Windows Software (Exar PCI UART)
Supports Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003
SWP-700010103 rev B
Version: v2.0.0.18640
Copyright (c), RTD Embedded Technologies, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Using this software indicates acceptance of the RTD End-User Software
License Agreement. See the file LICENSE.TXT.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Installing the Software
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Windows Software (Exar PCI UART) comes packaged as a ZIP file. To
install the software, simply unzip/extract to the location of your choice.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Installing the Drivers
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This board actually uses a set of drivers for its functionality. There is
a driver for the overall Exar PCI UART, and also a seperate driver for the COM
ports that the board provides. The COM port driver will be installed/used
multiple times, once for each COM port provided by the UART. The COM ports that
are created will start their numbering at COM 3. If installing this driver for
multiple boards, the ports from subsequent boards will begin their numbering
where the previous board left off.
To install the drivers follow the installation directions below for the
particular Windows version you are using.
**NOTE**: If the board you are installing includes an iTrax GPS Module, a
mouse may be automatically installed after the last COM port. This may cause
your mouse to behave irratically. This is a mistake by Windows, which thinks
the GPS data is mouse data. To temporarily fix the problem, go to the device
manager and remove or disable the newly added mouse. To permanantly fix the
problem, see Microsoft Knowledge Base article number 283063 'Serial Device May
Be Detected as a Serial mouse in Windows'.
Windows 2000
------------
When booting Windows the first time after installing the new hardware,
Windows will detect the hardware (it will show up as a PCI Serial Port) and
start the "Found New Hardware Wizard". Click 'Next'. Select 'Search for a
suitable driver for my device.' Click 'Next'. Select ONLY the 'Specify a
location' checkbox. Click 'Next'. When a dialog pops up, click 'Browse...'.
Browse to the 'Driver' directory (there should be two INF files there), located
under the directory that you unzipped/installed the software to. Click 'Open'.
Click 'Ok'. Then click 'Next'. Click 'Finish' to close the wizard.
This has installed the overall driver for the UART. Windows will now start
another wizard to install the board's first COM port (it will show up as a
Multifunction Device). Follow the same procedure as before to install the
port's driver. When that is finished, Windows will automatically install the
board's remaining COM ports for you.
Windows XP
----------
When booting Windows the first time after installing the new hardware,
Windows will detect the hardware (it will show up as a PCI Serial Port) and
start the "Found New Hardware Wizard". Select 'No, not this time'. Click
'Next'. Select 'Install from a list or specific location'. Click 'Next'. Select
the 'Search for the best driver in these locations'. Also select 'Include this
location in the search'. Click 'Browse'. Browse to the 'Driver' directory
(there should be two INF files there), located under the directory that you
unzipped/installed the software to. Click 'Ok'. Then click 'Next'. If a warning
dialog pops up click 'Continue Anyway' to continue. Click 'Finish' to close the
wizard.
This has installed the overall driver for the UART. Windows will now start
another wizard to install the board's first COM port (it will show up as a
Multifunction Device). Follow the same procedure as before to install the first
port's driver.
To install the rest of the COM ports do the following for each:
Select 'No, not this time'. Click 'Next'. Select 'Install the software
automatically'. Click 'Next'. If a warning dialog pops up click 'Continue
Anyway' to continue. Click 'Finish' to close the wizard.
Windows Server 2003
-------------------
When booting Windows the first time after installing the new hardware,
Windows will detect the hardware (it will show up as a PCI Serial Port) and
start the "Found New Hardware Wizard". Select 'Install from a list or specific
location'. Click 'Next'. Select the 'Search for the best driver in these
locations'. Also select 'Include this location in the search'. Click 'Browse'.
Browse to the 'Driver' directory (there should be two INF files there), located
under the directory that you unzipped/installed the software to. Click 'Ok'.
Then click 'Next'. If a warning dialog pops up click'Continue Anyway' to
continue. Click 'Finish' to close the wizard.
This has installed the overall driver for the UART. Windows will now start
another wizard to install the board's first COM port (it will show up as a
Multifunction Device). Follow the same procedure as before to install the first
port's driver.
To install the rest of the COM ports do the following for each:
Select 'Install the software automatically'. Click 'Next'. If a warning dialog
pops up click 'Continue Anyway' to continue. Click 'Finish' to close the
wizard.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Known Limitations
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
- The COM ports created by this driver are not identical to standard serial
ports in regards to their Device Manager Properties. This driver's COM ports do
not have a 'Port Settings' tab in their Properties. This also means that this
driver's COM ports cannot be renamed/reassigned to a different COM number.
- Starting with version 2.0.0, the ports provided by this driver are
numbered beginning at COM 3 (previously the ports began at COM 5). If the
system already has port numbers greater than or equal to three, they will
conflict with the ports created by this driver. However, Windows allows you to
rename standard ports to different COM numbers. To change a COM port's number,
first open Device Manager and open the properties of the port to be renamed.
Then go to the 'Port Settings' tab and click the 'Advanced ...' button. A new
window appears that lets you select an unused number for the COM port.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Getting Technical Support
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you require additional support with this product, or any other products
from RTD Embedded Technologies, contact us using the information below:
RTD Embedded Technologies, Inc.
103 Innovation Blvd.
State College, PA 16803 USA
Telephone: (814) 234-8087
Fax: (814) 234-5218
Sales Information and Quotes: sales@rtd.com
Technical Assistance: techsupport@rtd.com
Web Site: http://www.rtd.com
Download Driver Pack
After your driver has been downloaded, follow these simple steps to install it.
Expand the archive file (if the download file is in zip or rar format).
If the expanded file has an .exe extension, double click it and follow the installation instructions.
Otherwise, open Device Manager by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting Device Manager.
Find the device and model you want to update in the device list.
Double-click on it to open the Properties dialog box.
From the Properties dialog box, select the Driver tab.
Click the Update Driver button, then follow the instructions.
Very important: You must reboot your system to ensure that any driver updates have taken effect.
For more help, visit our Driver Support section for step-by-step videos on how to install drivers for every file type.