Help! anybody managed to run an external GPS on Windows 8???

[phantomlady]

I've got a new laptop and it's Windows 8. I usually use my laptop with an external GPS receiver to run a back-up navigation program ie Open CPN with CMaps in case the chart plotter throws in the towel.
My new laptop won't recognise my bluetooth gps receivers (Navman B10 and BU353)
Anyone got any ideas/solutions please???
Apologies if this has already been covered but I can't find the answer anywhere

 

[TSB240]

I have not played with windows 8

I had a similar problem with windows 7 and found the drivers for my GPS dongle were not suitable for windows 7 but were for XP

7 has a compatability mode that allows you to change to XP for instance. Does windows 8?

 

[vyv_cox]

It seems Windows 8 has quite a few issues with older software and hardware. Several of my old programs won't run on it and I have now found that there are no drivers for my Canon i80 printer that I keep on the boat.

 

[2Tizwoz]

I run my USB GPS in 8.1 without difficulty.

 

[nigelmercier]

Welcome to the nightmare that is Bluetooth. When it works, it's good, when it doesn't, give up.

 

[Finbar]

Windows 8 does not like the BU353 gps puck. It will run quite happily with the newer BU-353 S4 puck. The problem with the BU353 puck is that Windows 8 will only work with an early version of the driver, and as it constantly updates drivers this is no good. There is a fix which involves rolling the driver version back, then disabling updates, but I was not happy with this and preferred to spend the £30 to buy the later puck.

Windows 8 also does not like the CMap-93 software as when it is run in compatibility mode it loses the boat marker, but will run open CPN quite happily.

 

[charles_reed]

I've got a new laptop and it's Windows 8. I usually use my laptop with an external GPS receiver to run a back-up navigation program ie Open CPN with CMaps in case the chart plotter throws in the towel.
My new laptop won't recognise my bluetooth gps receivers (Navman B10 and BU353)
Anyone got any ideas/solutions please???
Apologies if this has already been covered but I can't find the answer anywhere

Dual boot it into a Linux OS, I use SuSe. Win 8 has the hallmarks of another Vista and 8.1 is little better, You can download 13.1 from here http://www.opensuse.org/en/

You need to change the boot sequence, so that you can boot from the DvD drive. Then just follow the on-screen prompts.

I've done this to my last 8 computers and am becoming more and more estranged from Microsoft software.

 

[ALB]

What USB ports do you have? I have found USB devices work in the USB 1.0 port but not in the USB 2.0 port on a Windows 8 machine.

 

[theoldsalt]

USB 1.0 on a Windows 8 PC ?????? Are you sure?

Do you disable the USB2 Enhanced Host Controller in Device Manager?

 

[ALB]

Correction - USB devices work in USB 2.0 port not USB 3.0 Port.

Thanks Old Salt

 

[Fantasie 19]

Windows 8 does not like the BU353 gps puck. It will run quite happily with the newer BU-353 S4 puck. The problem with the BU353 puck is that Windows 8 will only work with an early version of the driver, and as it constantly updates drivers this is no good. There is a fix which involves rolling the driver version back, then disabling updates, but I was not happy with this and preferred to spend the £30 to buy the later puck.

Windows 8 also does not like the CMap-93 software as when it is run in compatibility mode it loses the boat marker, but will run open CPN quite happily.

Lots of advice here that may be worth trying....

http://www.usglobalsat.com/forum/index.php?topic=4464.0

 

[phantomlady]

Tried all the things on globalsat site Fantasie....seems they're out of date as the drivers link is no longer functioning/supported
Have bought a new Navman B10 Bluetooth GPS Receiver with the SiRFstarIII technology and can't even get that to work either!!!
Perhaps it's me

 

[Fantasie 19]

Tried all the things on globalsat site Fantasie....seems they're out of date as the drivers link is no longer functioning/supported
Have bought a new Navman B10 Bluetooth GPS Receiver with the SiRFstarIII technology and can't even get that to work either!!!
Perhaps it's me

Ah - sorry...

More likely Windows 8 than you... what a heap of ...

 

[Robin]

Windows 8 does not like the BU353 gps puck. It will run quite happily with the newer BU-353 S4 puck. The problem with the BU353 puck is that Windows 8 will only work with an early version of the driver, and as it constantly updates drivers this is no good. There is a fix which involves rolling the driver version back, then disabling updates, but I was not happy with this and preferred to spend the £30 to buy the later puck.

Windows 8 also does not like the CMap-93 software as when it is run in compatibility mode it loses the boat marker, but will run open CPN quite happily.

+1 I too bought the BU353 S4 GPS and it works fine. I don't have any problems on Win 8 running the freely available CM93 charts I had downloaded as a world wide set from way back on a then Vista machine that went tits up.

