Does anyone have a solid recipe for changing from RS232 DB25 to my laptops USB? I only have USB ports on my laptop. Using Fastool IMS 16 bit software.

I have tried a few of them, the ALURATEK is the best one i have tried. I use it with my toshiba notebook. it is 99 percent reliable. also have the TRIPPlite Keyspan model UHS-19 it also works, but does get squirrelly on occasion. It is nice not to have to use the adapters. you can get a descent XP laptop on ebay for about 100-150 bucks
the dell d520 is great for what you are doing. also the d520 has a removable cd drive that you can remove and replace with a floppy drive for about 20 bucks. just in case you need to load the floppy on the tac 20 jobs you may have.

Thanks. I am a bit ignorant on the Dover/TKE equipment. I have spent most of my 20 years with Otis. I ordered a cable. Will see if I can establish com with one of my units.

Funny, I have 2 Dell laptops from Ebay. One with XP for this software and the other with Win 7. They both work great.