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Thread: Installing Gravostyle 5 or 98 on Windows 10 x64 TUT

  1. #1

    Installing Gravostyle 5 or 98 on Windows 10 x64 TUT



    I made this video for my self so i can watch it back and install Gravostyle 5 the right way on Windows 10 x64.
    But i thought why not share it Make sure to follow the steps i take very carefully.
    On the end of the video the job was succesfully send to our IS800 and received.

    This method should be working with Gravostyle 98 too.
    But i can't show that because, our company doesn't have a license for that.

    Drivers from Gravostyle 8.5 are needed instead of the drivers from 5 because,
    only the newest work in Windows 10 x64 but, they work fine with Gravostyle 5.

    I made a zip from the Drivers so you don't have to download Gravostyle 8.5 only for the drivers.
    https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XmG...ew?usp=sharing

    Make sure you make a shortcut in :
    (C:\Users\YOURNAME\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Window s\Printer Shortcuts)
    With the exact same name as your printer.
    In my case (GT Smartstream) otherwise you won't be able to add your printer/machine.

    Here is a PDF version of the video:
    https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yAa...EOIC4qR4Z/view

    GravoGraph support downloads:
    http://www.gravo.dk/
    Last edited by Chris Andriessen; 05-19-2019 at 8:14 AM.

  2. #2
    Fair warning on using newer drivers on older machines, as I fubared something (no one's sure of what exactly) in the controller of my 2004 LS900 laser several years ago... It happily runs Gravo 98, 5 and 5.3 and all drivers 4.06-3 and older...then I got 7-Discovery with the IS-400 P&S I bought, which has the 5.21-3 L-solution driver, but, the machine wouldn't upload the firmware. What the hell, I ran it anyway, what could go wrong? All was okay until I tried rastering using the engrave-UP and 3200 dpi settings- the machine went bonkers, the laser head about took out the right wall of the machine at 900 mph, then headed south at about 1 speed with the laser firing full on... And ever since that day, if I try to vector ANYthing using Gravostyle, the driver goes TU and the gantry just creepy crawls to the right at 0 speed, sometimes laser on, sometimes off. Just keeps going until I turn the machine off. The funny thing is, the driver works just fine in Corel, right up until I try vectoring in Gravo- then it won't vector in Corel either. The fix is to power down the machine, delete then reload the driver. Then all is well in Corel. Rastering is fine in Gravo, BUT, if there's any open vectors within the job area, even if not engraved, the driver will tank. It's a $1200 fix, which will also upgrade the controller to accept USB input (mine is LPT or serial input only) which would be okay, but I've just lived with it since 99% of engraving I can do using Corel.

    The new-to-me LS100 I got a few months ago has the 7.04-3 driver, the LS900 won't load it's firmware either. Wish it would, because since it won't I have to have a separate computer to run the LS100, since you can't load 2 different Gravo laser drivers on the same computer. But it ain't worth $1200 to me

    As for using Windows 10, not me.. with the exception of my 2 newest fiber lasers, it's incompatible with virtually every other machine, every piece of office equipment and all the software I use to run it all.
    ========================================
    ELEVEN - rotary cutter tool machines
    FOUR - CO2 lasers
    THREE- make that FOUR now - fiber lasers
    ONE - vinyl cutter
    CASmate, Corel, Gravostyle


  3. #3

    Installing Gravostyle 5 or 98 on Windows 10 x64 TUT

    Chris, first props to you for doing that tutorial! Great work. It helped me install our GravoStyle 98 software and get it working again.

    However, I am only able to send jobs form some PC's (all Windows 10 Pro 64 bit set up virtually identically). On a couple PC's we have we get a weird machining error message when trying to send a job to an engraver (ANY engraver):
    SLIM_error.JPG

    I tried going through the Win10 event viewer - no joy. GravoTech told me to just reinstall G98 (couldn't even tell me about the error message, or even what "SLIM" is). No joy either.

    On a couple other PC's it runs and sends jobs just fine (both directly and remotely through my network). Just want to be clear about that.

    SOMETHING is setting off that error. Any ideas?

  4. #4
    Update: Another GravoTech tech I talked to yesterday said G98 is not seeing a valid driver (as far as the hardware goes in how the PC communicates with it). But I told him I have some PC's networked, so that would negate that I would imagine. They are still "working" on it they assure me, but with a 22 year old program I am not holding my breath. It just works very well for the many plain nameplates we make - and it's paid for. And it runs on Windows 10 (finally).

  5. #5
    Hi, when i start Gravostyle 5 i always get the error "Protection key (dongle) is not present. Could you connect the device on your computer, and re-run the program?"
    The Gravograph Dongle is in Port LPT1. The Dongle is working with Windows 95 and Gravostyle 2.4.
    Can someone help me?

