PSA: VFtuner software update required to connect from now on

Apparently even legacy (wired) customers will need to update the software to use it any more. When I went to the download page on their website it shows two different versions but both links are the same, so it seems they were lazy and instead of updating the webpage images/text to explain that everything is in one version now they simply just made both links the same. I guess.

From their fb post:



Full PDF URL here:

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0885/5830/files/V3_Press_Release-4.pdf?v=1725750153

 

Will we need to go through the registration process to upload a tune and match the tactrix to the program again? Asking because im having the supercharger installed next monday and i dont want to get to the shop and find out i cant tune the truck before the install.

 

just plugged in, i cant access vs tuner.

i just uninstalled and updated and it looks like i have access without needing to get helpdesk involved.

 

Wonderful.
I wonder how quickly the hot fixes and updates will come for this new v3.0.0 release.
I would stay with my last of the v2.x releases, except the press release says it will no longer work.

 

Good to have this tested since the instructions say you have to uninstall all previous versions prior to installing the new one. I don't want to lose my tune pack files that I bought way back when for $300 or so, so would like to know if they have updated those to work with the new version and if it is a different download or are they included now...

 

I was very hesitant to uninstall because I just wasn't sure if I would have to re register and wait for helpdesk to give me access again.

 

Never make a system change late on a Friday afternoon.
When the merde hits the air moving device, support has all gone home.

 

Is there some sort of trick to installing 3.0? I uninstalled the 1.7 I had on my laptop, and 3.0 keeps failing throughout the install...

 

My install was straightforward. Maybe restart the computer after uninstalling

 

Just got it figured out with the help of my old tuner. Anti virus software was flagging it.

 

Were you able to update your wi-flash firmware?

My 3.0.1.1 failed 100%
The developer is rewriting the software again over this weekend.

I cannot update firmware nor is my existing license recognized. It tells me I am connected to a different vehicle.

In short, I am dead in the water until they get more fixes in place.

 

My laptop kept flagging it as a virus or malicious software, I had to disable that to get it to open. Make sure to right click on vftuner and choose "run as administrator" and the first time I opened it updated to version 3.0.2 or something like that. My laptop is windows 11 for reference, and going into the security settings there was a tab on the left for anti virus software I went into and that allowed me to temporarily disable it from running when opening programs

 

I don’t use wiflash, I have legacy.

 

I'm still balls deep in my problems with v3.

It is coming to light that my problems are tied to running a Windows version older than Win10.

I have suggested to the developer that he write a version check into VF Tuner at startup.
Gracefully advise the user than Win10 or higher is required, then exit.
Turbo Tax, Quickbooks, Lacerte and many others have a graceful notification and exit and refuse to run on anything lower than Win10.

I have specific needs to run Win 8.1 Pro that far exceed any occasional need for VF Tuner.
Tomorrow I will set up the latest Win10 build and try again.

 

This is an absolute necessity, even if you are running directly on the Administrator account.

Different versions of Windows allow more relaxed security when the "Run As Administrator" launch method is used.
The higher the windows version, the more restrictions are placed even on the admin account.
If you launch from an icon, inspect the properties of the launch icon for "Run As Administrator"

 

On Windows10, I had to turn off Windows Defender and run the installer as Admin to get everything to install correctly. Seems it still recognized my PC without issue.

 

As of this writing, there is no Windows version check in the code or installer.
It will let you install on Windows versions below Win10, but the code will fail.
This leads to many hours of fruitless bug chasing.

Windows versions older than Win10 install downlevel wi-flash USB drivers from the cp210.exe package.
This is working as designed, but those drivers are incompatible with v3 of the vftune application.
Firmware update fails because of this.
Win10+ is mandatory.

I had to abandon using my laptop for vftuner because it is Windows 8.1 and not Win10.
I have very specific business needs to stay at Win 8.1 on this machine.

Instead, I built a Win10 Pro desktop machine at the most recent version of Win10 and its maintenance.
Windows Defender flags the VFTuner installer as a virus, so it must be disabled.

Ensure the user account you are using is a member of the Administrators group.
Running from the Administrator account is not enough.

You must launch the VFTuner installer and application program using "Run as Administrator"
Doing both of these is critical for correct operation and creation of the log files.

From the installer, check the box to allow for creation of a desktop shortcut icon
Do NOT launch VF Tuner from the installer, more work needs to be done.

Inspect the properties of the short cut icons just created.
Check the ADVANCED properties.
Ensure the "Run as Administrator" box is checked, or you will have problems.
Do the same check on the shortcut icon in the program files menu.
The installer does not check the "Run as Administrator" box at installation time, even though it is required for proper operation.
The alternative launch method is navigating directly to C:\Program Files(x86)\vftuner directory.

Connect the wi-Flash USB device to the computer.

Always launch vftuner.exe using "Run As Administrator"
This will launch the user GUI interface.

The wi-Flash device must be connected to get to here.
This is where vftuner checks your license ID which is tied to the wi-flash device.

In the GUI open the HELP | Check Updates
Download the latest fixes and let them install.
This will restart vftuner.
It is not clear if this restart uses "Run as Administrator" or not.
Myself, I close it after the update, then launch again using "Run as Administrator" just to be sure.

Ignore the splash screens that displays v2.
Even though the program is v3.x, the splash v2 is for the GUI design, and not the code version.
This threw me off early in the debug process, thinking I was still installing v2.5 code.
You can inspect the Properties of the vftuner.exe file itself to see the code version.

I installed vftuner in a current Windows 10 virtual machine as a test.
The code has a polite message that it won't run in a virtualized environment, then exits.
This polite check is well done, and as it should be.

The desktop machine I built for vftuner v3 is not wireless.
I will have to fabricate a CAT5 cable long enough to reach from my router to the truck.
This is a project for another day.

Fortunately for me, I previously flashed my truck using vftuner v2.5 code and the Mild/Medium ECT tuning file.
Compared to factory stock, the results are simply wonderful.

 

F... so i need to update from Win7 to Win10 to use VFT now? Ahhhh (i usually do all this stuff off my old laptop...)

 

My Win10 account is part of the Administrators group and I was able to just double-click the v3.0 installer and it ran fine. Defender popped up of course but after I clicked the Advanced/Ignore sequence the installer ran fine without having to right-click and do run-as on it. It also updated itself fine. Then I rebooted and tried to launch it from the desktop icon and it opened and ran perfectly. I'm not sure if the tuner pack files were included with it or not, or if they were updated automagically or if I need to re-download them, etc...

 

I looked in the folder and mine had included all the stock tune packs as well as the newly released TSB version. Not that there’s anything exciting about that, but they were there.