Vista64 might be a real problem. Drivers for the 64bit versions of XP and Vista have often been slow in coming or perpetually in beta if they ever arrive. Even fully baked ones tend to be slower and more unstable.

Any chance you can switch to Vista or XP 32bit?

There are only performance gains to be had by dropping down unless you have some specific piece of 64bit software that requires Vista/XP 64.

 

Thanks - that's what I had suspected. I am really not impressed with the Roland support - or lack there of.

I appreciate your response.

 

Kimberly,

I feel your pain. I had the same error message earlier this week installing on Vista 32 bit. It took me a bit of trial and error and patience, but I did finally get it working correctly.

Call me (pm sent) and I can walk you through a few things to try that might work for you.

~Maxine

 

Thanks, Maxine!

The problem is that Roland is not going to support Vista-64. They have been nonresponsive to my e-mails and calls. However, a gentleman that was in contact with tech support at Roland was told that they do not have a Vista-64 driver - nor do they plan to. They should clearly let people know this prior to us investing this amount of money. Everything I found when ordering stated "Vista compatible" - not "Only Vista-32 compatible."

I do have a copy of Vista-32, but am unable to get it to load on my system because of driver issues. It's becoming increasingly frustrating.

Thank you again!
Kimberly

 

The problem is that Roland is not going to support Vista-64. ... they do not have a Vista-64 driver - nor do they plan to.

Kimberly, thanks for sharing that information.

By chance, do you know if 64 bit processors are not supported at all or is it only Vista 64? I don't see it mentioned in the cutter's product specification chart on the website or in the manual, although maybe it's somewhere else and I overlooked it.

 

I have Vista HE and a Stika cutter. Technically it wasn't supposed to work. I sifted through their website and found the latest drivers and installed them and got it to work. I thought they supported the higher end Vistas, especially with the GX-24. Have you tried their forum as well? Roland User Forums - Forums I agree tho, that their could be a little more help on their end.

 

I have Vista HE and a Stika cutter. Technically it wasn't supposed to work. I sifted through their website and found the latest drivers and installed them and got it to work. I thought they supported the higher end Vistas, especially with the GX-24. Have you tried their forum as well? Roland User Forums - Forums I agree tho, that their could be a little more help on their end.

There should be little to no problem getting any of the Roland cutters to work on the 32bit version of Windows Vista or Windows XP. Unless your software is specifically marked as being Vista or XP 64, there should be little problem using the existing Vista/XP driver for your cutter.

For the record, I don't currently have Roland cutters in my possession (until later this month, thanks Josh and Imprintables.com!) but a driver problem is pretty much the same for all hardware. The issue for 64bit OSes has been around for quite a while and as I mentioned above more a chicken/egg problem than anything else.

Sucky part is that consumers take the brunt of that sit and wait approach.

 

The processor is not the problem, just the operating system. 64bit capable processors from AMD and Intel both support 32bit operating systems as well.

Many hardware vendors are not producing Vista64 or XP64 drivers due to a lack of market support. Manufacturers don't want to spend time and money on a driver for a small segment of the market but that same tech savvy market refuses to upgrade enmasse to take advantage of 64bit operating systems until they see better support for said OSes.

Chicken and egg conundrum.

 

According to Roland, they are grey about it working. I had read somewhere that Vista HE, is nothing more than reheated XP. So I think that is why it works.

 

All version of Vista are identical under the hood with the exception discussed earlier between the 32bit and 64bit versions.

The only difference in name and price are the features that have been activated or deactivated. From barebones to full featured:

Home Basic
Home Premium
Business/Enterprise
Ultimate

Major differences between Home Basic and Home Premium is access to the Aeroglass user interface.

 

I'd much rather have the old cold XP!

 

The only solution would be downgrading from Vista-64 to Vista-32. There are a couple of downsides to this, though. Gateway was kind enough to let me know that if I downgrade the OS, they will void out my warranty on my two week old computer. Another issue I found when attempting to do this was that Vista-32 couldn't load my NVIDIA nForce Serial ATA Controller driver, so it won't do a clean install. So I am stuck with looking at the GX-24 and starting to get very angry since it was supposedly "Vista" compatible - they should certainly be more specific as to only the 32-bit version.

In my opinion - Roland support is horrible - no help what so ever. Good luck to anyone else with this same situation - I feel your pain!

