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For NPGS v9, the PC must have physical supports at BOTH ends of a full length
board and an extra dedicated cooling fan for the board area.
IMPORTANT: To avoid damage to the NPGS Board, use proper anti-static
precautions when handling the board or any cables attached to the
board.
For older 32 bit systems, it is straightforward to use a new PC with a
32 bit Professional version
of Windows XP/7/10. (If moving to Windows 7/10 from an earlier
OS, send e-mail to request an
updated Windows driver for the PCI516 board.)
Or, NPGS can be installed under a 64 bit Professional version
of Win7 or Win 10. However, if the previous installation was
on 32 bit Windows, this will require a free updated driver for the NPGS PCI516
board and other software used with NPGS must be checked for compatibility.
Before changing to 64 bit Windows,
send e-mail to get additional information.
Older systems with DesignCAD v16.2 or DesignCAD v21.2 may have difficulty
reinstalling the DesignCAD software. The recommended option is to change
to using QCAD Professional with NPGS v9.2 and higher. See the last step below.
For NPGS v9, the recommend reinstallation procedure is:
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If possible, make a backup of the entire \NPGS directory structure on the
original system. (In the case of a hard disk crash, if a backup is not available,
a clean installation can be done which will require the writing field size
calibration step as listed in the NPGS Installation Guide.)
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Locate the NPGS Installation Guide (a white 3 ring binder) which should
have the original NPGS Installation CD* and for the older systems DesignCAD
CDs**.
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Install the NPGS Board into the new PC. (No jumper changes are needed on
the board.)
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When Windows boots, it may prompt for the driver for the PCI516 board***
which is on the original NPGS Installation CD*. If Windows does not prompt
for the driver, go to the Windows Device Manager and install the driver.
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Install NPGS from the original Installation CD* according to the
Installation Guide (this information is also contained in the NPGS Manual).
If the original NPGS CD is not available, but a complete backup
of the previous installation is available, then the installation can
be done with the latest update of NPGS (which will not have any specific
files for your microscope which is why step 7 must be done in this case).
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Install QCAD and/or DesignCAD** according to the Installation Guide. (Note
that QCAD gets installed to the default Windows Program directory, while
DesignCAD must be installed in the appropriate directory under \NPGS\.)
NPGS v9.2 and higher allows QCAD, DesignCAD v21.2, DesignCAD 16.2,
and DesignCAD LT2000 to be installed simultaneously, if desired.
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From the backup (if available), copy all files in the \NPGS\ directory, including
all sub-directories, to the new installation. If the drive letter of the
NPGS installation on the old PC was different from the drive letter on the
new PC (for example D:\NPGS on one and C:\NPGS on the
other), send e-mail for additional
details.
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If only backups of individual projects are available, you can optionally
run NPGS and recreate your active project directories using "Project - Create
New Project". Then, use your backups of these directories to copy all
files from each project to the new installation.
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Run the most recent NPGS Update that is available.****
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If the older USB Remote Enable Switch (with white insulation
on the BNC) is used, two drivers must be installed after the first time the
USB Switch is connected to the PC. These drivers will be on the original
NPGS Installation CD or can be provided by e-mail. Note that the
older USB Enable Switch cannot be used under 64 bit Windows.
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If the newer USB Remote Enable Switch (with black insulation
on the BNC) is used, a driver must be installed before the USB Switch
is connected to the PC. This driver will be on the original NPGS Installation
CD or can be provided by e-mail. Note that the newer USB Enable
Switch can be used under both 32 bit and 64 bit Windows.
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If the previous NPGS installation required a white HASP security plug to
be attached to a parallel port, this can be removed. NPGS no longer
requires the HASP plug.
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If an Ethernet interface is used to communicate with the SEM, see
the NPGS Installation Guide for specific instructions on configuring the
software for the NPGS PC. In some cases, software from the microscope company
may need to be installed on the new NPGS PC in order for the communication
to work. Also, the software from the microscope company may need to updated
on the microscope PC when the operating system of the new NPGS PC is different
from the old NPGS PC.
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If a serial interface is used to communicate with the microscope or a Keithley
6485 picoammeter, no changes will be needed, unless a different COM port
is used on the new PC. In this case, see the NPGS Installation Guide
for specific instructions on configuring the software for the new COM port.
Typically, this will be the first line in a system file for the serial interface
software, such as Pg_LEO32.sys, Pg_FEI.sys, Pg_H232.sys, Pg_DBB.sys, or
Pg_Pico.sys.
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If the NPGS PC has Windows XP or newer, it is recommended to upgrade to QCAD
for pattern design. The recommended version for use with NPGS is QCAD
Professional available at
https://qcad.org/en/online-shop.
In most cases, the site license option will be the most cost effective,
since it includes unlimited use at educational institutions. QCAD
is also available as a free, open source version which can also be used with
NPGS with some limitations. To get the free version, download the
Trial Version of QCAD Professional
for Windows. QCAD Professional directly supports DXF and DWF files. QCAD
should be installed in the default Windows Program directory either before
or after NPGS v9.2 is installed or upgraded. Extensive support for use with
NPGS will be automatically installed by NPGS when QCAD is
found. Send e-mail for
additional information.
*If you do not have the original NPGS CD, use the most recent NPGS Update
to install NPGS, then be sure to copy all system files from the backups
in order to restore the proper configuration parameters (the NPGS Updates
do not include the specific settings for any particular microscope model).
For the board driver, send e-mail
to request that it be sent, since it is not included in the NPGS Update.
**DesignCAD is a separately licensed program. Older versions of NPGS used
DesignCAD LT 2000, DesignCAD Express v16.2, and/or DesignCAD v21.2. When
running under Windows XP or newer, it is recommended to upgrade to QCAD (see
the last step above). These versions of DesignCAD may not run under
Windows 11.
***Under Win7/10, the user must go to the Device Manager, since Windows will
not prompt for the driver. If the driver for the PCI516 board is not
properly installed, the error "No SP_INTERFACE_DEVICE_DATA available for
this GUID instance" will be displayed whenever any NPGS function tries
to communicate with the board. In this case, go to the Device Manager
in Windows, then select either 'NPGS PCI516 Multifunction Board' (will be
seen when Windows has installed the driver) or the 'Other bridge device'
(which means that the driver has not yet been loaded) under the "Other Devices"
heading. Next, under the "Driver" tab, click the button to reinstall
the driver from the original NPGS Installation CD or from the downloaded
files..
****If you do not have the latest free update to NPGS
v9, send e-mail to request the
download information.
If you have other questions regarding moving NPGS to a new PC, please send
e-mail to "info@jcnabity.com".
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