RBD Software Windows Operating System Compatibility (February 2024)

Microsoft Windows General Support

All of RBD’s software products (AugerScan/AugerMap for PHI Upgrades, Actuel for the 9103 USB Picoammeter, and CMapp for the microCMA Compact Auger Analyzer) are compatible with the latest version of Microsoft Windows (as of this post, Windows 11).

In general, RBD warranty supports all versions of Windows supported by Microsoft, which are currently Windows 10 and 11. We cannot guarantee support for previous versions, however all our software products are functionally compatible with Windows 7 through 11 with a few exceptions, and we can usually support Windows 7-8.

RBD maintains archives for versions of software compatible with even older operating systems.

Please keep in mind that for any legacy version of RBD software, any newer features and subsequent bug fixes will be missing.

Lifecycle FAQ – Windows | Microsoft Learn


Details for RBD’s Software Applications

PHI / Perkin Elmer System Upgrades (AugerScan and AugerMap)

Minimum Windows Version Recommended: Windows 7

RBD maintains versions of AugerScan and AugerMap that are compatible with Windows XP. We can provide versions that may be compatible with Windows 95 and 98, however driver support may not be possible, depending what interface cards are used in the upgrade.

For RBD 147 Interface Cards in the PCI format, drivers are available for Windows XP, and Windows 7-11 32 and 64 bits.

For RBD 147 Interface Cards in the PCI format, drivers are available for Windows 7-11, 32 and 64 bits.

9103 USB Picoammeter

Minimum Windows Version Recommended: Windows 10

RBD maintains versions of the Actuel application for the 9103 that are compatible with Windows XP. There are no versions available for earlier operating systems.

(The 9103 USB Picoammeter itself is compatible with any operating system supported by the FTDI USB drivers if you chose to code/script your own custom application)

microCMA Compact Auger Analyzer

Minimum Windows Version Recommended: Windows 10

CMapp for the microCMA Compact Auger Analyzer is currently only compatible with Windows 10. While older versions may run on Windows 7 – 8, it is highly recommended that these are not used, as subsequent versions provide much better safety mechanisms for hardware control.


As always, contact RBD here for any questions you may have or versions of software you do not see available on the website.

Running AugerScan and AugerMap on Windows 7 – 10

AugerScan and AugerMap are “legacy” software applications originally developed for Windows 95 and 98, however they have been and continue to be updated for bug fixes, additional features, and operating system compatibility. Both applications (and the systems they run) are still going strong and support Windows 7 – 10.

While many customers are still content running their RBD-upgraded PHI systems on Windows XP (or 95-98!), Microsoft no longer supports those operating systems, making upgrading the OS or replacing those PCs inevitable. There are a few areas where the transitions is not as smooth as we’d yet like, and those are driver support and the legacy help system.

Drivers

RBD provides drivers for older Windows XP systems as well as drivers that are fully compatible with Windows 7 – 10. However, none of these drivers are currently digitally signed. Depending on your operating system, providing the rights to run unsigned drivers may be necessary upon installing the drivers and/or running the software.

Some of the errors you may encounter are cryptic, such as the following sometimes seen when installing unsigned drivers on Windows 10: “The hash for the file is not present in the specified catalog file”.

Driver Error

Thanks for the clarity, Microsoft!

 

The good news is that you should only have to take care of the issue once, not every time you are running the software. The bad news is the methods are different for each operating system version, and even different for the same exact operating system depending on the date it was installed and the PC BIOS.

For most versions of Windows, disabling driver signature enforcement can be accomplished easily by one of these methods.

For Windows 10 PCs that were installed (not updated) with build 1607 (Anniversary Edition), the Secure Boot feature of the BIOS must be turned off.

Help

The original Help system (largely unchanged since Windows 3.1) was phased out in Windows Vista. The context-sensitive help – also known as “what’s this?” or “right-click” help cannot be replaced (this was the information you would typically see for each field in a dialog box, for example). However, for Windows Vista through 8.1, Microsoft does provide separate downloads for the legacy help system; it’s just no longer installed in the operating system.

You can find most of those files on this Microsoft support page (scroll down to “Resolution”) For security reasons, Microsoft no longer supports this help format at all in Windows 10, and there are no third-party solutions available.

However, we’ve translated most of RBD’s help to HTML for both AugerScan and AugerMap. In each case, simply  unzip the file to a convenient folder and run “index.html” in your browser.

XP support has ended

On April 8th 2014 Microsoft has stopped providing XP support and the result is that PCs still using XP are vulnerable to security threats. As a result, many companies are moving to Windows 7 or 8. Most companies are using 7 as it has been a stable Microsoft operating system that many people are comfortable with. Windows 8 is a programming abomination (I’m just saying), although Microsoft is making it more like 7 as updates become available.

So, now that XP support has ended, what are your options for the PC that you use for your PHI surface analysis system? If you have an existing RBD AugerScan or AugerMap software upgrade product and our RBD 147 PC interface unit, then you can follow the instructions in this post to port your hardware and software over to a new Windows 7 PC.  If you are running Physical Electronics (PHI) software and have XP please contact us more information about our PC upgrades for older PHI X-ray photoelectron (XPS) and Auger (AES) surface analysis systems and subsystems.

Move from XP to 7 procedure:

  1. Print out each of the hardware and multiplier properties dialog boxes in the AugerScan program. The easiest way to do that is to copy/paste each screen into Paint and then print them. Or, you can copy/paste them into Word so that you have all of the settings in one document. You will need to enter these settings into the new PC so that all the hardware control and calibrations stay the same as on your present PC.
  2. If you have RBD’s AugerMap program, print out each of the dialog boxes under System – Properties. You will need to enter these settings into the new PC.
  3. Go to the software download page at the RBD website – https://www.rbdinstruments.com/products/system-pc-upgrades.html .On this page you can download the Win 7 driver and update files. Please read the information and follow the instructions EXACTLY. The Win 7 drivers also work for Win 8.
  4. Note the version number of your software in the Help – About dialog box for AugerScan and AugerMap. If you have the latest release software but can’t find your CDs, you can download the executables from the bottom of the download page. If your AugerScan or AugerMap version is different than the latest release on the RBD downloads page and you can’t find a copy of your program, please contact us before proceeding to get a copy of your specific AugerScan or AugerMap program sent to you.
  5. Install the Win 7 PCI driver onto your new PC.
  6. Move the RBD PCI interface card over from your old PC to your new PC. When you turn on your new PC the drivers should load automatically. If not, direct Windows to the RBD 7 driver files.
  7. Install AugerScan and AugerMap onto your new PC.
  8. Run AugerScan and AugerMap and load in all of the hardware and multiplier properties values from your old PC.

Finally, if your new PC has only PCIe expansion slots and no PCI slots, RBD now provides PCIe interface cards for our 147 unit. Most newer PCs no longer have PCI expansion slots but do have PCIe expansion slots. Note that the PCIe interface card requires different drivers than the PCI interface card.  For a limited time we will take in your old RBD PCI card and give you a $100.00 trade-in credit towards the purchase of a new PCIe interface card.  Contact us for more information.

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