 

Did you get a restore disc with your Gateway? If so, for $100 or less you can get basic backup software and a small external hard disk drive. If you need Gateway support, back up your computer (which you should do anyway if you are depending on it for your business) and do a quick restore to Vista 64. They will never know the difference. The only reason you should need to do this is if you suspect a hardware failure.

As for your nVidia SATA controller, you can get the SATA driver from nVidia's website and put it on a floppy disc to be copied over when installing Vista. I do find it odd that you have a problem here though since my 680i SATA raid controller is detected and installed by Vista 32 and I'm pretty sure even the newer 750i, 780i and 790i chipsets still use the same controller.

All said in done for a small amount of extra work, you can get installed, make use of your GX24 and still keep your warranty intact. You really should be doing a restorable backup no matter what. If your Gateway died or had a hiccup in performance, how would you recover?

Offhand though, if Gateway is giving you grief of my way or the highway on warranty, I'd return the computer before I returned the cutter. There are a ton of choices for computers at multiple price points and needs but only a small handful of cutter manufacturers that have been "vetted" by users.

 

Wow , I'm sorry to hear of your situation, I must ask have you called your sales person for help. I would think Roland should be working on a fix for this issue. I will agree some of the techs are not real nice or helpful, but when you get the right person involved things can get done. Call your sales Rep and get them invoved. Let them know you need to get this working or you need to return it. I know they don't want to lose a sale. .... JB

 

I agree with Jerry, if they said it was vista compatible they should take it back if it isn't.
I did not realize there was a difference, I thought vista was vista and xp was xp. I learn something new everyday

I wish you luck because I know it's frustrating to get new equipment and not be able to use it.

 

Thanks for the assist. I did create a restore disc. I was told by Gateway that there was no 32-bit driver version for the nVidia SATA controller, this is the chipset: NVIDIA MCP73PV. I am going to go to the site again and see if I can find anything helpful.

Again, thanks - I really appreciate the help. I need to get this working.

 

What I find really misleading is that there is a "Roland Software Windows Vista Compatibility List" downloadable on Roland's site. It lists the CutStudio software and the CAMM-1 driver as compatible with Vista "both for 64 bit and 32 bit." Their words, not mine.

http://www.rolanddga.com/rnet30/files/support/roland_software_windows_vista.pdf

Isn't the CAMM-1 driver the one used for the GX-24? If so, how do you sell the equipment as such and then turn around and say no, we don't support 64 bit and have no plans to do so?

I'd suggest calling Roland again. It has been my experience that the answers to questions differ depending on who you talk to there.

 

Not to really defend Roland but more to clear up how this miscomm might have happened. The document you have linked is date with a tentative flag for 1/22/07, the actual Vista driver released for the GX-24 is dated 10/1/07. Between the two dates, Roland might have just found that getting 64bit compatibility was just not feasible and then did not take down the road map they had previously posted.

I'm not saying Roland is right for leaving up misleading information, but I think it is more an issue of outdated information vs. actual maliciousness.

 

I would simply return it - if that were an option, but this unit is crucial to two business that I am starting/started that I have an enormous amount of money riding on. I am waiting to hear back from the company that I purchased the unit from.

Thanks!

 

If you biggest problem is that your Gateway is unforgiving of running Windows XP or Vista 32, then I honestly think the best solution you have is to change computers. Whether it is loss of your warranty status or straight up hardware incompatibility, not being able to easily choose between your preferred operating systems is cause enough to drop the model/vendor of computer.

Running in 64bit just doesn't give enough benefits to outweigh the downsides. You will consistently have drivers issues with all hardware you look at purchasing for the foreseeable future and possible life of your new PC. Manufacturers just don't see the value of providing 64bit drivers at the moment and that means early adopters are going to get beat about the head with headaches. The same problems cropped up with XP 64bit so it is not lik this is a new issue to the companies/players involved.

Just trying to give you an alternative solution that doesn't involved fighting with a company that can't keep its documents up to date. You could walk out of a Best Buy or Circuit City in a matter of hours with a new computer and have it setup before Roland even responds back to you again via email. At the same time you could start the return process for your Gateway so you had minimal cash tie up with minimal transitional downtime.

 

Raise, I'm certainly not saying it was maliciousness. But what I am saying is that when purchasing equipment, sometimes all the consumer has to go on is the information provided by the manufacturer. And that is the information that is provided in their support section. So it can certainly lead a consumer astray.

 

And I'm agreeing with you that it is definitely misleading and a bad show on Roland's part but further digging into the support documents and files shows exactly where Roland stands with regards to this issue.

