My ICD2 still won't work!

[Hank Fletcher]

I'm still having the driver problem with my ICD2. I uninstalled MPLAB 7.52 and installed 8.10. Still nothing. This is a real drag, man.

 

[blueroomelectronics]

Try it on a different computer, like I said before it's possible the 18F4550 firmware may be a mess.

 

[Hank Fletcher]

I definitely have the required MPLAB ICD2 driver files. The problem is that my OS insists on using Windows 2000 generic USB device driver as opposed to MPLAB's. Sorry, I only have the one computer to work from, although I'm seriously considering buying another soon.

 

[Hank Fletcher]

I'm still stuck trying to use the MPLAB ICD2 registry cleaner by not having the regini.exe file in my system32 folder. Can I download that somewhere? Or is there another way to work around this?

 

[blueroomelectronics]

I haven't used Win2K for years, you might try uninstalling MPLAB and installing the newer 8.10 MPLAB

Also your registry tools might exist here.
Microsoft Registry Tools

 

[Hank Fletcher]

I haven't used Win2K for years, you might try uninstalling MPLAB and installing the newer 8.10 MPLAB

Yeah, I just did that. Exact same problem. The really irritating thing is that when I try to update the device driver using the Wizard, I browse for the driver, find it in the MPLAB folder where it's supposed to be, click "open," and then the Wizard tells me it's found a better driver for the device called c:\winnt\inf\usb.inf. Well, there's no c:\winnt\inf folder on my computer, so where is it finding it? I figure if I could just delete usb.inf, that'd be fine by me if it makes the MPLAB driver work.

 

[Hank Fletcher]

I did a search for "usb.inf" and it didn't come up. Is that weird? How could the wizard have found it if it isn't on my computer?

 

[3v0]

It is not rare for the 18F4550 to get messed up. I would find a way to reflash it before I did much anything else. You can pound on the PC till you are old and grey and it will not help if the 18F4550 is hosed. Maybe you have done this and I missed it in the thread?

like I said before it's possible the 18F4550 firmware may be a mess.

 

[blueroomelectronics]

If the PC is looking for a driver then perhaps the 18F4550 is ok. A second PC is the only way to tell.

 

[Pommie]

I did a search for "usb.inf" and it didn't come up. Is that weird? How could the wizard have found it if it isn't on my computer?

Have you got system files hidden. You can make them visible in the folder options.

Mike.

 

[Hank Fletcher]

Have you got system files hidden. You can make them visible in the folder options.

Mike.

I've done that, and I see the usb.inf file now. I still can't figure out what the problem is, though. The driver update wizard seems to insist on using the usb.inf, and even deleting that file does let you force the wizard to choose and use the icd2 driver.

Instead of "specifying the location" in the wizard (which it still ignores when you specify anyway, claiming usb.inf is "a better driver for this device"), there's a fourth option underneath that. I can't remember what it's called, but I think it brings up the Microchip firmware loader. I didn't know if I'd be causing more trouble by going that route, so I've left it alone for now.

I've put a ticket into Microchip's technical support regarding the problem. Still waiting to hear back...

 

[Hank Fletcher]

I've put a ticket into Microchip's technical support regarding the problem. Still waiting to hear back...

Uh oh, I've got an e-mail back, but not with an answer (it's still "pending"), but a suggestion I phone them up. Either I haven't been descriptive enough, or this can't be good.

 

[kchriste]

The driver update wizard seems to insist on using the usb.inf, and even deleting that file does let you force the wizard to choose and use the icd2 driver.

If you plugged in the ICD before loading MPLAB then you'll have the Windas driver loaded if you'd let the hardware "Wizard" do it's default thing. Once you've loaded the wrong Windows driver you are screwed and must run the MicroChip cleaner program. Either that, or reformat and reload Windas!
Try this link for Regini.exe: (Registry Change by Script):
https://www.microsoft.com/downloads...69-57FF-4AE7-96EE-B18C4790CFFD&displaylang=en

 

[BeeBop]

If you plugged in the ICD before loading MPLAB then you'll have the Windas driver loaded if you'd let the hardware "Wizard" do it's default thing. Once you've loaded the wrong Windows driver you are screwed and must run the MicroChip cleaner program. Either that, or reformat and reload Windas!
Try this link for Regini.exe: (Registry Change by Script):
https://www.microsoft.com/downloads...69-57FF-4AE7-96EE-B18C4790CFFD&displaylang=en

I think this is your answer. Microchip even tells you you have to install the driver their way or you will have troubles.

They have an app note called "Uninstalling Incorrect USB Device Drivers."

It is on this page: (Hope my link works!)

**broken link removed**

Scroll down to the bottom and you'll find it.

 

[Hank Fletcher]

Yeah, thanks for all the help, guys. I've read though all that stuff now, and all it's done is irritate me more, because it's had no effect. There seems to be some exceptions to how well Microchip's drivers will work with Windows 2000 anyways, and part of the irritation I think is that the solutions are beyond even the extensive Microchip fixes for the problem. I know I can't make too much of a fuss - I really need to be using a newer OS, on a much newer computer.

The fact that I was able to get MPLAB 8.10 running on an XP machine to test out my programmer, and I was still having the same problem, led me to believe that it might actually be the 4550 on the programmer that's gone faulty. Blueroomelectronics is mailing me another pre-programmed, so I'll swap that in and go from there.

 

[3v0]

I hope that fixes it for you. Maybe program a spare when you get it working.

 

[Hank Fletcher]

Mmm... that's the plan.

 

[3v0]

I think my USB ICD from Thailand via Ebay has the same problem. It is all SMD and did not work well to start with. I jumped through the same hoops you did with the drivers and it never did work again. Maybe some day I will heat it up and pull the processors. Thinking about its USB drivers still give me nightmares. Junebugs/PICKit2's are much easier to setup.