Solus will not communicate with any vehicle

Collapse
X
 
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
  • gfuchikami
    Senior Member
    • May 2008
    • 388

    #16
    Originally posted by Maui
    One other thing that I just recalled. At times, this symbol " [V] " just like that, can be seen blinking in the lower right hand corner of the display screen.

    aloha.
    I've never seen that on my old Solus and since it isn't supported by S-O anymore you probably won't get any answers from them. As others have suggested, if you don't see any obvious breaks in the circuit board or connectors, it's more than likely that perhaps the comm chip or I/O controller has gone bad. I'm surprised that you're having problems with the S-Pro because it is supposed to be pretty similar in function. Yes, the Solus booted up faster but you have to realize comparing apples to oranges isn't really fair; your Solus has 7.2 and the Pro has what 13.x or 14.x? That in itself would account for a longer boot as well as switching functions. However, that being said, the fact that your S-Pro goes back to the main menu when you press the N button somewhere deeper in the menus, that's troubling. The Modis has always been slow in booting, etc. primarily because it's running Windows XP and has a very slow processor. The newer scanners running ARM chips and a more efficient non-Windows OS make them boot very quickly and are fast overall. Anyway, if you've used a magnifier to look carefully at the data connector to the motherboard and can't find anything when you flex the board, it's more than likely a component has failed.

    Comment

    • Maui
      Junior Member
      • Feb 2018
      • 21

      #17
      Originally posted by gfuchikami
      I've never seen that on my old Solus and since it isn't supported by S-O anymore you probably won't get any answers from them. As others have suggested, if you don't see any obvious breaks in the circuit board or connectors, it's more than likely that perhaps the comm chip or I/O controller has gone bad. I'm surprised that you're having problems with the S-Pro because it is supposed to be pretty similar in function. Yes, the Solus booted up faster but you have to realize comparing apples to oranges isn't really fair; your Solus has 7.2 and the Pro has what 13.x or 14.x? That in itself would account for a longer boot as well as switching functions. However, that being said, the fact that your S-Pro goes back to the main menu when you press the N button somewhere deeper in the menus, that's troubling. The Modis has always been slow in booting, etc. primarily because it's running Windows XP and has a very slow processor. The newer scanners running ARM chips and a more efficient non-Windows OS make them boot very quickly and are fast overall. Anyway, if you've used a magnifier to look carefully at the data connector to the motherboard and can't find anything when you flex the board, it's more than likely a component has failed.
      Thanks for the info on the Pro and the Modis. Having purchased those scanners used had me concerned that maybe they had some issues. After all, it seems that more times than not that someone generally sells such powerful tools only if they have, or they think they might be having problems in the near future. Glad to hear they are most likely OK. Thank you for that.

      I have been checking the old Solus out for the past couple of hours, and at this point I feel that the CF card has a problem. But, not knowing what else might be at fault, I could very well be wrong.

      It sure seems like a hard drive issue, and if I'm not mistaken, the CF pretty much is the HD in these scanners. Early SSD's?
      Anyway, the system says that there's an error during the upgrade of the CF card in slot 1. No other information is provided.

      When the update is in process, the screen that shows how much of the file has been downloaded shows no activity. After about 5 minutes or so, the error message appears, and about a minute later the regular Solus screen appears.

      I also tried the system restore and had the same results. Unfortunately, I knew very little about these scanners when I purchased this Solus, Like it should have come with a master CF card incase it ever needed rebooting.

      I'm not certain that having a master CF would make any difference, but I have the feeling that the main CF can't reboot without the master CF card to read from.

      Hopefully someone that knows more about that subject will stop by an enlighten me as to the wherefores whatnots on the subject.

      It's getting interesting, at least I find it interesting.
      Nothing like bringing a good old tool that died before its time back to life.

      Once again, thank you all.
      aloha

      Comment

      • Tech10
        Member
        • Mar 2008
        • 58

        #18
        This was posted by Administrator EBI Webmaster

        "To restore the system software:
        1. Select UTILITIES > SYSTEM TOOLS > System Restore.
        2. A warning dialog will launch.
        To proceed with restoring your system, Press Y.
        To return to the menu, Press N.
        3. A confirmation message will appear and the master storage CF card has now been reverted to an installation CF card.
        4. In order to complete the system restore process, turn off the unit.
        5. Power on the unit. The newly reverted installation CF card will begin the installation process. When this process is complete, the system has been restored."

