Some of the newer laptops of the past few years no longer have traditional RS232 serial ports, however the CROPSCAN MSR System can still be operated or connected to these laptops by use of a USB-to-Serial converter. Various brands of USB-to-Serial converters are available at most computer stores or from numerous computer related websites by mail order.

NOTE: Be sure to install the appropriate USB-to-Serial driver for the Windows operating system on your PC. You may need to visit the USB-to-Serial manufacturer's webpage for the latest windows drivers. Some of the older USB-to-Serial adapters are not compatible with the newer versions of Windows and you may need to get a newer USB-to-Serial adapter.

A Belkin USB to Serial Converter:

To determine the COM port number of the USB to Serial Converter, do the following:

1. Click Start on your computer. Move the mouse pointer to Settings. The following should appear:

   WinXP	Win7

2. Click on Control Panel. Something similar to the following should appear:

   WinXP	Win7

3. Double click on 'System'. The Systems Properties window should appear:

   WinXP	Win7

4. WinXP: Click on the Hardware tab. The following (below) will appear. Win7: Go to the next step below.

   WinXP

5. WinXP: Click on the Device Manager button near the middle right of the window. Win7: CLick on Device Manager near top of left column (above). Something similar to the following should appear:

   WinXP	Win7

6. Click on the + to the left of Ports to expand the ports list. There should be an entry corresponding to the brand of USB to Serial converter you have installed. In this case, it is a Belkin F5U109 USB to Serial Converter:

   WinXP	Win7

7. Right Click on the USB to Serial Converter item. A pop-up window should appear:

   WinXP	Win7

8. Left click once on Properties. Something similar to the following should appear:

   WinXP	Win7

9. Click on the 'Port Settings' tab. The following should appear. Click the pull-downs and set values as shown:

   WinXP	Win7

10. Click the 'Advanced' button. The following should appear:

    WinXP	Win7

11. Make note of the COM port number.

12. Next click on the OK button and after that click on OK buttons or close buttons, as appropriate, to back out of all of the windows just opened.

Enter the COM port number, found above, at the COM port prompt in the CROPSCAN MSR Software (TERMINAL, RETRIEVE, etc.).

Note: If that same COM port is used for other devices (GPS, PocketPC or PDA synchronizing) be sure to end those programs or configure them not to be using the COM port when using the COM port with the MSR System software, otherwise erratic behavior can result.

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