WANTED: Windows 7 laptop with working USB port...

[jack]

Any got a working windows 7 laptop they no longer need. Must be running windows 7 and have a working USB port...

I need that version to run some diagnostics for our old Volvo ..

Thanks!

[Nick]

Maybe a Virtual Image would be a better way of doing it? Oracle Virtual Box seems to work just fine with USB integration from outside to inside the VM.

[jack]

Unfortunately all I have as a laptop is a MacBook air M1 running Parallels, which doesn't seem to like W7

[brig001]

I run Windows XP on a MacBook Air using VMWare Fusion I think. Not with it just now, so can't check
Don't see why it wouldn't run Windows 7, but don't know what it does with USB

Brian

[jack]

Is yours an M1 or M2 MacBook Air?

[brig001]

Neither, it’s 7 years old, so intel
Hmm, don’t know if it would work on Apple silicon

[jack]

It doesn't! There is no W7 or W10 M1 variant available.

[brig001]

There might be:
https://9to5mac.com/2022/11/18/vmware-f ... e-silicon/

DIET. No, sorry, Win 11 only

[brig001]

Not a laptop, but could run headless (once set up) and VNC/RDP/whatever into it
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/266781055022 ... R9rzvvjtYw

Brian

[jack]

I appreciate the idea, but this has to operate whilst I'm driving, so has to be a laptop.

There's a guy on eBay selling refurbished W7 SP1 laptops for around £50, so I've bought one of those. With the VIDA software installed and the special Volvo DICE ODB reader, that'll do the trick nicely. When I'm done, I should also be able to resell the setup for around £180 - £200.

On the way back from Tunbridge Wells on Friday, the car died completely in Tesco's car park - SWMBO had to find some jump leads and drive over to allow me to jump-start the car. The on the way home pretty much every warning light came on, including "Brake system failure - STOP NOW" on the screen. It finally ground to a halt on a steep hill about 1km from home. A very nice guy in a Hilux towed me home.

Charged the battery overnight and all seems well again. Main issue is definitely in the battery charging area - the alternator is a refurbished one only a year old, so should be ok. The Volvo owners forums said that the only way to narrow down the issues is to use VIDA/DICE, hence this quest. A Volvo dealer charges £80+VAT each time to read or reset codes, so forking out around £100 for a refurbished laptop plus the special ODB adapter is what everyone does. The VIDA 2014D s/w is available for free on the web.