PIXCI® Imaging Drivers Installation: Windows Drivers without using the XCAP GUI

1. PIXCI® Imaging Drivers Installation: Windows Drivers without using the XCAP GUI

Background.

The various drivers for Windows, such as the PIXCI® frame grabber driver, the optional COM Port serial driver, and the optional Frame Server driver, are packaged with the XCAP GUI application. The XCAP GUI also provides an easy-to-use dialog for installing these drivers.

For some applications, such as configuring client computers that might not need XCAP - and especially a large quantity of computers where installing and deinstalling XCAP adds additional time and effort - it may be preferable to install drivers without running XCAP. Or, security conscious IT administrators may prefer a more hands-on approach instead of using a GUI installation packages.

The Message Log

The short instructions are: Run XCAP on a sample computer, using the same version of Windows and CPU architecture as the target computer. Install the desired drivers using XCAP’s Driver Assistant. The:

    Utility
    Message Log

will show the commands used to install the driver.

Alternately, detailed instructions follow.

Utilities

Installation of most drivers require use of the devcon.exe utility; essentially a command line version of the Windows ‘Device Manager’. It is provided with XCAP under:

    ...\EPIX\XCAP\Drivers\Utility\i386\devcon.exe
    ...\EPIX\XCAP\Drivers\Utility\x86_64\devcon.exe

for Windows 32-bit and Windows 64-bit, respectively. Instructions below show use of ‘devcon’ without repeating the path.

As for the ‘Device Manager’, misuse of the devcon.exe utility could delete drivers essential to the operation of Windows. Caution is advised.

Installation of most drivers requires adding or changing registry settings. Here, it is shown by using the Windows reg.exe utility. Changing the registry could also be done via Windows’ regedit application.

The devcon.exe and reg.exe utilities do not automatically elevate their UAC permissions; on versions of Windows with User Access Controls they must be invoked from an ‘Command Prompt (Admin)’ (i.e. ‘Windows Terminal (Admin))’ (or equivalent elevated application).

PIXCI® Frame Grabber Driver

Instructions are for use with Windows XP and newer.

The PIXCI® Frame Grabber drivers are found in:

    ...\EPIX\XCAP\Drivers\Win11x64
    ...\EPIX\XCAP\Drivers\Win10x64
    ...\EPIX\XCAP\Drivers\Win10
    ...\EPIX\XCAP\Drivers\Win8x64
    ...\EPIX\XCAP\Drivers\Win8
    ...\EPIX\XCAP\Drivers\Win7x64
    ...\EPIX\XCAP\Drivers\Win7
    ...\EPIX\XCAP\Drivers\WinVS
    ...\EPIX\XCAP\Drivers\WinVS64
    ...\EPIX\XCAP\Drivers\WinXP
    ...\EPIX\XCAP\Drivers\WinXP64
        ...

XCAP’s installer ‘unpacks’ only the drivers suitable for the current version of Windows.[1] The XCAP 32-bit provides drivers for both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows as it can be installed on either. The XCAP 64-bit only provides drivers for Windows 64-bit.

The Windows ‘Device Manager’ can be used to install the PIXCI® Frame Grabber driver. Decline the ‘Device Manager’’s search for a driver;[2] instead, browse to one of directories shown above.

Alternately, for Windows 64-bit, use:

    chdir ...\EPIX\XCAP\Drivers\Win10x64
    devcon update EPIXXCW6.INF "PCI\VEN_165A&DEV_*"

substituting for ‘Win10x64’ as appropriate. Or for Windows 32-bit:

    chdir ...\EPIX\XCAP\Drivers\Win10
    devcon update EPIXXCW2.INF "PCI\VEN_165A&DEV_*"

substituting for ‘Win10’ as appropriate.

Using:

    PCI\VEN_165A&DEV_*

as shown above, matches most current PIXCI® frame grabbers. The PIXCI® A, SV2, SV3, SV4, SV5, SV6, D, D24, D32 frame grabbers do not use ‘165A’ as the Vendor (VEN) ID. For example, for the PIXCI® SV5 use:

    PCI\VEN_109E&DEV_0878

See the PCI Configuration Tips for the Vendor and Device ID of all PIXCI® frame grabbers.

Driver configuration parameters are set within registry key:

    HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\EPIXXCW2
    HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\EPIXXCW6

for Windows 32-bit and Windows 64-bit, respectively, which is created by the Windows Device Manager. Under the aforementioned key, parameters are coded within the REG_SZ value:

    PIXCI

which is optionally created by XCAP or by the user. See Driver Configuration Parameters in the XCAP User’s Manual for the string’s syntax and options.

PIXCI® Serial (COM Port) Driver

Instructions are for use with Windows XP and newer. The PIXCI® frame grabber driver is required.

For Windows 64-bit, use:

    chdir ...\EPIX\XCAP\Drivers\serialport\wdf\x86_64

For Windows 32-bit, use:

    chdir ...\EPIX\XCAP\Drivers\serialport\wdf\i386

Remove any existing PIXCI® Serial (COM Port) Drivers.

    devcon remove UMDF\\pixciserial

Install one or more serial drivers (i.e. for one for each frame grabber):

    devcon install pixciserial.inf UMDF\\pixciserial
    devcon install pixciserial.inf UMDF\\pixciserial
            ...

