. perhaps a dead cable? will try it on a multimeter tonight. asking for the drivers doesn't let it install that simple, i dont get the non certified driver stage, the previous step is as far as i get on ALL MS os's i have even tried virtual machine so its definitely not OS.

Either my copy/illegal cable has a firmware lock on it or its just a dud cable. thats all i can assume. if the first option, i can send it back for a refund and take a lottery chance on ebay or pay the large fee for an amateur mechanic to do basic which you can imagine i would find very hard to justify.

i do think the ross-tech material is great and as a long term Audi man i would like to get familair with it, if not help as a C+ user hence my somewhat disheartened second reply.

However, two thanks in one thread... appreciated

 

[Sebastian]

As I tried to explain between the lines, we did of course implement some countermeasures which can manifest themselves in several ways. Since you got fooled obviously and claim not to have done this intentionally, just send it back to the seller and ask for your money back or a working/legitimate replacement. If you get a replacement we will happily check its legitimacy to make sure you got what you paid for.

Since you want to do service reset and such there is no way around a software license anyway, sure you can go with an ebay/3rd party interface and the old version but something many people forget is that we have made numerous changes and additions to the newer versions from which not just newer models profit. As example, a couple of days ago we updates some documentation for the old Audi A6 (4B).

 

[istoo]

i understand your skepticism and will continue to bite my tongue, but with many of the forums i was advised the cable i bought was the one to get. OK reading between the lines my cable is locked as i understand its the dongle. Fair enough.

But you advising be to get a cheap and nasty on off ebay! I have never bought anything off ebay as i just don't trust it at all, however this does seem completely illogical to me but i will take your advice and see what happens thereafter. if it also fails i will certainly send it to you to check its validity...

i just want to play with it, nothing serious, my mechanical skills are fairly limited anyway but moving from series 3,4 coupe quattros with blink codes to the newer Audi's, i would like to understand how it all works. reset service light, check brake sensors, i am almost tempted to throw in the towel, the older cars were better built without any of this nonsense, distrust and people are willing to help others out, this is what is frustrating me and you'll obviously forgive me for thinking so. why cant things be simple anymore...

 

[bearthebruce]

There is very little in this world that is simple. When it comes to cars, we demand energy efficiency, stability, creature comforts and so on which simply were not available in the old days. As the oldest member of Ross-Tech, I too long for cars that I knew how to repair. Being part of the technology revolution that I have lived, I know we cannot go back there. Oh we can argue that the good old days were better - but were they really?

Enough with the philosophical dialog. If you really want to repair your cars, then you really should consider getting the product from the people who developed the best VW/Audi tool in the aftermarket. Buying the other products may give you results. But as you have already learned, it may not.

Ross-Tech will stand behind the product we ship, will assist you when you have troubles with the car - not just with the software - and will be there when you need help. What's that worth in this day and age?

 

[istoo]

Food for thought for sure, the cable has been packaged up and DHL'ed back to source for a full refund. Where do i go from here, not sure, maybe a fault code reader but i will have to ask those in the know to look our for a genuine cable via ebay or through the clubs/ forums.

Were the old cars better, thats an enormous rhetorical topic in its own right. but for the record i think they were better engineered relative to available technology.

The philosophical dialogue was purposeful as i felt i needed to my make my own personal position clear, which by the current responses, i have achieved. And thank you for continuing to spell it out in black and white for me, and hopefully anyone else who does the same as me.

Meantime? Go to the garage and pay through the nose to reset a light which i know is wrong, or find an enthusiast nearby who has a legit cable, buy my own legit cable? well the exchange rate at the moment is favourable but its still honestly expensive for the amateur, maybe club together with a few of the local audi nuts, there is a possibility...

Partly my nature for treating ross-tech like the local friendly mechanic, i like to know who i buy from.

 

[Issac Hunt]

Buy a a genuine cable. I messed about with ebay versions for a while to explore what VAG-COM could do.

Upgrading to the latest HEX USB+CAN was a good decision IMO. You can always check codes etc yourself - saving a fortune on dealer labour rates. As Sebastian says, Support from Ross-tech with whatever problem you may be having is top notch.

(I dont work for them! - I just like to recommend a quality product when I find one)