Windows 8 (64 Bit) / ISE Design Suite 14.4 (64 Bit)

[Felix]

So, it seems that Windows 8 (64 Bit) and ISE Design Suite 14.4 (64 Bit) don't get along.

 

If you try to open a new project or add a source, it crashes.

 

I am not sure if there is an easy way to switch to 32 bit from 64 bit, but here is how I

ended up fixing my problem.

 

You can edit your desktop shortcut to point to

C:\Xilinx\14.4\ISE_DS\settings32.bat C:\Xilinx\14.4\ISE_DS\ISE\bin\nt\ise.exe

 

and in the registry

 

/* probably not necessary but it doesnt hurt.

Computer\HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\isefile\DefaultIcon

Computer\HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\System Generator Project\DefaultIcon

change 'nt64' to 'nt'

*/

 

Computer\HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\isefile\shell\open\Command

Computer\HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\System Generator Project\shell\open\Command

Computer\HKLM\SOFTWARE\Classes\XPS_GUI\shell\open\Command

change 'settings64.bat' to 'settings32.bat'

 

there are a few other keys you can change.. just look for 'xilinx' in the registry and

edit those (intellipoint, intellitype etc),  but the ones listed are what i changed and they work for me

 

Windows 8 is turning out to be such a pain that I have considered going to a straight Linux (CentOS 6.3) setup.

Only downside is that my MUD Client wouldn't work...

[alvieboy]

try wine for your MUD client

[Jack Gassett]

I've been very disappointed with Windows 8, I've been seriously considering downgrading to Windows 7 again. The problem with ISE was one of the big problems... I found that using the 32-bit version of ISE under Windows 8 worked, but its good to have this work around instead.

 

Thanks,

Jack.

[james1095]

I've been very disappointed with Windows 8, I've been seriously considering downgrading to Windows 7 again. The problem with ISE was one of the big problems... I found that using the 32-bit version of ISE under Windows 8 worked, but its good to have this work around instead.

 

Thanks,

Jack.

 

I've been using Windows since 3.0 and Win8 is the first one that has struck me as a major step backwards. I can't begin to imagine what they were thinking when some of the design decisions were made. If you add a third party start menu replacement and spend a good deal of time customizing, you can end up with what is essentially a hobbled, stripped down Windows 7, at which point why bother? Win8 is a steaming pile IMHO, it makes Vista and Win Me look spectacular. It's as if MS refused to acknoledge that many, many people still use conventional desktop and laptop PCs for something besides mindless surfing. Sales are only slowing because for the first time in history, PCs are powerful enough that few people need to upgrade regularly, also the market is saturated, everyone already has one (or more).

[OmniTechnoMancer]

Sales are also slowing because the other devices can accomplish enough of the task most people would have a PC for that they dont need to buy a new one all the time.  There will always be a need for an actual desktop environment because there will always be people who use desktops for serious work, however for many people the PC will no longer be the tool they use for their every day computer use.

 

I'm not sure if they have removed it but AFAIK there was some registry hack to get the win7 start menu back or something.

 

I too am sad that microsoft seems to have missed the point, I was actually hoping that winRT would be the first tablet OS that is actually a real useful OS with an open market one which you can run programs just like a desktop, and even program on it if you feel like it, unfortunately they just hopped on the tablets are giant phones bandwagon.

[neslekkim]

Did anyone try the 14.5 version, if that works better?

[alex]

I've stayed away from Win 8 from the get go. What I did try last night was to install Vivado WebPack as this seems to be the new fancy IDE from Xilinx going forward, even lets you automagically translate C code to RTL. Turns out I should have read the release notes instead of just watching the youtube videos. Vivado only supports  Artix and Kintex FPGAs so no support for Spartan 3 and 6. After uninstalling it I went to ISE 14.5

[Jack Gassett]

I've stayed away from Win 8 from the get go. What I did try last night was to install Vivado WebPack as this seems to be the new fancy IDE from Xilinx going forward, even lets you automagically translate C code to RTL. Turns out I should have read the release notes instead of just watching the youtube videos. Vivado only supports  Artix and Kintex FPGAs so no support for Spartan 3 and 6. After uninstalling it I went to ISE 14.5

 

Ha! That one got me too, I was all excited and then a bit disappointed that Spartan 6 was not supported.

[james1095]

That's something that has annoyed me about Xilinx, although Altera is not really any better. Older versions of their programmable logic being unsupported in newer versions of the software. Perhaps there is a lot of overhead to support older chips, but the Spartan2 for example is only supported in versions of ISE up to 9 or something. I realize nobody is going to use ancient parts in a new product, but there is the matter of tracking down the right software to support updates to an existing product, and I salvaged several Spartan2 chips from work that I've wanted to put to use. Given the entire install of the older versions of ISE is only a few hundred megabytes I'd have thought they could have included legacy support in the bloated 10+ gigabyte current versions.

[OmniTechnoMancer]

I believe they tend to do this to force the use of newer products and force the market to be a rapidly evolving one. I was recently bitten by this when I was given a virtex 2 board for my university project as though I could get a webpack version that supported it I couldn't really get it to work right on win7 and cant get 64 bit drivers and such, and they no longer license the full version I believe.

[neslekkim]

When we are into this ISE, What is the biggest chip in spartan 3 and spartan 6 family that can be used in the free version?

[james1095]

I don't know off the top of my head, but it's pretty easy to check by looking at the selection dropdown.

 

Likewise one can experiment to see how their design fits in different FPGAs by selecting them in the project. You don't have to have the part in hand in order to compile for it.

[neslekkim]

Well, color me stupid, but I would guess that if you install the free version of webpack (which I havent yet), then you cannot chose projects for chips that is not supported the free version..

If that was possible, I'm good, but actually, that is what I'm asking you people that have everything on hand.. before I get my computer dirty..

[suma]

Hi,

 

try xilinx 14.6, you can find it here

 

http://appliedelectronicsengineering.blogspot.com/

[hamster]

Why not get it from the official source (XIlinx?) You'll need to get a license file anyway,...

[neslekkim]

Yes official source is what I would use, but my initial quesiton, it seems like the support for various chips changes with versions of ISE, so what I tried to find out is which is the biggest supported in the free edition.

I guess I cannot use my spartan6 lx150 yet? (Not that I know what to use it for though.. )

[hamster]

The device support is detailed at http://www.xilinx.com/publications/matrix/Software_matrix.pdf. Spartan 6 LX75T is the largest Spartan 6 with webpack support

[neslekkim]

That link directs me here http://www.xilinx.com/about/xcell-publications/index.htm

But I see hidden in your link that LX75T is the biggest, is this because it's still new?, since it seems like the bigger Spartan3 is supported?, but they are old and slow?

In comparision, how is the gatecount etc on the Zynq series compared?, and supported by the free software?

 

(There are lot of outdated bitcoin mining rigs out there with 2-4 spartan6 lx150 on them, which could be interresting platforms for thinkering)

[alex]

I don't think bit coin mining rigs would be good for tinkering. since they were specifically designed for mining they were only interested in the internal capabilities of the FPGA so none of the pins are broken out to headers so you can't connect anything to the FPGA.

I bought an old prime sense FPGA board on eBay for $120. it has a Virtex 5 and literally a few hundred pins of the FPGA go to various connectors around the board. I just tested it a few days ago by connecting a JTAG interface to it an uploading a simple design to flash the 8 LEDs on board and it worked fine. Oh yeah and the Virtex FPGA, a LX50 is supported by the free ISE webpack.

[neslekkim]

the Ztex series might not be interresting since there are almost no gpio, but this type https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=79835.0 have a few io available.