My MINI VCI cable arrived several days ago, as user manual suggestion MINI VCI is supposed to work it with Windows XP, but to contrary the popular belief, I get it working under Windows 64-bit and would like to share the instructions, I hope it will save someone a headache of dealing with dual boot and virtual machines with Windows XP.
Package:
MINI VCI cable for TOYOTA TIS Techstream, I‘ve bought mine from OBDTool.co.uk for around €24.00. The cable is about 4’ long, with a box and “MINI-VCI J2534 Standard OBDII Communication Interface” sticker.
The cable comes with a mini CD with drivers and Toyota Techstream software; it is advertised as “Newest V8.30.023”. The “newest” refers to the version of bundled Techstream, rather than the cable firmware.
My Windows 64-bit Computer:
A laptop running 64-bit version of Windows 7/8. Mine is actually Windows 8 x64, but for Windows 7 the configuration procedure should be identical.
CD software and driver Copy or download
Copy the software and driver in the CD, and paste it into my local disk C, Note: you can paste into any one local disk as you like.
If you find your CD is broken in the delivery, don’t worry, OBDTool.co.uk has a software download website, link here: http://www.obd2vip.com/html/mini-vci-for-toyota-tis-techstream-free-download-223.html
Install MVCI Driver for TOYOTA
this is the step which most people stumble upon as “MVCI Driver for TOYOTA.msi” installer indeed does not work on Windows x64. The workaround is to install it manually, as follows:
a. Open Command Prompt in Administrator Mode. Navigate to the c:temp folder and run the following command line:
msiexec /a “C:tempMVCI Driver for TOYOTA.msi” /qb TARGETDIR=c:tempmvci
This will extract the content of the MSI file to the c:tempmvci folder:
b. Delete the “MVCI Driver for TOYOTA.msi” there and then copy the whole
content of c:tempmvci to “C:Program Files (x86)XHorse ElectronicsMVCI Driver for TOYOTA TIS”
c. Plug the MINI VCI cable to the USB port.
d. Open the Device Manager and locate two failing devices in the list. Both will appear with yellow icon (usually under “Other”), indicating that Windows failed to install drivers for them. Now, right click each failing device, select Install Driver, then “Browse my Computer…” and point it for “C:Program Files (x86)XHorse ElectronicsMVCI Driver for TOYOTA TIS” (enable the “include subfolders” flag). Click “Next” and wait until drivers are installed.
You should now see two new devices: “Universal Serial Bus ControllersUSB Serial Converter” and “Ports (COM & LPT)USB Serial Port (COM5)”.
e. Run the FirmwareUpdateTool.exe from the “C:Program Files (x86)XHorse ElectronicsMVCI Driver for TOYOTA TIS”. Click “Device Info”. You should see the “device connected” screen like this:
If you see this, it means your MINI VCI is up and running under Windows x64 and can be used by other programs, such as Techstream.
IMPORTANT: Some people have reported that updating firmware on this “cheap clone” cable may render it dead. So, the Firmware Update Tool should not be used for anything, but checking that the device is connected and working properly.
2. Now install Techstream software using “Techstream 8.30.023.exe” and then update to 8.10 with “Techstream_Update_V8.10.021.exe”. Do not launch it yet.
To activate it, copy the IT3System.ini you extracted before to “C:Program Files (x86)Toyota DiagnosticsTechstreamEnv”.
Alternatively, you may copy two files from the C:Program Files (x86)XHorse ElectronicsMVCI Driver for TOYOTA TISProgramFilesFolderToyota DiagnosticsTechstreamEnv” to “C:Program Files (x86)Toyota DiagnosticsTechstreamEnv”, which seem to do the trick as well.
3. Registry Hack: for Techstream to recognize MINI-VCI under Windows x64, the Registry has to be modified as:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREWow6432NodePassThruSu pport.04.04]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREWow6432NodePassThruSu pport.04.04XHorse – MVCI]
“Name”=”XHorse – MVCI”
“Vendor”=”XHorse ELECTRONICS Co.,Ltd.”
“ConfigApplication”=”C:\Program Files (x86)\XHorse Electronics\MVCI Driver for TOYOTA TIS\FirmwareUpdateTool.exe”
“FunctionLibrary”=”C:\Program Files (x86)\XHorse Electronics\MVCI Driver for TOYOTA TIS\MVCI32.dll”
“APIVersion”=”04.04″
“ProductVersion”=”1.1.0″
“ProtocolsSupported”=”J1850VPW:1, J1850PWM:1, CAN:1, ISO9141:1, ISO14230:1, ISO15765:1″
“J1850VPW”=dword:00000001
“J1850PWM”=dword:00000001
“ISO9141″=dword:00000001
“ISO14230″=dword:00000001
“CAN”=dword:00000001
“ISO15765″=dword:00000001
“SCI_A_ENGINE”=dword:00000000
“SCI_A_TRANS”=dword:00000000
“SCI_B_ENGINE”=dword:00000000
“SCI_B_TRANS”=dword:00000000
The attached “mvci-x64.zip” contains the *.REG file that has to be imported to the Registry (extract, right click, then Merge)
A trick here is the “Wow6432Node” in key path, which is the location the 32-bit applications running on 64-bit OS get redirected to when accessing Registry. The “PassThruSupport.04.04″ seems to be the place Techstream looks into for available VIMs (sub-keys appear in the “VIM Select” menu in Techstream).
4. Run Techstream. Go to Setup | VIM Select menu and select the “XHorse – MVCI”
5. Connect MVCI cable to your car’s OBDII interface, turn ignition on, then click “Connect to Vehicle” in Techstream. Wait. Then wait again (by the way, you’ll be doing that a lot with this cable ). If everything works, you will be prompted to confirm car year/model after which you’ll get to the diagnostic interface.
The built-in Techstream cable diagnostics shows:
So far, I tested the cable with 2013 4Runner, 2004 Sienna and 1997 Camry LE/4cyl, and it seems to work fine with all of them. Absence of (L) line connection means no support for ECU re-flashing (which is not something I’m comfortable doing myself anyway). Option customization/clearing DTC is possible (already verified).
Overall, not bad for a €24.00 gadget, in my opinion.
