Microsoft update disables clones of the FTDI USB serial chip

[VK5PJ]

Hi,
I ran my customary windows updates in the morning before starting a 144MHz meteor scatter sked on Saturday, the PC asked for a reboot, so thought I would get it out of the way and did the reboot.

When the PC came back all of my attached serial interfaces were gone and the driver would not load to bring them back on line.

It seems that Microsoft have release an update that sits in the guise of driver updates for FTDI serial devices, while it may be good for a genuine FTDI USB to serial converter, if you have clones of the proper chip then it makes your windows install refuse to load the needed drivers.

Arggggghhhh is some thing similar to what I said, I had no idea my radio interfaces used the cloned chip and not the real one.

Please be aware if you have a USB to serial converter and it is based around a FTDI chip then it may be Russian Roulette as to whether you still have a serial port after some of the Windows Updates. The Arduino community is abuzz with this stuff as some of the popular Micro's have been supplied with cables using the cloned FTDI chip.

Regards,

[VK6DVR]

Hi Peter,

I have requested this following epitaph be enscribed on my tombstone:

Bill Gates sent me here!

Danny, VK6DVR

[VK5ACY]

I guess I will have lost function in some of my gear too....probably any/most EBAY...

It's likely that 'real' FTDI chips could be (maybe !) installed on your now deaded interfaces so you could keep them going.

The maybe ! relates to SMD/soldering requirements.

[VK2AVR]

this is a bugger of a thing, I swore of Prolific when they poisoned their driver a couple of years back to stop the fakes from working.

What do now? Can't really avoid Prolific and FTDI I'll have no serial at all then

I think driver poisoning is reprehensible because it pushes the burden of dealing with fakes onto the consumer. But the chip manufacturers are damned if they don't as well because the market gets flooded with inferior quality chips and the real manufacturer gets undercut and goes out of business. So I guess it's just a case of "buyer beware", if you buy cheap rubbish on ebay you are gonna have a bad time.

Personally I bought a USB to serial converter from a reputable shop and if I need any cheap ebay radio interface cables I always buy an RS232 version that way there are no driver issues, it's just a dumb cable that either works or doesn't. Plug that into a known good converter and you're in business

[VK5TM]

There is a way back.

Do a search for 'fake prolific driver'.

Here is one:

https://sites.google.com/site/g0ftdradi ... usb-driver

[VK2AVR]

There's a better way, return the fake device to the sender and demand your money back. Otherwise you just facilitate cheap knockoffs.

[VK4FP]

I just installed to old driver and didn't allow Microshaft to update the driver...
de Lloyd VK4FP.

[VK4KL]

I have 2 FTDI USB to Serial adapters and neither work now. These were not eBay specials I bought them from Jaycar a couple of years ago to drive my telescopes

Adrian

[VK3YE]

If it gives anyone whose had these problems some solace, enjoy this rant from Dave Jones!

[VK4TI]

If it gives anyone whose had these problems some solace, enjoy this rant from Dave Jones!

Lots of valid points but most don't need more than one or two repetitions

can I have my 20 minutes back now ?

[VK4KL]

Does this mean, after reading the letter from FTDI, that they are going to release update to fix the problem they caused? Or are we expected to go and buy new usb to serial adapters?
I can no longer use HRD to control my TS480, arggghh no what's the world coming to have to use my radio the old fashioned way and twiddle knobs

Adrian

Ps I tried to roll back the drivers and it didn't work

[VK5PJ]

Hi Adrian,
if you have been using windows for a while now and possibly remember the old way to load drivers (no wiz-bang wizards) then it is possible to force the driver to load.

Does this mean, after reading the letter from FTDI, that they are going to release update to fix the problem they caused? Or are we expected to go and buy new usb to serial adapters?
I can no longer use HRD to control my TS480, arggghh no what's the world coming to have to use my radio the old fashioned way and twiddle knobs
Adrian
Ps I tried to roll back the drivers and it didn't work

I have managed to get my 3 interface boxes back and working by going through a multi step procedure to load the driver through the old method (Have Disk?) that is available in windows if you are prepared to dig. To be honest if its just a serial converter I would go and buy and new one, getting my rig interfaces back working was a matter of pride for me.

Regards,
Peter, vk5pj

[VK4KL]

Managed to get my USB to serial devices working again
Uninstalled devices and drivers then reinstalled with the have disk option

Adrian

[VK4TI]

Managed to get my USB to serial devices working again
Uninstalled devices and drivers then reinstalled with the have disk option

Adrian

F8 safe , then delete the drivers and install prepared from a directory readied earlier then change the properties to avoid the mistake

[VK5PJ]

Hi,
there appears to be several way to un brick the FTDI serial chips

A YouTube video is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZH_qGautqM which uses a utility from the FTDI web site
which you can find (utility) here: http://www.ftdichip.com/Support/Utilities.htm#MProg

The utility can scan the USB devices looking for devices and be used to re-write the device ID.

I have recently used a method under Linux to do this which is detailed here: http://www.m0yom.co.uk/ftdi-serial-killer-quite/ Used a LIVE CD to boot my PC as Linux and was able to get this to work for me, took a bit of fiddling but works.

[VK6OX]

Hmm, I seem to have a similar problem with my Prolific USB-serial converter, or more importantly, the driver.
When used to monitor my 10MHz GPSDO via Tboltmon it works fine! But when I connect to my TS2000 via the Ozi-Data interface (kit from MNCARG) it acts strangely!
The USB-serial converter is required simply to provide PTT control to the ACC2 socket on the rig.
This works fine with such digi-modes as WSPR, JT65 etc. BUT....every 60secs (exactly) the PTT line is activated in 6 short bursts, similar to when the rig or PC is 1st turned on. This happens regardless of whether a digi-mode program is running or not! It's got me flummoxed!

Everything used to work fine without this silly issue with a Vista laptop, which has now gone to God. My new laptop is a Toshiba running Windows 10.
I've tried to install an earlier Prolific driver but without success.
Any ideas anyone? (I don't really want to revert to an earlier Windows version because in all other respects, everything is working fine.)

[VK3LU]

Have a look at owenduffy.net
Scroll down the list of articles and find the one about USB to CI-V interfaces.

Cheers
Nev

[VK3ZAZ]

Using RT software to update all radios to talk to all radios running data modes on windows ten no issues.
I don't use chirp and although RT are expensive they are genuine.
I guess I got lucky.

[VK4WDM]

If you tech savvy guys have trouble with updates just think what it is like for tech challenged OFs like me.

73

Wayne VK4WDM

[VK5PJ]

Hi Andy,

The USB-serial converter is required simply to provide PTT control to the ACC2 socket on the rig.
This works fine with such digi-modes as WSPR, JT65 etc. BUT....every 60secs (exactly) the PTT line is activated in 6 short bursts, similar to when the rig or PC is 1st turned on. This happens regardless of whether a digi-mode program is running or not! It's got me flummoxed!

this sounds like a plug and play device scan is happening on that sub system, It would be a guess but for some reason windows is not happy with the status of the driver and thinks it needs to rescan that device category.

one quick question, how happy are you using the registry editor of Windows? there are some registry keys that can be set to tell Plug and Play to NOT scan that device.

Regards,
Peter, vk5pj