Set registry flags to indicate which frame grabber is to be accessed by each serial driver, adding value, type, and data:

    reg ADD "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\Root\PORTS\0000\Device Parameters\PIXCISerial" /v PIXCIPARM /t REG_SZ /d "-DM 0x01"
    reg ADD "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\Root\PORTS\0001\Device Parameters\PIXCISerial" /v PIXCIPARM /t REG_SZ /d "-DM 0x02"
        ...

(The number following ‘−DM’ is hexadecimal and a bitmap selection of the first, second, etc. frame grabber). Use of:

    ...\PORTS\0000\...
    ...\PORTS\0001\...

above assumes no other UMDF-style COM or LPT drivers are installed;[3] and after installing N instances of pixciserial.inf there are exactly N instances of

    ...\Root\PORTS\????

Otherwise, scan the various:

    HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\Root\PORTS\0000
    HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\Root\PORTS\0001
        ...

looking for:

    HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\Root\PORTS\????\Device Parameters\PIXCISerial

keys; then add value, type and data of:

    reg ADD "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\Root\PORTS\????\Device Parameters\PIXCISerial" /v PIXCIPARM /t REG_SZ /d "-DM 0x01"

to the first,

    reg ADD "HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\Root\PORTS\????\Device Parameters\PIXCISerial" /v PIXCIPARM /t REG_SZ /d "-DM 0x02"

to the second, etc.

Optionally, report the COM names assigned to the installed drivers:

    devcon stack UMDF\\pixciserial

PIXCI® Camera Link Serial DLL

Instructions are for use with all versions of Windows. The PIXCI® frame grabber driver is required.

For use with 64-bit applications, use:

    ...\EPIX\XCAP\Drivers\CameraLink\Serial\x86_64\api11\clserepx.dll
    ...\EPIX\XCAP\Drivers\CameraLink\Serial\x86_64\api10\clserepx.dll

for the DLL compliant with Camera Link V1.1 or V1.0 specifications, respectively. For use with 32-bit applications, use:

    ...\EPIX\XCAP\Drivers\CameraLink\Serial\i386\api11\clserepx.dll
    ...\EPIX\XCAP\Drivers\CameraLink\Serial\i386\api10\clserepx.dll

for the DLL compliant with Camera Link V1.1 or V1.0 specifications, respectively. (Use of the V1.0 specification is not recommended for new applications).

Generally: Early versions of the Camera Link specification specify directory ‘for all ‘clser*.dll’. Later versions of the specification suggest directory ‘\Program Files\CameraLink\Serial’ or ‘\Program Files(x86)\CameraLink\Serial’ with registry string:

    HKLM\software\cameralink\CLSERIALPATH

noting the directory.[4] Check the registry for any previous assigned location of Camera Link DLL(s), and copy clserepx.dll to that directory. Or, assign a location, modify the registry, and copy clserepx.dll to that directory.

See the Camera Link specification for additional details.

PIXCI® Frame Server Driver

Instructions are for use with Windows 10 and newer (earlier versions of Windows do not support Frame Server drivers). The PIXCI® frame grabber driver is required.

For Windows 64-bit, use:

    chdir ...\EPIX\XCAP\Drivers\FrameServer\x86_64

For Windows 32-bit, use:

    chdir ...\EPIX\XCAP\Drivers\FrameServer\i386

Do not try to update old versions of the PIXCI® Frame Server Driver; remove and re-install. Do NOT attempt to install by right-clicking on PIXCIserverdriver.inf and selecting ‘install’.

To remove:

    devcon remove ROOT\PIXCIServer
    chdir 00
    devcon remove ROOT\PIXCIServer0
    chdir ..\01
    devcon remove ROOT\PIXCIServer1
    chdir ..\02
    devcon remove ROOT\PIXCIServer2
    ...
    chdir ..

To install:

    PIXCI® Frame Source

use:

    devcon dp_add PIXCIserverdriver.inf

To install:

    PIXCI® Frame Source 0
    PIXCI® Frame Source 1
        ...

use:

    chdir ##  (select 00, 01, ...)
    copy ..\*.dll .
    devcon dp_add PIXCIserverdriver.inf
    del *.dll

See the PIXCI® Imaging Drivers: Media Foundation Frame Server (Windows ’Camera’ Device & DirectShow Source) application note regarding use of:

    PIXCI® Frame Source

versus:

    PIXCI® Frame Source 0
    PIXCI® Frame Source 1
        ...

with multiple frame grabbers.

Updated: 27 March 2023

Footnotes __________

1. An XCAP installer option allows unpacking all drivers; contact EPIX(R)
Technical Support.

2. In particular, don’t let the Device Manager search if drivers for all
versions of Windows have been unpacked.

3. COM and LPT ports for hardware serial and printer devices are typical-
ly KMDF drivers, not UMDF.

4. Also checking Windows CSIDL’s for the actual ‘Program Files’ and ‘Pro-
gram Files(x86)’ directory.