How to install windows drivers for the LaunchPad on Windows Vista. This is the third of three steps. First you install Keil, and then you install TExaS. After these two steps are complete then you follow these directions to install drivers for the LaunchPad. There are a total of three drivers to install.

1) Find the folder named windows_drivers, which includes the drivers.  Start looking in: ../Keil/TExaSware/windows_drivers

2) Plug in the LaunchPad into a USB port. Pick the USB port you will most likely want to use. Plug the mini-USB into the socket labelled Debug. Make sure the LaunchPad power is on. There is a slider switch near the USB that should be in the Debug position. The green LED near the USB will illuminate when power is applied. You should get the following dialog. Choose Locate and install driver software (recommended).

3) Windows might try to automatically find drivers online, but it will eventually fail.

4) After Windows gives up on finding drivers automatically online, the following window appears.  The drivers included in TExaSware.  Click the only button, I don’t have the disc.  Show me other options.

5) Now you want to guide your computer to find the drivers that are included in TExaSware.  Choose Browse my computer for driver software (advanced).

6) Click Browse… and navigate to the Keil folder where you should have put TExaSware and find the windows_drivers folder.  Click Next to continue.

7) You might get an ominous-looking warning message.  Click Install this driver software anyway.

8) Finally, you should see this window when the first driver has been successfully installed.

9) The first of three drivers should now be installed successfully.  Now Windows resumes trying to find drivers automatically online.  Yet again, it is doomed to fail.

10) The same window from Step 4 will appear again once Windows gives up its automatic search.  In the absence of other options, click I don’t have the disc.  Show me other options.

11) For the second time, you want to guide your computer to find the drivers that you downloaded in Step 1.  Choose Browse my computer for driver software (advanced).

12) Windows may remember the last location you Browse…’d to in Step 6, inside the TExaSware folder.  If so, click Next to continue.

13) You might get a second ominous-looking warning message.  Click Install this driver software anyway.

14) After a moment, you should see this window when the second driver has been successfully installed.

15) The second of three drivers should now be installed successfully.  Yet again, Windows resumes its search for drivers somewhere in the ether.

16) If Windows successfully finds the third and final driver, you will see the following window, and the driver installation will be complete.

If the automatic search fails again, you will see the same window from Step 4.  You still only have one useful option: ask for more options.  Click I don’t have the disc.  Show me other options.  Repeat the same procedure as before.  In case you forgot, here it is again smaller and harder to read:

If you open the device manager there should be no error flags (devices without drivers). However, if you do see one of the three Stellaris devices with a driver error, try right-clicking on the device with error and select update driver, and try the process again. Sometimes it doesn't install on the first try, but does install on the second try.

Note that the computer shown above only has one COM port (COM7).  If you see more than one COM port, write down the number associated with the Stellaris Virtual Serial Port.  This number will be used in the settings command of TExaSdisplay you will use for labs 5, 11, and 14.