New computer JMRI ?LocSound programmer set up

[woodone]

Warring log post- This dates back to June 11 of this year. I had a laptop die and lost my ability to use JMRI AND ESU'S programmer.
I moved my hard ware down to where I keep my PC. I tried to download the programmer from ESU but could not because it told me it could not find a driver.
OK moved forward> I got a new computer to me (referberished)  OK I have tried for two days now to get the ESU programmer to work Looks like it can not find the USB COM ports. OK  after a bit of help from Rick Brodzinsky I tried a new cable to see if that would let me get the programmer to work= well no luck there. So I moved on to getting JMRI SET UP. I did  while I was waiting for the new cable. So I downloaded JAVA AND  the JMRI driver.
Then I tried to download JMRI i GET A can not download because it could harm my system. Well I looked around and found that micro soft has a Smart screen that need to be turned off? well I did this, but still did not work I tried several smart screen now to turn off sites, each one a bit different than the other? no mater what place I looked the screen shots did not match my PC screens.
so I have put in about 5 hours of chasing my tail and I am still in the same place.
I am so flustrated right now I had to leave the room before I started to through things.  too POED to spell check.
any ideas out there??
Thanks

[PAL_Houston]

Not sure I can help, but I have similar problem: I have not used my programmer in 5 years and I have a new computer.
New computer, old DCC hardware (in my case it's a Digitrax PR3).
I've downloaded the current Java and the current JMRI software.
Now I cannot figure out how to configure my new computer's USB port as a COM port (COM3 is the default expected by JMRI, I think).

Anyone know how to configure the USB on a HP laptop with Windows 10 to a COM port??  Please help!!

I did get my old hardware to function on my old computer after I reloaded Java.
Good thing I did because there are a bunch of old JMRI files on that computer that I'd don't want to have to re-create -- like all of my old roster files.

[woodone]

You need to look under device manager to find the driver that is used for JMRI.
You say this is a new computer- did you install JAVA?
Did you also install the driver for the USB adaptor.?

[peteski]

Paul, while USB means Universal Serial Bus, you can't just configure a USB as a "regular" serial (COM) port.  They used different protocols and physical connections. You would need a USB-to-Serial-Port adapter cable (a "dongle").  But do you really need that?

I assume that the JMRI needs to communicate with the PR3?  What type of interface to the computer does PR3 have?  No, I'm not familiar with PR3, but I do speak some "computer speak".

As for the roster files, can't you just copy them to some portable media (like a USB thumb drive), and upload them to any computer running JMRI?  Having a copy on a USB stick is also good way to have a backup of those files.

Jerry: sorry, I'm not up very much on Windows 10 - avoiding it like a plague.  As for Java, it has a really bad reputation in the computer world (even thought it is running on millions and millions of devices out there), so every new version of Windows makes harder and harder to install it (for your own protection  ).  I'm sure there are workarounds, but they are probably not trivial.

[John]

https://www.digitrax.com/static/apps/software/download/26/PR3-Install-Win10.pdf

https://www.digitrax.com/downloads/pr3-windows-10-drivers/


The problem is generally with the secure boot in windows .. it has to be disabled in order to install these drivers ..