Windows 10 compatibility for GR, DeLorme?

[Chris Kridler]

Hi, all. I've managed to avoid the nefarious Windows 10 upgrade so far on the laptop I use almost exclusively for mobile chasing, but since the dust has settled and the free upgrade is about to expire, I wondered what your experiences are with Windows 10 and popular chasing software. I'm running GR Level III and StreetAtlas by DeLorme, along with Franson GPSgate. Is anyone running these with Windows 10? Any issues?

Thanks,
Chris

 

[Mark Blue]

If you use any version other than Delorme 2015 with Windows 10 it isn't a good combination. As far as GRLX products go, as long as you are using version 2 it should be fine. The upgrade process can break other functioning products no matter how you go about it, but once on Windows 10 you can uninstall and reinstall to resolve the issue. If I had to do it all over again I'd still be on Windows 7. After having the Windows 10 upgrade run unbeknownst to me I decided to buy a new laptop as it didn't turn out too well, but it was time anyway. Going this route (not upgrading) allows one to preserve your existing laptop while getting a new one with a current OS installed to run the latest and greatest programs.

I forgot to mention that GPSGate works fine for me on Windows 10. In fact, their version number 2.6 hasn't changed in several years, and the license I purchased in early 2009 worked just fine when I installed it on my new Windows 10 laptop. My opinion is don't upgrade from 7 to 10 in case I haven't made myself clear, which happens according to my wife! I believe Windows 7 was at the top of the list for best all time OS's made by Microsoft.


Sent from my iPad using Stormtrack mobile app

 

[JohnHuntington]

I'm running all three of those programs on W10 with no problem.

I'm still looking to move on from Delorme Street Atlas but haven't found a good solution. I messed around with this but didn't get it to work and ran out of time.
http://www.nicknoltewx.com/blog/2016/04/08/gps-and-maps-apps-from-the-windows-store/

John

 

[James Wilson]

I changed laptops for this chase season and it has Windows 10 on it ... I have had zero problems with GRLevel3, Franson GpsGate, SN or Streets and Trips.

 

[Ben Holcomb]

Windows 10 is great. The only problem you'll have is if you're still using the BU353 puck, the driver is broken. The BU353-S4 is not affected. GR2/GR3, S&T, etc. still work without a problem.

 

[Glen Heinz]

GR 3/3.2/2/2AE and GRearth all run fine on windows 10 for me. But you will have to reinstall the products if your doing the upgrade.

 

[Jane Herbert]

Have had to upgrade to a Windows 10 laptop (sigh) - have to install com ports as this laptop doesn't have them (checked in show hidden) however am having problems doing even that. Anyone had a problem installing com ports with Windows 10 who might be able to help?

I tried to add a comport via Legacy hardware in Device Manager and get this message if I install a com port "Windows cannot determine the settings for this device. Consult the documentation that came with this device and use the Resource tab to set the configuration. (Code 34)"....driver date is 21/06/2006 and it tells me that it's up to date. Would the problem be that BIOS isnt set to accept com ports? If so how can I change the setting..

Feeling stupid for the first time in ages


A Million TIA!!!!

 

[Mark Blue]

COM ports are generally installed by whatever software package(s) you're working with, such as GRLX, GPSGate, GPS puck software, mapping, etc. If you create a COM Port in Device Manager without knowing what signal you're trying to route where, it could become convoluted rather quickly. Not to mention baud rates and the other manual settings you'd be tinkering with.

Is there a particular group of software packages you're working with that would help determine a suitable starting point? In other words, what was installed on your previous Windows install that relates to the COM ports you have or need on Windows 10?

 

[Jane Herbert]

Mark, This is a brand new laptop.
I have Streets and Trips 2013 installed and also GR3 latest update, Have GPSGate loaded and ready to go but it cant find a GPS because there is no com port on the laptop....tried installing the com port with the GPS attached...the computer is aware that something is plugged in and unplugged as the screen flashes if I plug it in or unplug it but thats as far as it goes.....thanks foryour help!

 

[Mark Blue]

What I think is going on is the drivers for your puck haven't been installed but that's just a guess. What GPS puck are you using?

 

[J Tyler]

Windows 10 is great. The only problem you'll have is if you're still using the BU353 puck, the driver is broken. The BU353-S4 is not affected. GR2/GR3, S&T, etc. still work without a problem.

Thanks to Ben for bringing this to my attention! This would have gotten me....I did find some interesting info from Globalsat on the BU353:
----------
Unfortunately, the specific USB to Serial IC chip that is in the BU-353 (PL2303 HXA) is sourced from a 3rd party company, Prolific, and they have announced that there will be no Windows 8, 8.1 or 10 support/drivers for that HXA version of the USB to Serial IC. Basically, this is something that's outside of our control.
----------

Now, they have figured out a "workaround" for anyone who is interested:
http://usglobalsat.com/forum/index.php?topic=4464.0

I'm spending the $30 and buying the new version 4. Fighting with a driver for my GPS puck? Ain't nobody got time for that!

 

[Dan Robinson]

My 5-year old chase laptop died this month, so I'm having to now wrestle with Windows 10 issues to get everything running on the new one. I had to buy the new BU-353-S4 gps puck to get it to work in GPSGate. Everything is now working in WxWorx/Threat Net and GRLevel3. My Street Atlas, however, has not been able to see the GPS on any of the GPSGate ports. I have tried both the Generic NMEA and the Garmin emulator settings, and restarted the application after every change. Has anyone run into this problem?

 

[Mark Blue]

What a terrible time for your chase laptop to bite it. There are settings in Street Atlas (SA) where you could try the direct connect option and bypass GPSGate altogether. You could also look at the output tab in GPSGate and then select one of the available/open virtual ports to match in the SA GPS settings.

Last thing to try is simply open GPSGate from the system tray, invoke the wizard, then cancel out of it and close the app down. This little trick has saved me many a headache in the past and seems to be the only way to wake the app up.

 

[Dan Robinson]

OK, I figured out the problem. Street Atlas doesn't auto-start the GPS, you have to manually start it or go into the settings and check "start GPS with program". In the meantime the status indicator shows "no gps" as if it isn't seeing it at all.

So far, that brings my setup back up to par.