PCR1500 Windows 7 64bit Solution

[jyams]

Thanks to helpful posts here and at Icom, I have been able to get my PCR1500 to function in Windows 7 Home Premium 64. Here's what you do:

1. If you already have installed the USB drivers and software trying to get the 1500 to work, uninstall everything, especially the drivers. Unplug the USB connection from the PCR1500.
2. Go to Start/Accessories/SystemTools/Command Line Prompt. Right click "Command Line Prompt" and "Run as Administrator"
3. Run the bcdedit.exe commands from this Icom knowledge base article: knowledge base article. As the article states, the key is disabling the integrity checks for the drivers to load and run the USB port. It is important to run the bcdedit.exe command to disable integrity checks in a command prompt window so that you can see if it ran successfully. Again, follow the knowledge base article instructions carefully and it should work without any problems.
4. Reboot and notice that the "Test Mode" indicator shows in the lower right corner of the desktop screen indicating that you have successfully entered the test mode and that you can now load the USB drivers successfully.
5. Install the Vista PCR1500 drivers. When you download and extract version 2.10, there is a "drivers" folder, and "Vista" folder. There is a "setup" file in the "Vista" folder you can run to load the drivers.
6. Install PCR1500 version 2.10 (download from the Icom Support Site)
7. Plug in the USB cable from the PCR1500 and Run the PCR1500 program. Be sure to "run as administrator". At this point the software should recognize the com port (the port window should pop up and show you the com port where your 1500 is. Click "ok" to proceed) and load the program, and run the receiver.
8. Once again, go to the command prompt and "run as administrator". Again, follow the Icom instructions to "Enable_Integrity_Checks" and disengage the "test mode", then reboot. Once you have rebooted in the normal Windows 7 mode, the PCR1500 should now run normally recognizing the Com port. The "test mode" indicator in the lower right corner of the desktop should now be gone.

One tip: if you need to know what com port number or see if the USB drivers have loaded you can always go to the control panel/systems/device manager page. Check your "Com ports" and look for the proper designator for the 1500. Note the com port number. Mine usually loads to com port 4. I have yet to try running the PCR1500 through a USB hub. I have the USB cable plugged directly into my laptop. Another posts says it won't connect through a hub. I'm going to test that tonight and see if that's true. Also, be sure you setup up the software to "run as administrator" in Windows 7. You do that by right clicking on the PCR1500 icon, compatibility, and check the box "run as administrator". That might also make a difference in whether the program runs correctly or not.

After getting my new laptop, I installed, uninstalled, and reinstalled the program multiple times trying unsuccessfully to get the PCR1500 to work in Windows 7 before finally finding the knowledge base article referenced above. I searched and found the drivers in the windows/system32/drivers directory and made sure to delete them. After much frustration, bingo! Once you go back to a command prompt, re-enable integrity checks, and get out of the "test mode", PCR1500 should now work without having to go back into the test mode again. At least it does for me. The knowledge base article is sort of misleading at this point. It seems indicate that you can only run the PCR1500 in "test mode", but that's not true in my case. PCR1500 now runs fine in the regular Windows 7 mode. The key is getting the USB drivers to install correctly in the "test mode" described in the knowledge base article. Once that happens, the program will find the USB com port and work. Can't tell you how rewarding it was to get this to work on my new laptop. Once again, I am enjoying my PCR1500. Thought I was going to have to sell this fine receiver but now get to keep it and use again!!

Hope you are able to get your PCR1500 working in Windows 7 as I have. Hope this post helps you to do so. Don't give up!!

 

[NE1C4NSC4N]

You think a big company like ICOM would just release a patch for all of this, this might be easy for you or me, but some of the less computer savy people wont see it that way

 

[ka3jjz]

This is detail that belongs in the wiki. This question will, no doubt, come up again. Nice job, jy

73 Mike

 

[jyams]

Follow-up Info

I also tried a connection through my USB hub tonight and it worked, no problem. Further details are that PCR1500 software runs in compatibility mode as "Windows XP SP3" and "Run as Administrator". I've shut down my laptop numerous times and rebooted. Each time PCR1500 works without any hiccups.

Now, I am not a Windows 7 expert, or a PC expert. I just did some research and tried some things and got it to work. You have to trust yourself to use the command line to run the .exe files that Icom instructs in the service memo. But, if you do it just like they say, you don't harm anything.

I hope these instructions help alot of PCR1500 users. It took me about 4 hours of trial and error to get this working. So, if I have saved others some time and frustration it was worth it. I almost gave up, but took one more step and got it to work.