The roadmap is tentative in any case. They may well provide 64bit support in the future but as far as the doc says; support is planned but no release date is listed.

 

The Roland GX-24 is the only issue I have with the computer system.

Quite frankly, I agree wholeheartedly with Maxine. They stated that the unit was compatible - and should have been very clear that it wasn't. Had I known, I would have purchased a system running Vista-32 prior. Roland should clearly state where they stand up front and have their distributors do the same.

In lieu of getting another new computer, I would rather find another cutter from another manufacturer.

Thanks all for the assistance - but I think returning the Roland GX-24 is the way to go.

 

I've asked Dana Curtis, Roland's Eastern Regional Channel Sales Manager, and a member of this forum, to chime in on the subject so that we might all know whether or not the cutter is compatible with 64 bit Vista, and if not, whether or not there are any plans for it to be so in the future.

Hopefully, he will be willing to provide Roland's position on the compatibility issue.

 

Kimberly, have you found another cutter that will work with your system?

 

I was wondering what kind of support was out there for 64bit OSes and went to check on US Cutter and Graphtec.

Both only support 32bit XP and Vista. I couldn't find a distinct statement (the searches and information groupings were weak on both sites) but I did find the plotter/printer/cutter driver for their most popular models. All of them had a single driver install for Windows 2000, Windows XP, and finally Vista. The first OS is definitely not 64bit nor was it offered in a 64bit flavor. This indicates a all in one driver for Microsoft's 32bit systems.

 

Just an FYI update... I did get a prompt response from Dana at Roland. He has forwarded the information request to the new Product Manager, Rick Rivera.

 

Here's an option,what about buying a used computer that is running XP? You might be able to find one cheap that is a decent unit that you use simply for the gx-24. I bought a cheap laptop to run my stika unit.

 

I agree with Robert. I would just get a xp machine( lap top ) so it would be porable to take to events if I wanted. .... JB

 

Welcome to the world of 64 bit software. That's why XP 64 bit never took off and why Vista 64 bit won't ever take off.

 

Unfortunately, the posting on the Roland site was prior to the release of Vista and had a typo listed in it and is in the process of being removed. Also, I've done some searching and found that the 2 most popular vector based programs out (AI CS3 and CorelDrawX4 do not offer 64 bit editions of their software) which means that you're not able to take full advantage of the 64 bit OS. Most 32 bit software will run in 32 bit mode on a 64 bit OS, but drivers have to be completely re-written in order to take full advantage and unfortunately (my personal opinion) I think the demand is not high enough to warrant it at this time by most if not all manufacturers. Once the Major players start producing 64 bit software to take advantage of the 64 bit OS, I'm sure the drivers will follow. This takes me back to the transitions between NT 3.x and NT4.0 and even as recently as the XP to Vista transition. Roland R&D is looking into drivers for the 64 bit Vista OS, but no definately schedule has been set. Also, as a side note, none of the other competitor cutter products support the 64 bit OS either.
http://www.rolanddga.com/rnet30/files/support/roland_software_windows_vista.pdf

 

I have Corel X4 and it is compatible with Vista-64. Personally speaking after my experience with Roland and their tech support - I'd rather take my chances dealing with another company 64-bit or not.

 

As I stated the software will load like CutStudio, Corel, AI, FlexiSign, Signlab, etc..., but will only run in 32 bit mode and not take full advantage of the 64 bit OS for which you purchased the PC for (this is what I assume from your postings). Drivers are entirely a different issue and cannot simply be recompiled or a DLL added to make it compatible. They have to be rewritten from the ground up in order to support the 64 bit OS and processor power. I regret the inconvenience that you've encountered and would recommend that you contact the dealer for a return on the unit and wish you good luck in your search for a 64 bit supported cutter.

 

I'm still trying to figure out why Gateway would release a system that is 64 bit only to consumers. Did you purchase this at a store or online?

 

I know the OP is frustrated at Roland but I'm along the same path as you regarding Gateway. For them to sell a 64bit OS then not allow any kind of downgrade without warranty revocation, that just annoys me. Consumers may not know what they are getting into but a PC OEM sure does.

I don't think there is a true hardware issue with running 64bit, as in there is some piece of hardware that only has 64bit drivers. That being said, if Gateway is not going to support anything but Vista64 on that model, they probably didn't make the 32bit driver easy to find and reconcile. Hearsay simply because I don't know the Gateway model number.