Having had nothing but problems with serial communications back and forth to my Pronto T-1000 using Windows 7, I decided to take a flyer and install ProntoEdit4 on my recently converted Windows 10 machine.

Be aware that I am using an older Windows 7 computer that I updated to Windows 10. This older motherboard does have a serial port connector on the motherboard header. I DID have to activate this port in the BIOS and set it to COM1. I have not tried this with any USB to Serial adapters installed, but I do have one, and may try it too. If I do, I'll report back with the model of adapter and the results.

Here are the steps I took;

I downloaded the Pronto edit V4 from Remote Central
I unzipped and ran the install program as an administrator using the compatibility checker and set compatibility to XP Service Pack 3.
After the program installed, I created an icon for ProntoEdit.exe on the desktop.
I right clicked the icon, and chose the “Properties” menu selection.
In the “Properties” dialog box, I clicked on the “Compatibility” tab.
I UNSELECTED “Run this program in compatibility mode for:”
I UNSELECTED “Run this program as an Administrator”

I have played with this extensively and all the functions seem to work perfectly including IR learn, and up and down loading configurations. The only tiny glitch I see is that when adding a button to a panel from the palette, the button image isn’t visible as you are dragging it, but becomes visible as soon as you “drop” it onto the panel. Then you can move it and see it while dragging just fine.

If I run it as an administrator, it crashes every time I try to do an IR Learn, so I make sure that "Run as Administrator" is off for the program, although it was ON for the installation program.

I assume when you say "IR Learn," you mean learning into the computer through the remote when connected to the computer. This has always had problems, and in fact in the last ten (12?) years I have NEVER used this mode.

Let's call the collection of commands for a component a "template."

My programming practice has been to assemble existing templates that I want to use, then add new templates that I create. To do this I take a page I've created with 20 blank spaces; in the editor add command names, just reading down the remote from top to bottom; I store that file; I download it to the remote; I teach the commands to the remote and check them; I upload the file and save it. I then move on to the next component.

In this way, the connected "Learn" mode is not used and there are no problems with it. This is way more tedious to write than it is to do, with one exception: downloading to a Pronto is so ridiculously slow that sometimes I forget where I am and teach codes to the remote while also changing the graphics on the computer... I then can choose to download the new graphics to the remote, erasing the commands I just learned, or I upload the newly learned commands, erasing the graphics changes I've made.

NEVER combine files with Home pages, just to keep things simple.

Why don't you just run it in Virtual Box? Works perfectly for me.

Yes, what you said about remote learn is what I always do. I "learn" the codes through the computer with the remote connected with the serial cable. I have "learned" hundreds of codes that way and only had to edit a handful. I will admit that sometimes you have to repeat the learn for a particular code two or three times, but not often.

Since this message is from 5 years ago, I figure you have perfected your method as well and it's a moot point, but I just wanted to say that I have been successful also.

I'm really here to update my OP regarding the use of a USB to Serial adapter that I mentioned in the OP. I have an ATEN brand adapter and just built a new computer that does not have a motherboard serial port on it. So I was forced to make this ATEN adapter work.

I connected the ATEN brand USB to Serial Adapter to the front USB port of the computer and updated the driver from the latest file on the ATEN website;
[Link: aten.com]
Then in Device Manager I set the serial port to
19200 Baud 8-N-1 Xon/Xoff - FIFO buffers set themselves to ATEN's defaults, I set the port to COM1 in Device Manager also under Advanced settings.
Using either the original Serial cable (4 bands or rings on the 1/8" plug end) or the one on the ATEN adapter (3 bands or rings), I could communicate with the Pronto 1000 without any problem.

Hi Tommy, this sounds hopefull. Having just got SkyQ i need to change a few things on my RC5200 and touch screen edit repedily crashes on set or learn IR. Ill give this a try

sadly this doesnt seem to work with touchscreen setup. Oh well i guess i'll have to get the old desktop windows 98 pc down from the loft and use that

From my experience with both PE and TSS, the key here is making sure that your Pronto is on the first serial port. If Mouse is COM1 and Pronto is COM2, you need to switch them.

Try with baud rate of 9600 as well.

Hi - I can upload and download to the Maranantz. The problem comes as soon as I click set IR, The programme pauses and then crashes. Normally I would learn staright to the Pronto but I need to use a couple of discrete codes

problem solved - I downloaded prontedit as described in the original post. Set up a new device, added my discrete codes. Closed Porontoedit and opopened touch screen set up. :Loaded my CCF from the Marantz and then opened and merged the prontoedit device. It was then a simple matter of using those commands in my set up