 

[lustyd]

Ah - sorry...

More likely Windows 8 than you... what a heap of ...

Sorry but it's not the fault of Windows 8 if your hardware vendor has chosen not to support their product on it. Windows 8 works absolutely fine and has done since the first beta I used. All supported hardware works fine as evidenced by people on this thread using new devices with proper support. Times change - I can't get the carb from a mk1 Astra to work in my new car but I don't badger Vauxhall about it. I also don't badger them about my old tape collection not playing on the stereo.

The reason your drivers don't work is because Microsoft rewrote a good portion of the networking and Bluetooth stack following feedback from lots of people moaning about stability and security. They fixed the issues at the expense of compatibility, often with drivers which were badly written and usually the real cause of the stability issues in the first place.

 

[Fantasie 19]

Windows 8 works absolutely fine

Ah... well I suppose I should ask for your definition of "fine" ... as a life long user of Microsoft products I would say it is the most opaque, difficult to use, and needlessly awkward version of Windows I've ever used.... but yes, it starts, and it runs, and it probably doesn't crash very much, so yes that's one definition of "fine"....

PS. "Windows 8 works absolutely fine" is a little like the sign on the Hippo pool at Edinburgh Zoo "this water is change regularly"... green, smelly, viscous, pea soup.....

 

[lustyd]

Ah... well I suppose I should ask for your definition of "fine" ... as a life long user of Microsoft products I would say it is the most opaque, difficult to use, and needlessly awkward version of Windows I've ever used.... but yes, it starts, and it runs, and it probably doesn't crash very much, so yes that's one definition of "fine"....

PS. "Windows 8 works absolutely fine" is a little like the sign on the Hippo pool at Edinburgh Zoo "this water is change regularly"... green, smelly, viscous, pea soup.....

I've never had Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 crash on any of my numerous machines. I've also never known it crash on any of the tens of thousands of systems my company has installed it on. You say difficult to use, I would say you've probably not put any effort into finding out how to use it. I find it to be the most productive version they have ever made, but I read the release notes so I understand how to use it properly. I also watched the post install video which explains how to use the charms. I'd love to know what you find so complicated and I'd be happy to explain how to use any features you have trouble with.

 

[DipperToo]

+1 I too bought the BU353 S4 GPS and it works fine. I don't have any problems on Win 8 running the freely available CM93 charts I had downloaded as a world wide set from way back on a then Vista machine that went tits up.

+1 for the S4 on Win 8 - I am using it on an Asus T100 using a micro to standard USB cable just fine.

Interestingly, the Prolific chip (PL-2303 HXD) used is the same in my USB to Serial adapter which also runs OK on Win 8 with no additional drivers required so I can connect to NMEA data.

 

[Robin]

Ah... well I suppose I should ask for your definition of "fine" ... as a life long user of Microsoft products I would say it is the most opaque, difficult to use, and needlessly awkward version of Windows I've ever used.... but yes, it starts, and it runs, and it probably doesn't crash very much, so yes that's one definition of "fine"....

PS. "Windows 8 works absolutely fine" is a little like the sign on the Hippo pool at Edinburgh Zoo "this water is change regularly"... green, smelly, viscous, pea soup.....

+10 Even with new drivers my then brand new Epson all in one printer/copier/scanner would not work in scan mode with win 8 so I have now to scan from SWMBO's laptop then either copy to mine via a memory stick or email from her to me. That is not what I call progress!

I have said before I'm not a geek and my interest is purely in being able to use my computer to run MY selected programs not to play around with an Iphone screen lookalike Windows operating system which is/should be surely there simply to be an enabler and not to be an end to itself. My previous machine was on Vista Business which for me worked fine for several years before a geek shop trashed it trying to recover my huge files of emails lost in a spamming spree incident. MY BU353 was not old either but wouldn't work on Win 8 so I bought a new BU353 S4 one that does, only about $30 on fleabay but heck 'kin irritating. In the event I got my old Vista machine running well enough to use for full-time boat duty and do just simple stuff online plus to run OpenCPN with the original BU353 puck, that way I don't need to carry my new Win 8 machine backwards and forwards to the boat every time. I can even display jpg pics and enlarge them on screen if I want to lo look at something in real closeup ( usually boat related pics not bare boobs!), something Win 8's stupid Apps will not seemingly allow, even using a new download of Windows Media Player, which it used to do in Vista format. Probably a Ms lover will now tell me again it is all my fault and all I need to do is x, y,z three times over and it will work, but like I said that should not be my problem as a simple wannabee user,

 

[phantomlady]

Don't care what anyone says....I hate Windows 8
Maybe it's just me but my Windows 8 doesn't seem to ?an external gps
What the hell am I doing wrong....or better still..what are the people with no problem doing right????