        Comment

        • kirkbarrow.garage
          Senior Member
          • Jan 2015
          • 149

          #19
          Originally posted by Tech10
          This was posted by Administrator EBI Webmaster

          "To restore the system software:
          1. Select UTILITIES > SYSTEM TOOLS > System Restore.
          2. A warning dialog will launch.
          To proceed with restoring your system, Press Y.
          To return to the menu, Press N.
          3. A confirmation message will appear and the master storage CF card has now been reverted to an installation CF card.
          4. In order to complete the system restore process, turn off the unit.
          5. Power on the unit. The newly reverted installation CF card will begin the installation process. When this process is complete, the system has been restored."


          As this would then restore the unit to an as new from the manufacturer, would there be a way to get into the Utilities dialog from the main screen with a red box saying " security error, contact Snap On representative " ?

          I can do a reboot by pressing the down arrow and power on together ( not sure if pressed another button too though ) and this appears to reload the system, but a conversion to install would if possible be better.

          Comment

          • Maui
            Junior Member
            • Feb 2018
            • 21

            #20
            Originally posted by Tech10
            This was posted by Administrator EBI Webmaster

            "To restore the system software:
            1. Select UTILITIES > SYSTEM TOOLS > System Restore.
            2. A warning dialog will launch.
            To proceed with restoring your system, Press Y.
            To return to the menu, Press N.
            3. A confirmation message will appear and the master storage CF card has now been reverted to an installation CF card.
            4. In order to complete the system restore process, turn off the unit.
            5. Power on the unit. The newly reverted installation CF card will begin the installation process. When this process is complete, the system has been restored."
            Thank you for your reply,

            I have tried your approach, and the result was as I have mentioned earlier on, that being a message coming up stating that an error occurred during the upgrade of the CF card in slot #1, and the CF remaining unchanged.

            Please correct me if I am incorrect about this. After a system restore is run, shouldn't the CF be cleared of any previous data, such as previous vehicle history if the restore was a success?

            I really do feel that the programing in the CF that controls the linkup has failed, as in, died, crapped the bed, say a few kind words over it while thanking for its service and saying good bye.

            If I had my choice, I rather have had a total HD failure where nothing works. That way you know that it is dead.
            Having parts of the scanner still working perfectly could drive a guy nuts trying to figure out just what the heck happened.

            It's a real shame that what was once a very expensive item must be discarded just because the company that build it decided that selling newer models was more important than following up with service after the sale of its earlier models.

            aloha

            Comment

            • Witsend
              Banned
              • Nov 2012
              • 2942

              #21
              Thank you for your reply,

              I have tried your approach, and the result was as I have mentioned earlier on, that being a message coming up stating that an error occurred during the upgrade of the CF card in slot #1, and the CF remaining unchanged.

              Please correct me if I am incorrect about this. After a system restore is run, shouldn't the CF be cleared of any previous data, such as previous vehicle history if the restore was a success?

              I really do feel that the programing in the CF that controls the linkup has failed, as in, died, crapped the bed, say a few kind words over it while thanking for its service and saying good bye.

              If I had my choice, I rather have had a total HD failure where nothing works. That way you know that it is dead.
              Having parts of the scanner still working perfectly could drive a guy nuts trying to figure out just what the heck happened.

              It's a real shame that what was once a very expensive item must be discarded just because the company that build it decided that selling newer models was more important than following up with service after the sale of its earlier models.

              aloha
              I had a Solus with 6.4 that would act glitchy at times and freeze up when graphing more than 2 items. I tried to eliminate the CF card as the issue and make a software backup of it's 256mb CF card on a new larger 512mb CF card but Snappy has some encrypted protected file that won't transfer and a backup software card would not work . If that would have resolved the glitch and freeze ups, I was going to go ahead and update it to 12.4 and unlock the Euro but that D@ck move of Snappy making things where you can't create a simple back up CF card( that would only work in my unit) P@ssed me off. Sold the Turd after I got a MT2500 with 7.2 and Euro for my OBD1 and older OBD2, and bought a brand new DS708 for what unlocking Euro and updating a scanner with questionable hardware would have cost me. I was able to create a couple working back up SD cards on that Chinaman scanner and the card size was 4Gb size, not some 512mb size .
              I sold it shortly after I bought the bigger fancier Android Turd that you can't create usable backup software after the system updates to a newer version number, so that's pretty Cr@ppy Sn@ppy move on the Chinaman company's end they must have learned from somebody
              I just bought a mint DS708 with slightly newer software than my old DS for less money than I sold my old one for from a guy that just bought a used Snap on Verus Wireless because he wanted a scope. Guy was smart and created a backup SD card. Cheap enough to serve as a backup scanner to my newer nicer turd I don't have foggiest idea how to make a working backup of it's software.