  6. #6
    to begin:
    IF--
    the Gravo LPT dongle works like my old Casmate LPT dongle,
    THEN-
    The newest Windows OS that will actually read the dongle 98 or ME.

    The reason is, up to Win-ME, Windows was just an interface as DOS was the operating system. Win 2000 and XP moved away from DOS and became the operating system itself. I don't understand all the technical reasons or the 'actual' explanation, but in a nutshell the new Windows OS divorced itself from many of the old functions of the LPT ports, including 'reading' anything plugged into them.

    Speaking of Casmate, I have 3 versions, first one was a DOS program that I got in 1991. I have a 1995 "Lite" version and a 1996 full version. All have LPT dongles, '96 dongle is dead, which sucks -- anyway, I use Casmate Lite nearly every day, as it's still the best program I've ever used to create vector toolpaths from graphic art. Because of Casmate, I have three Win98 computers, one in use, a newer backup, and an OLDER backup.

    You say the dongle works with win95 and gravo 2.4-- but won't load gravo 5-? The simple reason I can think of for this is because every Gravo dongle is registered to ONE owner. For it to work with a newer version than 2.4, then both versions must be registered to the same owner. As in, I started with Gravo'98, then upgraded to 5, then 5.3- my original '98 dongle was registered to each upgrade, and will work with any of them. However, I have 2 different Gravo 7 programs, a 'discovery' version that came with my IS400, and a full "laser" version that came with my LS-100 laser. These programs are essentially the same, but require their own separate dongle to start the program.

    So the short version as I see it, wrong dongle for the gravo-5 program you're trying to run--
    ========================================
    ELEVEN - rotary cutter tool machines
    FOUR - CO2 lasers
    THREE- make that FOUR now - fiber lasers
    ONE - vinyl cutter
    CASmate, Corel, Gravostyle


  7. #7
    Thank you for your answer.

    My dongle is from MARX.
    Is it possible to upgrade the old LPT dongle to Gravostyle 5? Or do I need a new USB dongle to start Gravostyle 5?
    Where can I register the dongle?

  8. #8
    Upgrading your old dongle would mean replacing it with a USB dongle regardless- and it ain't cheap...
    ========================================
    ELEVEN - rotary cutter tool machines
    FOUR - CO2 lasers
    THREE- make that FOUR now - fiber lasers
    ONE - vinyl cutter
    CASmate, Corel, Gravostyle


  9. #9
    Now i have installed Gravostyle 2.4 on Windows 10.
    Gravostyle works perfectly with my LPT dongle. The problem is, when I want to transfer the program to the IS400 engraving machine, it loads and nothing happens (see picture).
    The IS400 engraving machine and the interfaces (COM1) are set up.
    Can someone help me?

  10. #10
    Sorry, here is the picture.

    20210422_105142 (Mittel).jpg

    Link: https://ibb.co/17MSM7g
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Philipp Lang; 04-24-2021 at 1:52 PM.

  11. #11
    Man, that's an old Gravostyle! My '98 still resembles my 5's and 7's, but yours isn't even close!

    I do see a possible issue, which is, you seem to be in text mode- try exiting text mode then select the text as a group and see what happens-
    ========================================
    ELEVEN - rotary cutter tool machines
    FOUR - CO2 lasers
    THREE- make that FOUR now - fiber lasers
    ONE - vinyl cutter
    CASmate, Corel, Gravostyle


  12. #12
    My LPT dongle is not for Gravostyle 98. I think the upgrade is very expensive. Do you know what it costs?

    I left text mode. Without success. I think it's because of the isdriver.exe file. C: /Gravostyle/isdriver.exe This file is responsible for the transfer of the program. No change in compatibility mode with Windows 95 / Windows XP.

    I'll upload a video of this later.
    Last edited by Philipp Lang; 04-26-2021 at 8:10 AM.

  13. #13
    The video shows the step up to the failure.

    Here is the Video:

    https://streamable.com/dsdnj9

  14. #14
    Not sure this will help either, but I notice you're on COM1-

    All of my machines using COM ports are connected with NULL-MODEM cables, the other type won't work-
    Also, COM settings are 9600/8/none/1/x-on x-off
    ========================================
    ELEVEN - rotary cutter tool machines
    FOUR - CO2 lasers
    THREE- make that FOUR now - fiber lasers
    ONE - vinyl cutter
    CASmate, Corel, Gravostyle


  15. #15
    The engraving machine is connected to Com1. The COM cable works under Windows 95 with the same Gravostyle 2.4 software.

    COM settings are 9600/8/none/1/x-on x-off

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