I agree regarding the COM1-3, this is likely a limitation of the stock serial to USB driver we used for the controller chip set.
You would just need to go into settings in Vista and set it to a lower COM and set flow control to Xon/xoff.
I saw you mention virtualization, if you have a mac, we do have a mac version of the software as a free download, this tends to be much easier to use, I have never had to change anything, you just plug it in and it works.
For Windows 7, I have never used it, but Craig wrote up a document explaining the process for me and I will post it here-
"To run Compatibility Mode in Windows 7 first right click on the Tunze program icon and select Properties. From there select the Compatibility tab and choose to run the program under one of the Vista modes. If that doesn't fix it, try using the XP SP2 Compatibility Mode. If neither of these work then proceed below to change COM settings.
First open up the Control Panel and from there select the System and Security category. Towards the bottom of the list that appears you should see Device Manager. Click on Device Manager and a new window will open up. Look down the list for the Ports (COM&LPT) option and click the + sign to expand the list. If there is a Generic Device listed, right click on that and select Properties. (If there is not a Generic Device listed, then expand the Universal Serial Bus further down the list and see if you can find it there. If you do, right click and select Properties.)
Now choose the Port Settings tab and from there click Advanced. At the top of the new window you will be able to select a new Com Port Number. Assign it either 1, 2 or 3. Then click OK to exit that window. (Windows 7 should automatically register the change, but you may need to hit Refresh Devices or Scan for New Hardware from the Action menu above.)
Then try running the program again. If it still does not find the device, try restarting the computer and trying again.
Finally, if we still aren't having any luck, try updating the 7096 firmware. First uninstall the existing version of the 7096 software and then go to this page and download the software. When you run the program, you need to have the 7096 connected. This will update the firmware on the 7096. Please be patient and wait for this process to finish... otherwise the unit can be damaged. After this has completed, try running the newly installed software."
If it needs to be sent back, but don't send it directly back to the factory, they will refuse it as only the duties and customs clearance would amount to about $50, a distributor should consolidate it with his returns. Try the above and let me know and I would reach out to Xenia and see if they can help you and if not, I will see how the factory wants to handle this.