 

[ka3jjz]

jy, one question - you mentioned having to execute this using 'run as administrator', which I think would be just as applicable to Vista as Win7. However, did you install the drivers as an administrator? I would think you would have to, but I'm not up on Win7....73 Mike

 

[jyams]

Well, I never was a Vista user. However, in Windows 7 64bit, when you invoke the command line accessory by "run as administrator" and run the bcdedit.exe (with appropriate switches as described in the Icom instructions) executable and reboot, the "integrity checks" feature of Windows 7 is disabled. This allowed me as a user with administrative rights on my laptop to install the drivers for the USB port without win7 having to do an integrity check. I did NOT have to do this under the "run as administrator". Once you get the drivers installed with the "integrity checks" disabled, you need to install the PCR1500 software. Once installed, the "properties" of the PCR1500 icon should be changed to run in Win XP Service Pack 3 mode with the "run as administrator" box checked. I believe this sequence has to be followed to make everything work properly.

Long answer to your question, but that's the only way I know how to describe the process in Win 7.

I have a Drake R8B that I use an old Windows 95 program called Smart R8 Control (by Fineware) to set the memories on. It worked in XP fine. It has an old serial port that requires a USB to Serial converter, which worked well on my XP box. I'm going to use the same process I used to install the PCR1500 to install the driver for the USB to Serial converter and see if I can't get the Smart R8 program to work in the same way. In theory it should work. Windows 7 does have a Windows 95 compatibility mode as well. Will let you know. It's one way to learn the quirks of Windows 7 by tinkering in this way.

 

[ka3jjz]

OK thanks.

Here is the wiki article, the details of which were culled from your postings..

Running the PCR1500 in Windows7 - The RadioReference Wiki

Now if someone several weeks or months from now asks the same question, they can be pointed here

73 Mike

 

[updatelee]

Great investigative work! I have been holding off upgrading my xp box due to this issue. I have a 1500 and 2500

thank you
UDL

 

[jyams]

1500 still working great in Win 7 after about a month of using.

 

[Air490]

I finally gave this a run tonight, and after some fiddling, got it to work. I found in the end that I needed to let Win 7 update the driver software (which then made it Com12) and it worked find.

 

[Wolfke]

@ Jyams : Hi, My name is Patrick and I'm from Belgium, I'm having the same problem with my PCR1500.
But when I thried to access the KB article is seem to be disappeared, it doesn't exist anymore, do you perhaps have a copy of it and also a copy of the bcedit.exe programs, if yes is it possible to send it to me.

Thanks in advance.

 

[ta3as]

@ Jyams : Hi, My name is Patrick and I'm from Belgium, I'm having the same problem with my PCR1500.
But when I thried to access the KB article is seem to be disappeared, it doesn't exist anymore, do you perhaps have a copy of it and also a copy of the bcedit.exe programs, if yes is it possible to send it to me.

Thanks in advance.

Hi Patrick,
I attached a copy of article. You are right. Icom removed it I think.

Regards,


TA3AS

 

[Wolfke]

Thanks for the fast reply, it works now.


Patrick
Belgium

 

[richrock13]

PRC1500 on Windows 7

First off thank you for putting out this information. I have followed all the directions but I cannot get it to work. When I start the PRC1500 software the port window comes up but it does not show it ports to choose from. I do see that the drive does start running on COM4 when I plug the USB cable from the PRC1500 into the system. I'm running Windows 7 Pro 64bit. I've tried plugging in the USB to a hub and straight into the system with the same results. If anybody has any ideas I would really appreciate it.

Sgt. Rock
SoCal

 

[Wolfke]

I had the same problem, but I think you are almost there, you just have to renew the driver for the com port too, it doesn't seem to do that automaticaly, you have to install the driver manually. you can do it just like that, you don't need to run it as an administrator.

When everything is allright you should have 4 different drivers like in file 1, if not you will only have 3 of the 4, the 210 UART composite will not show itself, and when you look at the hardware ID of the com port it will show itself with the marked 2901 as in file 2. To replace the com port driver with the right one, just rightclick on the comport, choose update driver, choose manually, point to the slabbus.inf file in the WinVista map and when you are done you will see that you now have cp210 UART drivers also installed in both the com ports en USB controllers and when you look at the hardware ID of the com port it will now show as 0100 instead of 2901 and you now also wil be able to view and select the right port when you start up the PCR application.

I hope this helps