              Comment

              • Crusty
                Senior Member
                • Dec 2007
                • 2450

                #22
                Every company in the world has BACKUPS of their servers and files.
                For a company to NOT ALLOW us to do the same is DIRTY POOL-!!
                Have all the software encryption you like. Just don't make it impossible for a person to BACKUP what is "supposedly" theirs.
                If I buy a functioning TOASTER, complete with whatever electronic "programming" it requires to function as a toaster, I expect to have a toaster that works.
                Encryption to protect the company so software can't be black marketed is fine.
                Intentionally inhibiting software MAINTENANCE of what is supposedly MY device is wrong.
                The hardware that the software resides on IS a man-made piece of kit. It WILL fail, eventually. An SD card is hardware. A CF card is hardware. a hard drive is hardware.
                Backing up the software on said hardware is not cheating.

                Comment

                • Tech10
                  Member
                  • Mar 2008
                  • 58

                  #23
                  Originally posted by kirkbarrow.garage
                  As this would then restore the unit to an as new from the manufacturer, would there be a way to get into the Utilities dialog from the main screen with a red box saying " security error, contact Snap On representative " ?

                  I can do a reboot by pressing the down arrow and power on together ( not sure if pressed another button too though ) and this appears to reload the system, but a conversion to install would if possible be better.
                  When the CF card gets converted back to an install CF card ONLY 1 file name gets changed actually the file type is what changes. NOTHING else on the CF card changes so your user data or user setting or everything else remains the same. Nothing gets deleted or added.

                  There are a few ways to revert the CF card to Restore/Reinstall the software. All this does is re installs the software from the CF card on to the device again and it will only work successfully if the CF card was originally married to this device in this case it would be the Solus. If not you will get the Security error you mention above. There is no way around this. Keep in mind that if the CF card is faulty or if any of the install files are corrupt even though it completes the device will not work properly.

                  If any of the install files on your CF card are corrupt you will need Snap On to reload your software bundle on your CF card. Snap On will overwrite all the install files on your CF card and set up the CF card to install the software once the device is turn on. Again you MUST use the CF card in the original device that it was installed on or you will get the security error.

                  Comment

                  • Tech10
                    Member
                    • Mar 2008
                    • 58

                    #24
                    Originally posted by Maui
                    I have tried your approach, and the result was as I have mentioned earlier on, that being a message coming up stating that an error occurred during the upgrade of the CF card in slot #1, and the CF remaining unchanged.
                    If the CF card was not reverted back to reinstall/restore the software try this:

                    This requires a CompactFlash® (CF) Card Reader and a Windows® PC

                    1. Turn the SOLUS off
                    2. Disconnect power and remove any batteries
                    3. Remove the Master Storage Compact Flash (CF) card from slot #1
                    4. Insert the CF card into the CF card reader
                    5. In Windows Open “My Computer”
                    6. Open the SOLUS CF card. It will usually display as “Solus™”, “Removable Disk E”, or “Removable Disk F”
                    7. Open (double click) “Setcoldboot.bat”
                    8. A Black DOS screen should display and disappear once very quickly
                    9. Exit the Solus CF card back into “My Computer”
                    10. Right click on the Solus CF card and select “Eject”
                    11. Insert the CF Card back into the Solus’ CF slot #1.
                    12. Connect the SOLUS to an A/C power adapter and power it on
                    13. Follow the on screen instructions - the SOLUS Software is now re-installing

                    Originally posted by Maui
                    Please correct me if I am incorrect about this. After a system restore is run, shouldn't the CF be cleared of any previous data, such as previous vehicle history if the restore was a success?

                    I really do feel that the programing in the CF that controls the linkup has failed, as in, died, crapped the bed, say a few kind words over it while thanking for its service and saying good bye.
                    I answered these 2 question in the previous post.

                    Comment

                    • Witsend
                      Banned
                      • Nov 2012
                      • 2942

                      #25
                      I already posted the link to the same exact instructions ( see reply #13).
                      I guess if that doesn't work , The old Solus has truely given up the ghost and be considered Soul-less. Bye Bye, Sayonara, Adios, Au revoir, Aloha

                      Comment

                      • Maui
                        Junior Member
                        • Feb 2018
                        • 21

                        #26
                        Originally posted by Witsend
                        I already posted the link to the same exact instructions ( see reply #13).
                        I guess if that doesn't work , The old Solus has truely given up the ghost and be considered Soul-less. Bye Bye, Sayonara, Adios, Au revoir, Aloha
                        And amen.

                        Thanks again guys.

                        I think this subject has been pretty well covered, since some of the normal things that people have tried as a fix are starting to repeat in these posts.

                        Guess people are not reading all of the replies before adding their 0.2 cents on the subject, and I can't blame them for that, doesn't make them bad, and I still appreciate everyone's replies.

