BCD436HP/BCD536HP: 436 computer install

[Nozzleman71]

Hello all hoping someone can help me. I recently purchased my father a 436. We tried to plug it into his windows computer and it will not recognize it. I was able to program it for him off my laptop but for him to regular updates from uniden I am trying to get it on his computer. When I plug it in on my laptop it recognizes it but that maybe cause I have the sentinel software on there already. When I got my 436 all I had to do was plug it in and it downloaded the sentinel. His wont do that. Any suggestions on what I am doing wrong ? Anybody else had similar trouble. Sorry if this is simple fix but im an amateur. Thanks

 

[fxdscon]

Download Sentinel from this link:

BCDx36HPSentinel < UnidenMan4 < TWiki

info.uniden.com

 

[RandyKuff]

Also if you can look in the device manager with the scanner plugged in... Does it show an unknown device under USB...
If so try updating the driver for it...

 

[Nozzleman71]

I will try both of these. Thanks The message that comes up on the screen is it gives two options (on windows 10 ) it gives the option of bcdx36hp and set up. when you click on set up it gives two options and when clicking on intsall the message reads Installer package could not be opened contact application vendor to verify that this is a valid windows installer package. The other option is EXE file or directory is corrupt and unreadable. I hope this is not a bad radio as we purchased it brand new.

 

[RandyKuff]

The only thing the scanner should do when plugged into the computer is prompt you to press the "E" key to put it into mass storage mode...
If you don't press the "E" key, after about 10 sec it will go into "Serial Mode"...
Sentinel does not need to be loaded yet to do this... It makes the scanner look like an external "SD Card" reader for the SD Card in the scanner...

That's why I said to look in the "Device Manager" and see if it shows up as unknown when plugged into the computer...

Windows should load a generic driver for it though... But you should use the one I posted in #3...

 

[fxdscon]

I will try both of these. Thanks The message that comes up on the screen is it gives two options (on windows 10 ) it gives the option of bcdx36hp and set up. when you click on set up it gives two options and when clicking on intsall the message reads Installer package could not be opened contact application vendor to verify that this is a valid windows installer package. The other option is EXE file or directory is corrupt and unreadable. I hope this is not a bad radio as we purchased it brand new.

Which of the above 2 downloads are you referring to here? Did you un-zip the file first?

 

[sfb88]

I wonder if it might help to get a new SD card and prepare it from Sentinel on your laptop and try it in the 436. The error messages sound like it could be trying to install Sentinel from the scanner, like yours did but running into problems with the install.

 

[Nozzleman71]

Which of the above 2 downloads are you referring to here? Did you un-zip the file first?

There was nothing on the zip file when I tried to open it. I am trying the link you sent also.

 

[fxdscon]

There was nothing on the zip file when I tried to open it. I am trying the link you sent also.

-
The download in post #3 contains a sub folder (uniden_usbser), and that sub folder contains 2 files (uniden_usbser.cat), and (uniden_usbser.inf).
That download is the Uniden serial driver for the scanner.

The download in my post #2 contains the installation files for the Sentinel software program that you need to install on your computer.
And again, be certain you un-zip (extract) those downloads before trying to use them.

As mentioned above, neither of those downloads are needed for your computer to just recognize the scanner when connected with the USB cable. When you connect the cable to your scanner and computer and turn on the scanner, the scanner screen should prompt you to choose the "Mass Storage" mode, or the "Serial" mode. If that isn't happening, you need to sort that out first... try a different USB cable etc.

 

[Nozzleman71]

This is what shows when I open sub folder.

 

[ProScan]

This is what shows when I open sub folder.

That's for if using the Scanner in Serial Port mode. You don't have to mess with that driver. Sentinel does not use the scanner Serial Port mode. You want to put the scanner in "Mass Storage" mode. When you power on the scanner or re-insert the USB cable, you should see a prompt like below. If you do not get the prompt then the problem is between the scanner USB port to the computer USB port. Ensure the USB cable is connected to the computer that is or is going to run Sentinel. Sentinel does not need to be running or installed at this point.

USB Cable Detected
Select USB Mode
Mass Storage ="E"

 

[fxdscon]

This is what shows when I open sub folder.

From that image in your post #10, it looks like you may be using a MAC computer. Sentinel won't run natively on a MAC.

 

[MoeTrain]

I got my radio this week and had the same issue (win8.1). Plug radio into computer, put it into mass storage mode just like the directions say, open folder and select the setup file. Got the same warning that it was a corrupt file. My fix was to do a bunch of digging on the internet, found the sentinel file linked in #2 and used that to install. Has been working with my radio since then.

I will try both of these. Thanks The message that comes up on the screen is it gives two options (on windows 10 ) it gives the option of bcdx36hp and set up. when you click on set up it gives two options and when clicking on intsall the message reads Installer package could not be opened contact application vendor to verify that this is a valid windows installer package. The other option is EXE file or directory is corrupt and unreadable. I hope this is not a bad radio as we purchased it brand new.