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🔌General Home Automation => Automating Your House => Troubleshooting Automation Problems => Topic started by: rpguy4 on January 28, 2008, 06:05:36 PM

Title: CM11A No longer communicating after Windows XP Business upgrade
Post by: rpguy4 on January 28, 2008, 06:05:36 PM

Hello,

Yes, I am newbie here, and I am needing some expertise with troubleshooting
my PC's COMM1 connection to the CM11A controller.

I formatted and reloaded Windows XP Business on to my Sony Vaio
over the weekend, and now after I have reinstalled the ActiveHome
version 1.31 back onto my PC. The software no longer can communicate
with the CM11A controller. I upgraded from XP Home to XP Business.

I have read through all of X10's help documents, and I am having no luck
with getting the ActiveHome Software to work.

Here is the error message I am getting:
The communications driver has failed to load
Please ensure that x10comm.vxd is present in your
working directory.

Prior to getting this message, and after I have reinstalled
the software I do get a message that says.
Powerline communications has been installed successfully.

I have used the COMTEST utility to verify comm1 is working,
that the cable from my serial port is talking to the CM11A
I can use my remote to turn off/on my X10 devices, and I
see the codes being sent and ack from those devices.
So I am fairly certain that I have every thing connected properly
and I have NO bad hardware or cables, etc.

I did remove the PALM-PDA software that I had loaded on the PC,
and reinstalled ActiveHome, no luck. I do not have any other
PDA software loaded on this PC. There physically
is only (1) DB9 serial port, and it is assigned to comm1.
No..I do not have any APC-Powerchute software installed
either.

I checked Windows Device Manager, and I have no yellow
! points marking devices as having a problem. All my hardware
appears to be working properly.

I mean if the COMTEST utility is working, I am figuring
there is a DLL or something that needs to get removed
or updated. Some issue with XP

Thank you

Brian

Title: Re: CM11A No longer communicating after Windows XP Business upgrade
Post by: rpguy4 on January 28, 2008, 07:53:46 PM

Problem fixed. Upgraded to ActiveHome 1.4.2 after uninstalling my old PALM-PDA software.
Version 1.4.2 does not allow you to change COMM ports once it is installed.
During 1.4.2 installation you can manually set the COMM port.
Thanks