Ian Simmons launched Kicking the Seat in 2009, one week after seeing Nora Ephron’s Julie & Julia. His wife proposed blogging as a healthier outlet for his anger than red-faced, twenty-minute tirades (Ian is no longer allowed to drive home from the movies).
The Kicking the Seat Podcast followed three years later and, despite its “undiscovered gem” status, Ian thoroughly enjoys hosting film critic discussions, creating themed shows, and interviewing such luminaries as Gaspar Noé, Rachel Brosnahan, Amy Seimetz, and Richard Dreyfuss.
Ian is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association. He also has a family, a day job, and conflicted feelings about referring to himself in the third person.
If the driver installs successfully but your programming software says "Cannot open port" or "Connection failed":
Once installed correctly:
Windows 10 loves to “help” by updating drivers via Windows Update, breaking your working GEV189. To stop this: usb download cable gev189 driver windows 10 upd
Open Device Manager. Right-click the malfunctioning GEV189 device > Uninstall device. Check “Delete driver software for this device”. Then unplug the cable.
For legacy equipment that absolutely requires the old driver, install VirtualBox or VMware with Windows 7. Pass the USB device through to the VM. The old driver will work there. If the driver installs successfully but your programming
| Symptom | Likely Cause | Solution | |---------|--------------|----------| | Code 10 (Device cannot start) | Counterfeit Prolific chip & new driver | Use older driver (v3.3.2.105) with signature enforcement off, or buy genuine cable | | No COM port appears | Missing or wrong chip driver | Identify chip via Hardware IDs – download matching driver | | Driver installs but programming software fails | Wrong baud rate or flow control | Match port settings to device specifications | | Device disappears after reboot | Windows Update replaced driver | Use Group Policy or “Driver – Block automatic update” |
| Symptom | Solution |
|---------|----------|
| Code 10 (Device cannot start) | Chip is old HXA/RA – cable is e-waste on Windows 10. |
| Code 52 (Unsigned driver) | Use Windows 10 test mode (bcdedit /set testsigning on) – risky. |
| No COM port appears after install | Try different USB port, replace USB cable (if detachable), check for physical damage. | Open Device Manager
If your cable uses the Prolific chipset, Windows 10 often attempts to install a driver automatically, but it may fail with a "Code 10" error because newer drivers do not support older chip revisions.