                        I doubt that the local scrap iron dealer will be of any help in this situation.
                        I believe the standard reply is "that tool is obsolete" and " service is no longer available/provided", and... can I show you a new model, that by the way, will also be obsolete in short order, and also will not be being serviced as well. Anyone see a pattern here?


                        Someone in these replies hit on why I am trying to keep this old scanner going, and that's the fact that it is great for the older vehicles.

                        Sorry SO, but not everyone is working on 3 or 4 year old vehicles, and is in need of the very latest scanner model and software. This scanner worked for and filled my needs for 10 years. Did I get my usage out of it? Probably, but...to throw it away because of a software issue is not sitting very well with me. When it comes down to it, the scanner still cost me well over a C note a year. Kind of a high price for a personal use scanner that saw very little usage, in my opinion.

                        On another note.
                        Pretty sure that not many are aware of this, but from what I can tell from looking around in the CF files...all of the information for all of the models of scanners that were being manufactured at the time that this scanner was built are installed on this CF card. That includes all makes of vehicles, foreign and domestic. The amount of data on that card is simply amazing.

                        It appears that all a dealer needs to do is open a file, enter a password, and all of the "upgrade" information is unlocked. So much for making it sound as if the upgrade is a major deal.

                        Take care everyone.
                        aloha.

                        Comment

                        • kirkbarrow.garage
                          Senior Member
                          • Jan 2015
                          • 149

                          #27
                          Originally posted by Maui
                          Thank you for your reply,

                          I have tried your approach, and the result was as I have mentioned earlier on, that being a message coming up stating that an error occurred during the upgrade of the CF card in slot #1, and the CF remaining unchanged.

                          Please correct me if I am incorrect about this. After a system restore is run, shouldn't the CF be cleared of any previous data, such as previous vehicle history if the restore was a success?

                          I really do feel that the programing in the CF that controls the linkup has failed, as in, died, crapped the bed, say a few kind words over it while thanking for its service and saying good bye.

                          If I had my choice, I rather have had a total HD failure where nothing works. That way you know that it is dead.
                          Having parts of the scanner still working perfectly could drive a guy nuts trying to figure out just what the heck happened.

                          It's a real shame that what was once a very expensive item must be discarded just because the company that build it decided that selling newer models was more important than following up with service after the sale of its earlier models.

                          aloha


                          Hello Maui, I have just found this service on eBay.com which could be of use, it is someone offering to repair a Solus.



                          Here is the eBay link I found :- https://www.ebay.com/itm/Snap-On-Sol...cAAOSwNyVaekns


                          Hopefully somebody may find this of use 🤗🤗🤗

                          Comment

                          • Maui
                            Junior Member
                            • Feb 2018
                            • 21

                            #28
                            Originally posted by kirkbarrow.garage
                            Hello Maui, I have just found this service on eBay.com which could be of use, it is someone offering to repair a Solus.



                            Here is the eBay link I found :- https://www.ebay.com/itm/Snap-On-Sol...cAAOSwNyVaekns


                            Hopefully somebody may find this of use ������
                            Thanks for the link.

                            I was looking at another thread where the guy seems as he is having the same issue.
                            I didn't want to hijack the thread, but I did ask one question in response to a question the was asked about whether or not the scanner stopped working while in use, or if it was working on one vehicle and not the next.

                            Mine had intermittent connection problems on and off for years before it finally quit altogether.

                            Another person said they had found a microcontroller( NEC D78C10AGF) that was causing trouble, but did not give any further information as to what the trouble was, or what effect it had on the scanners performance.

                            Anyone have any theories on what this microcontroller does, or if it could cause the problem at hand?

                            It appears that the part can be found fairly easily, replacing it is another story.

                            aloha.

                            Comment

                            • Tech10
                              Member
                              • Mar 2008
                              • 58

                              #29
                              Originally posted by kirkbarrow.garage
                              Hello Maui, I have just found this service on eBay.com which could be of use, it is someone offering to repair a Solus.



                              Here is the eBay link I found :- https://www.ebay.com/itm/Snap-On-Sol...cAAOSwNyVaekns


                              Hopefully somebody may find this of use 🤗🤗🤗
                              The OP was not having an issue with the device powering on. Which could be caused by a faulty micro switch or the data cable.

                              Comment

                              • kirkbarrow.garage
                                Senior Member
                                • Jan 2015
                                • 149

                                #30
                                Originally posted by Tech10
                                The OP was not having an issue with the device powering on. Which could be caused by a faulty micro switch or the data cable.


                                NO KIDDING

                                However, Maui did say he had tried a different cable, plus he also said it had been intermittently failing to connect for several years, both of these A, eliminate a cable fault, and B, possibly point to a circuit failure or component breaking down slowly until now when it has failed completely.

                                Or maybe I missed something he never said ?

                                Comment

                                Working...