Alert: ASCOM broken by windows update!

Just a note for those with SB mounts. SB just released a new daily build that supposedly will fix the windows communications issues with SB mounts and TSX.

Anyone brave enough to try this with the windows update, let us know if it works!

From the download site for this daily build:

"Hopefully a fix to the ‘Windows 10 V1709 Update’ that prevented external programs from being able to use TheSky’s scriptable, COM objects.

What about SGPro and other software updates?

SGPro itself has no issues the Windows update.

I have an Intel Stick with Win10x64 pro on. It is not my main imaging computer but one I use for portable use. I have not bothered trying to apply workarounds to it and it has all MS updates and now, the latest TSX daily build. When the weather clears, I’ll connect it to my MX in the observatory and see if PHD 2 guides with Direct Guide. I’ll drop you a line.

Thanks! Yes, the weather here has been awful as usual in the winter,
nothing but clouds in the forecast. I also have a brand new Moravian
16200 that has seen nothing but bench testing because of the weather.
The New Mexico site has decent weather but their service guy screwed up
our Paramount ME down there so we are waiting for a SB guy to come and
fix it. It still works but is far from optimal.

buzz wrote:

Just a quick note regarding ATIK equipment.

I posted this sometime back…

Good news is the ‘new’ drivers from ATIK fixed the issue with no real jumping through hoops.

That’s great, how new are the new drivers? I assume they’re on the Atik website

That particular udate was dated Dec1 of 2017. I don’t know if there are additional updates since but it was a pretty substantial change to the previous. Most noteably the change of the name for the filter wheel driver.

I did try this in daylight- using the manual guide tool in PHD2 and watching the telescope position in TSX(version 11355). With 1000ms moves, if I selected DirectDrive in the TSX ASCOM driver, the mount did not respond. If I selected PulseGuide in the ASCOM driver, the mount moved as expected. Switched back and forth, disconnected, reconnected, no difference.
So, as far as I can tell, at the moment, this new TSX daily build does not allow me to use SGP with DirectGuide in Win10. As far as I can tell - both guide methods use the CCDSoftCamera API. I remember I have a script from Chris for moving the mount with DirectGuide. I will try that too but expect a similar result.

I know that MS released an out of band update this weekend to back off some aspects of the problematic update. Does anyone have this new update installed and, if so, has it (plus the SB update) fixed the Directguide issue?

My Intel Stick has OS build 16299.192 (Jan 3) - which is the latest for the 64 bit and reports it is completely up to date. I cannot get it to work with DirectGuide with the SB update.

Did you try Bob Denny’s work around at:

Peter

Peter- no, I explicitly did not try any workarounds (please see my prior post). I wanted to evaluate what a standard customer would see. As far as I can tell the SB daily build should have fixed the COM issues, but in my case, that does not appear to be the case. It is important that the various programs sort themselves out without resorting to work-arounds.

That works for some, but not all, problems created by the MS update. Specifically, it does not help for the TSX issues.

Daily build 11360 had just been released today (29th) and Daniel asked me to confirm if this works. It won’t be until tomorrow now.

Just discovered Daily Build 11355 breaks DirectGuide with SGP/PHD2 in Win7 x64 too! One step backwards…
Daily Build 11360 does restore DirectGuide to Win 7 X64. Will try Win10 x64 tomorrow night.

Just tried that version Chris, had to back it out, running Win 10 WITHOUT the MS update installed currently so will interested your results.

Sorry Trevor - which version? We have to be specific here or we lose ourselves.

Sorry Chris, should have said I was referring to SkyX Daily Build 11360 as released today.

Windows 10 is Ver 1709 / OS Build 16299.125

The current SkyX build is 10857 which is working ok, guess may have to risk fully updating windows.

Correction to my earlier post, I double checked everything and somehow installed the wrong SkyX daily build.

Using the following software version and all now seems to be working here

The SkyX version 10.5.0 (Build 11360)
Windows 10 Version 1709 Build 16299.192 fully patched
SGP 3.0.0.7
PHD2 Version 2.6.4 dev7

I still have the COM changes in place as per Bob Denny’s work around, not sure if that makes a difference.

The only WIndows update that reinstalled was KB4056892

Thanks Trevor - I had further clarification from Dan Bisque - for SGP/PHD2/TSX to play nicely, one has to apply the ASCOM.org DCOM updater and also the latest TSX.
I’m hoping to check DirectGuide and my ASCOM devices tonight.