If you try to install FarmTek Polaris Timing System connected via USB on Windows 10, you will likely run into an issues where AXtime doesn't register timer trips from the Polaris Timing Console.

THIS IS A DRIVER ISSUE - look in Device Manager under Ports (COM & LPT) for a yellow exclamation point on your Prolific USB-to-Serial Comm Port. Windows tries to install the default Windows Prolific USB-to-Serial Comm Port driver which is newer but not compatible with the USB to Serial adapter FarmTek provides.

To rectify this problem, follow this FarmkTek guide to uninstalling the problem driver and stopping Windows from automatically choosing it's own drivers: http://farmtek.net/win8_driver_fix.html

I downloaded and installed the Windows 7 driver off the FarmTek website here: http://farmtek.net/download/win7_driver.exe

It should work now using the proper driver and AXtime will register timer trips.

If your COM port shows an error again, follow these steps to manually select the proper driver:

Device Manager > right click Prolific USB-to-Serial Comm Port > Update Driver Software... > Browse my computer for driver software > Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer > select Prolific USB-to-Serial Comm Port Version: 3.3.2.102 [2008-09-24] (not the 2015 driver!)

@MarcGSR - These are gold. Thanks. I ran into this issue at my second ever AXti.me event. Luckily I had my Farmtek install disk in the briefcase. I wish Farmtek would update their firmware to work with newer adapters.

Marc:

Thanks again for this. I tried going through this last night (briefly, it was late) but I was unable to successfully install the old driver from the CD that came with the Farmtek. I will try again via the download and see if that works.

@Duke make sure after you delete the default 2015 prolific windows driver, that you disable automatic driver installation from Windows Update in Device Installation Settings as per the farmtek guide linked in my walk-through above. Also, be sure you are plugging the timing console into the same USB port every time or it will switch the COM port on you.

For everyone's reference:

"Marc,

Thank you for contacting us. We've been selling a Windows 10 compatible USB
to serial adapter for about four months now for the reasons detailed below.

The older cable and the drivers that are on our CD and website work fine
under Windows 10, however, Windows 10 periodically removes this working
driver and installs its own, non-working driver. Unfortunately, there is no
way to prevent Windows 10 from swapping out the driver since you can no
longer refuse software updates with Windows 10.

In other words, by forcing driver updates on the end user, Microsoft is
dictating the hardware devices you must buy to use with computers running
their software. Just as Microsoft wants, we have submitted to their
dominance and now sell a different USB cable that is compatible with the
driver that Windows 10 installs. The cable is US$15 plus shipping.

Alternatively, you can go to a local computer store, Best Buy, etc., and buy
a USB to Serial Adapter that is Windows 10 compatible.

Let me know if you need anything else. Thanks!

Mike Douglas
FarmTek, Inc.
972-429-0947"