Ok here is how to use a USB based Windows only diagnostic program on a Linux computer. -- however you need a puka copy of Windows

This has been tested on Crecorder and LPG gas diagnostic interfaces but should work for just about any USB based device.

Having tried to do it under Wine and the open source version of VirtualBox I got it working using the closed source version of VirtualBox

(1) A computer running Linux --- tested on Mint Gloria so should work on Ubuntu
(2) Set up the closed source version of Sun Virtual Box --- free download from Sun Virtualbox website -- must be Sun closed source version as open source version won't let you use USB ports.
(3) Create a windows virtual machine -- for this you need real Windows disks not system restore discs tied to individual PC hardware.
(4) Install Virtualbox Guest additions -- menu click from the virtual windows PC
(5) In the Virtualbox manger enable USB for the virtual Windows Machine
(6) Restart the Virtual Windows Machine
(7) Install the Windows diagnostic software and USB device driver on the virtual machine.
(8) Plug in the USB interface device
(9) In the vitual machine click on the "Devices" menu then the "USB Devices" tab and enable the interface device you have just plugged in --- important enable only this device as enabling other USB devices such as a USB mouse already shared with host operating system will lock the system up.
(9) You can now start the software and the interface should work exactly as it would in Windows.






[Edited on 14/6/09 by britishtrident]

Thanks for the info.

Hi
My lpg software (Lovato fast easy !) runs under windows and I have only linux and mac machines so I scrounged a netbook with XP from my son which had a virus,created DVDs to restore to factory settings from a small recovery partition on the hard drive.Then I crippled network access in xp and reduced its partition to 20gb using a live Gparted CD .Installed the LPG software and it works fine.I then installed Linux Mint mate in the remaining 120gb which allows you to install alongside XP (Dual Boot) and I now hopefully have a safe system that gives me the choice of booting into Mint for normal use or XP on occasions I need to look at the LPG system.
Rgds oldgit