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Got my replacement Techstream knockoff today. The first cable was defective and would not allow the settings to be changed. I kept the software unchanged for the replacement cable and this time it worked.
However this second cable was also defective. I noticed the light on the cable wasn't working initially so I had to hold the cable tightly in the USB port. (Switching USB ports did not help.) Then the Techstream would not connect to the car. I had to hold the USB plug in right AND hold it a bit to the side. It finally worked.
Bottom line is that these cables.must be made extremely cheaply. If you buy one and it does not work, send it back and get another. You'll see all kinds of posts on other forums where people are having errors or problems making it work. I'm convinced that it's a matter of poor quality control on the cables.
Just be aware that at least some of the techstream packages will only run on a 32-bit OS.
The PC can be 64-bit, but the OS must be 32-bit.
This bit me in the *** when I went to program my new key, garage computer and laptop are both on Win10, must have been 64bit as the software wouldn't run on either. Luckily I have an old laptop for running MB STAR DAS software that runs winXP and worked for me, but took a long time to get it working.
Luckily I have an old laptop for running MB STAR DAS software that runs winXP and worked for me, but took a long time to get it working.
Make a complete backup of that computer. Image the drive if you can. Because you can't install XP from fresh (like if you had to buy a replacement laptop). Microsoft's product authentication servers (the "Genuine Windows" ones) won't issue a license any more for XP.