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I found this question: Lego Mindstorms RCX RIS 2.0 IR tower Windows 7 / Windows XP driver and I wanted to ask if someone found a solution. But due to my lack of reputation I couldn't create a comment asking ... further my system differs to the original post.
Kind regards
As many of the RIS 2.0 questions here suggest, you may be better off finding a different way of talking to that pedigree of brick.
Virtual machines and other operating systems running other software are your best choices at this time. Running old, unsigned 32-bit drivers on Windows 10 presents a nearly impossible set of hurdles just to push a few bytes to a brick.
I maintain a fork of NQC, for example, and I'm pretty sure I'll never try to get the USB tower part of that updated for Windows 64-bit.
Another option is to find a classic serial tower and use a USB to serial dongle. I've had some success on that on OS X and earlier Windows releases.
Robotic Invention System 2.0
Hello. I found this blog as I just upgraded my Mac with an Intel processor to one with an M1 processor. I was running RIS 2.0 and Mindstorms NXT on Windows XP through Parallels. Unfortunately, the new version of Parallels for the M1 processor no longer supports installing Windows XP.
But I just found a solution that worked for me. UTM is similar to Parallels and you have two options: make a virtual machine with Windows or emulate it. I took the option to emulate it and was able to install and run perfectly RIS 2.0, the Ultimate Builders Set, and NXT versions 1 and 2.
Requirements:
Install UTM on the Mac. Here is the link: https://mac.getutm.app
Have a CD with Windows XP and make an ISO (CD image). (You can search the internet for how to make an ISO from a CD or DVD.
You also need to make an ISO of each Software you want to install: RIS 2.0, NXT, etc.
Download the “capsule” for Windows XP from the following link and follow the installation instructions: https://mac.getutm.app/gallery/windows-xp
Once Windows XP is installed and you run it through UTM, you will see a gray symbol in the upper right part of the Windows window, like a CD.
You click on it and it is as if you “loaded” the CD, in this case, the RIS 2.0 ISO.
You have to select it from the folder where you have saved it.
Once you load it, the installation menu will come out automatically.
If this doesn't happen, go to My Computer, all within Windows XP, and select drive D, which is actually a virtual CD drive that loaded the RIS 2.0 ISO. You double click to start the installation.
Everything should install without problems.
The IR transmission tower MUST NOT BE CONNECTED UNTIL THE SOFTWARE HAS BEEN PROPERLY INSTALLED.
Once the program requests it, you connect the IR tower.
IMPORTANT. When the tower is connected, Windows has to recognize and install it. When you get the option to install it, you have to tell it that it will use the software that is on the virtual CD. (Sometimes the RIS install window is on top of the Windows window to install the tower. You'll have to find it by temporarily minimizing the RIS install window.) If Windows doesn't install it, the software won't recognize it.
If you do this correctly, the RIS 2.0 software will recognize the tower and you will no longer have a problem.
If you have the Mindstorms NXT ISO, the installation is even easier because you don't have to install the tower.
I think using a Raspberry Pi device might work well in this situation.
Here is a tutorial on how to install Windows 98 on a Raspberry Pi. https://magpi.raspberrypi.org/articles/run-windows-98-on-raspberry-pi-with-dosbox-x
Then install the old IR software onto that.
Plug IR Tower in and it could work.
I found this tutorial, too. https://minordiscoveries.wordpress.com/2014/01/20/using-nqc-on-a-raspberry-pi-to-program-a-lego-mindstorms-rcx-brick/
