Are you struggling to install the drivers for your budget-friendly OBD2 cable? Many users encounter the frustrating message “Windows can’t locate the drivers” even after manual installation attempts. If this sounds familiar, you’re in the right place. This guide will walk you through the process of successfully installing your Ftdi Obd2 Cable Driver, specifically for Windows 8.1, ensuring your diagnostic tool works flawlessly. We understand the frustration of spending hours searching for a solution, and this tutorial aims to be the clear and effective guide you’ve been looking for.
To begin, we need to access your Device Manager.
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Open Device Manager: Navigate to Control Panel — Hardware and Sound — Device Manager. This is your central hub for managing hardware connected to your computer.
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Locate Your OBDII Cable: Find your OBDII cable within the Device Manager list. It might be listed under “Other devices” or a similar category with a yellow exclamation mark indicating a driver issue. Double-click on the unknown device representing your OBDII cable to open its properties.
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Identify Hardware IDs: In the Properties window, go to the Details tab. Open the Dropdown Menu and select Hardware IDs. Note the PID (Product ID) number listed. It is commonly 0000 for generic cables. This PID is crucial for modifying the driver files.
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Download CDM v2.08.30 Drivers: Download the necessary drivers directly from FTDI’s website using this link: http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/CDM/CDM%20v2.08.30%20for%20Windows%208.1.zip. This specific version (CDM v2.08.30) is recommended for this procedure on Windows 8.1.
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Disable Driver Signature Verification: Windows often prevents installation of unsigned drivers. To bypass this temporarily, you need to disable driver signature verification. Go to Settings — Change PC Settings — Recovery — Advanced Startup — Restart. Your PC will restart into Advanced Startup options. From there, navigate to Troubleshoot — Advanced Options — Startup Settings — Restart — F7. Pressing F7 will select “Disable driver signature enforcement.”
Your computer will now restart with driver signature verification temporarily disabled, allowing us to install the modified drivers.
Modifying the Driver Files
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Open Driver Files: Locate the downloaded driver file (CDM v2.08.30 for Windows 8.1.zip) and extract its contents. Open the extracted folder.
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Edit ftdibus.inf: Find the file named
ftdibus.infand open it with a text editor like Notepad. -
Replace PID_6001 with PID_0000: Within
ftdibus.inf, find every instance ofPID_6001and replace it withPID_0000. This modification aligns the driver with the Hardware ID of your specific OBD2 cable. Use the “Find and Replace” function (Ctrl+H in Notepad) to ensure you replace all occurrences throughout the document. After replacing all instances, save the modifiedftdibus.inffile. -
Edit ftdiport.inf: Repeat step 8 for the file named
ftdiport.inf. Openftdiport.infand replace every instance ofPID_6001withPID_0000. Save the modifiedftdiport.inffile. -
Update Driver in Device Manager: Return to Device Manager and double-click on your OBDII cable device again. Select Update Driver — Browse my computer for driver software. In the file explorer window, navigate to the folder where you extracted the driver files (the folder containing the modified
ftdibus.infandftdiport.inffiles). Click “Next” to install the driver. You might need to perform this driver update process for both “USB Serial Converter” and “Ports (COM & LPT)” entries in Device Manager, depending on how your cable is recognized. -
Complete Setup and Enjoy: Once the driver installation is complete, configure your OBDII cable with your chosen diagnostic software as per its instructions. Your FTDI OBD2 cable should now be functioning correctly.
D-CAN Mode Consideration
For certain white chip OBD2 cables, manual activation of D-CAN mode might be necessary. If needed, you can use the following file to enable D-CAN mode: http://www.mediafire.com/download/35fnrnd3q3dvf3w/D-CAN.exe. It’s normal for the LED on the cable to turn off when D-CAN mode is activated.
We hope this comprehensive guide resolves your FTDI OBD2 cable driver installation issues and gets you connected to your vehicle’s diagnostics smoothly!
