Page Type: SYMPTOM
Until 2015, new Rangecast hardware included data cables requiring use of a device driver from Prolific. In 2015 Prolific released a device driver update that is incompatible with their existing hardware. Therefore if a recent Prolific device driver (from 2015 or later) is installed on a PC using this hardware, the Rangecast system may cease to operate because the PC loses the ability to communicate with the scanners. Rangecast software detects this condition, and raises an alarm. The fix is to uninstall the existing device driver, and reinstall the correct device driver.
If the PC cannot communicate with a scanner that is expected to be present, and Rangecast software detects that the incorrect version of the Prolific device driver is installed on the PC, then that is the most probable cause of the issue. The sender reports "BAD DRIVER" with a red alarm.
If your site is using the newer type of PC/scanner interface box (called RCX, and which mounts on the back of the scanner), the recommended course of action is to uninstall the Prolific driver, as it is not needed for your hardware.
[FAQ-1224] Removing the Prolific driverThe Prolific device driver is used for old-style PC/scanner interface hardware. On occasion, this driver may cause some spurious error messages, even if it is not in use. Customers using newer RCX interface hardware (and therefore not needing this driver) may wish to remove the Prolific driver from their system, as a simple way to clear these error messages.
[FAQ-1089] Refresh the Prolific drivers for COM ports (uninstall and automatic reinstall)A problem with a device driver can result in the PC losing data connectivity with a scanner. This can be resolved by uninstalling all COM ports in Windows Device Manager, reinstalling the correct device driver, and then rebooting the PC (which will trigger an automatic reinstallation of these ports.) On occasion, a working system may fail in a way that needs this repair, due to Windows automatically replacing a working device driver with a newer version that is incompatible with our hardware. (The older compatible version is included in the Rangecast installation package, and can be restored when necessary.)
[FAQ-1010] Error Message: RADIO MISSING (Code 33)"Radio Missing" means that a scanner expected at a certain PC could not be found by Rangecast Sender software, when searching attached hardware. This may be because (1) the scanner is powered off, (2) the scanner is not connected from PC, (3) the interface hardware (cable or interface box) is defective or not connected securely, (4) a USB problem - some aspect of the USB system may need to be power cycled to recover from an error condition, (5) configuration problem - the Scanner may have been moved elsewhere without updating the current PC's Rangecast's software, so the software is not seeing the expected scanner, or (6) a driver problem - A COM port driver may be wrong, not installed, or corrupted. In any case, Rangecast software on the PC is unable to identify the specific scanner assigned to this ID.
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