Need Help with Realtime

[arkelley]

I purchased a Stentura 8000LX used. It came with realtime cables but was missing the gray adapter. I have purchased the gray adapter and have connected the realtime cable but when I open up transcript editor through DigitalCat and start to write, it tells me the writer port can not be opened. So, I have changed to different COMs through DigitalCat. I chose COM 3 and it seemed like it might have worked but then I got an error message that said writer could not be initialized.

I have no idea what is going on or how to fix this. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[Michael Smith]

Hi arkelley,

Normally when DigitalCAT reports this error, you either don't have the correct COM port selected, or you are using an incompatible USB serial adapter.

To determine what COM port you need, you must check the Device Manager in Windows. Here's an instruction set for Windows XP:
jmsteno.com/support/faq/pdf/HT10600002.pdf
If you serial port is not listed, or you do not see "Ports (Com & LPT)", then either you do not have a serial port on your computer, or you did not properly install a serial adapter. You must have a Com port listed in this section to get the writer working.

If you chose the correct COM port in DigitalCAT and it still is not working, you may need to purchase a DigitalCAT-compatible USB serial adapter. We sell an IOGear adapter that is compatible with DigitalCAT:
jmsteno.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=9_12&products_id=38

I've run into at least one case where the reporter had some software running in the background that was causing that issue. You may need to disable the programs starting when Windows starts to troubleshoot this problem. I have instructions written on how to test for it, but it is NOT a fix! Disabling the startup programs in this section will also disable any antivirus and similar software, leaving you without protection on the internet. Do not get on the internet in this mode. I have instructions for both XP and Windows Vista/7:
XP: jmsteno.com/support/faq/pdf/HT30600004.pdf
Vista/7: jmsteno.com/support/faq/pdf/HT30700004.pdf

Hope that helps!