pbp --> mplab broken again

[kenif]

My pic machine hard disk went down on Friday (RIP). On the new hard drive I reloaded my existing data files and updated pbp, microcode studio plus and mplab. Not surprisingly, it doesn't work. Apart from a couple of hours taking friends to see the shuttle launch I just spent the entire weekend and now Monday morning trying to burn a pic.

I have a couple of questions:

1) Previously, it would compile and open mplab displaying the asm. One existing blink file will open mplab with the assembler window and program okay. If I save that file, calling it something like blink1 it will no longer display the assembler window in mplab. If I open the asm file, it programs but doesn't work. No other programs, new or existing, will open the assembler window and don't work if I manually load asm.

One clue is that removing the old mplab project from the subdirectory stops it working, but creating a new project for new or existing files doesn't work.

I tried reinstalling the programs in a different order, following the tutorials and instructions to the letter. Paths are set correctly in environmental variables, and language suite is apparently correct. Tried it with and without the mpasm box checked.

There are similar problems on the forums, but none of the solutions have worked. Help very much appreciated.

Windoze2Ksp4/ MCS+ 2.2.1.1/ PBP 2.46

2) I understand that a large part of the problem is that my setup comes from four different vendors. I am an automation engineer and regularly use pics, but every time there's the slightest upgrade I have to jump through hoops just to make it work again.

It's not a money issue, but compared to my other programming environments (Visual Basic, RealBasic on Mac) I seem to have spent more money on programming pics and am rewarded by absolutely zero support. If I changed to a more integrated solution (such as Proton), do these problems go away?

Thanks for your help.

[mister_e]

Nope, nothing is perfect, all company have their own problem... Proton too.

So does it works at least in Microcode studio?

Did you install the MPLAB plug-ins?
http://melabs.com/support/mplab.htm

Did you installed ANY Microchip C compiler on your machine?

It's kinda strange, i reformat my hard drives 2,3 times in a year and never get ANY installation problems...

[kenif]

Thanks for coming back.

Yes, have that plug-in. No C at all.

I've never used MCS to program directly. It will drive a picstart plus?

[mister_e]

Nope it won't drive PicStart directly. But now i see what you want to do....

With the latest MPLAB version, there's no more ways to launch PICStart from MCS. So what you need to do, is to compile in MCS, then in MPLAB, enable PICSTART, Choose your PIC device, then IMPORT the compiled .HEX file. Once done you just program your PIC.

It's sounds long to do but it works here.

OR you may try PICp...
http://home.pacbell.net/theposts/picmicro/
In theory it's suppose to work, but i've never tried it myself.

Don't give up, you're close!

[kenif]

Well, that's part of the problem...

If I open blink.pbp and then hit compile and program, it all works fine. If I open mplab and import hex or open asm, it won't program.

[mister_e]

when you says you import the .hex file, are you using File >> import in the MPLAB top menu?

[kenif]

OK, fixed it thanks to Mr Rentron.

It was the fuses in the include file. Whatever my old mplab settings were it used to burn fine. Now it's set up to use mpasm and I tweaked the include files to forward the settings.

With the right include settings it now works importing hex and building from asm.

I've ordered an MeLabs U2 to burn directly from MCS which should help get me away from the mplab upgrades.

Thanks for your help mister_e.