Rika Website

[Lenny]

Does Rika still has a website? I went to www.rika1.com and it's now some British gambling website.
I have Rika 3.9 software and wanted to check if there is anything newer. My XP laptop is on its last leg. I am not sure if that software will work in Windows 10.

[ChipEck]

All I could find is this link to their manual.
http://www.skydebaneforeningen.dk/Files ... lisch1.pdf

At the bottom they have an address and phone number.

Chip

[ghostrip]

you could try http://eigenbrod-schiessanlagen.de/index.php?id=2&L=2

[Lenny]

you could try http://eigenbrod-schiessanlagen.de/index.php?id=2&L=2

I seen that, it's for Rika target carriers. I am trying to find the downloads and info for their Electronic Trainers. They had it on the web, I wonder what happened to it.

[Rutty]

Lenny,

I recall that RIKA stopped manufacturing their trainer some considerable time ago so it wouldn’t surprise me that they’ve stopped supporting it altogether. V3.9 does ring a bell and that may well be the final iteration of the software.

It’s pity that it was never developed as it does have some nice features, but unfortunately nothing that might be described as “killer app”. I suspect that its configuration with the big interface box may have been the problem. That said, it’s still perfectly satisfactory for about 75% of trainer users.

Rutty

[Lenny]

Lenny,

I recall that RIKA stopped manufacturing their trainer some considerable time ago so it wouldn’t surprise me that they’ve stopped supporting it altogether. V3.9 does ring a bell and that may well be the final iteration of the software.

It’s pity that it was never developed as it does have some nice features, but unfortunately nothing that might be described as “killer app”. I suspect that its configuration with the big interface box may have been the problem. That said, it’s still perfectly satisfactory for about 75% of trainer users.

Rutty

Thanks Rutty. It's still works well for me. I will have to make do with old laptop if Windows 10 will not work. My unit is USB compatible.

[John Marchant]

You could try running the laptop in compatiblity mode, that might work. I used to like the features on Rika, but gave up and acquired a Scatt three years ago.

[Lenny]

You could try running the laptop in compatiblity mode, that might work. I used to like the features on Rika, but gave up and acquired a Scatt three years ago.

How do I do that? I am not familiar with compatibility mode. Just tried installing Rika 3.9 software on Windows10 laptop and got a message at the start this software will not work.
Thanks.

[John Marchant]

Hi Lenny,
Sorry I misinformed you, it should have read "try running the software in an earlier version compatability mode", however thinking about it further, that probably only nowadays refers to using Win 7.
You might be able to install and run XP in virtual mode and then run the Rika software in the virtual XP.
That's quite a bit of faffing around, but it might be worth it in the end.

[Rutty]

Or, look around for and old Dell Latitude or similar and use that to run your RIKA.

Rutty

[SamEEE]

Virtual machines can be good to run older operating systems, Oracle VirtualBox is quite straightforward. Plenty of literature available online if you want to learn how to set one up.

[rmca]

You could try running the laptop in compatiblity mode, that might work. I used to like the features on Rika, but gave up and acquired a Scatt three years ago.

How do I do that? I am not familiar with compatibility mode. Just tried installing Rika 3.9 software on Windows10 laptop and got a message at the start this software will not work.
Thanks.

Right click the installer icon, select "Properties", and then select the compatibillity tab.
Start by selecting "run in" -> XP SP3, and click the box where it says "run in administrater mode" and the bottom of the tab.

Play around with those settings and see if it solves the problem.
If not, a virtual machine will. They are a bit more complicated to install, but with a little google, anyone can do it.

Hope this helps

[Lenny]

Thanks fellas. I tried compatibility mode feature, couldn't get it to work. I think it's one of those features that are used as a selling point, but aren't really meant to work. Windows can easily make their software compatible with older versions of programs, but obviously they don't want to. People are giving up on upgrading, because no one needs a headache and newer features are simply not needed for 99% of the public.
I will dedicate my current XP laptop to Rika and use Windows 10 laptop for everything else. Problem solved. I use a dedicated Win98 computer at work to run a few very important programs and that works out well. Many people do the same.

[David Levene]

I use a dedicated Win98 computer at work to run a few very important programs and that works out well. Many people do the same.

Yep, it was the last Windows version that let you run a program in pure DOS (rather than in a DOS window or VM).

[nglitz]

I have a Rika system and run it from a laptop. The 8-bit software 3.9 is the latest and the company has no intention of making a more modern version. It will run directly on an older machine that runs XP (and maybe older). It can also run on a windows 7 machine in virtual XP mode. That's what I'm doing. I also needed an adapter to change the serial port output of the Rika to USP to match my old HP laptop. You'll need Win 7 professional or greater, Win 7 home will not work, no virtual XP capability. Also limit the baud rate to 9600, that's the top end for Rika. Faster and it chokes.

I think the optimum setup would be to search ebay or similar for an old, cheeep XP machine. Keep it off the internet so that Microsoft won't constantly tell you to upgrade to Win 10. A desktop would likely have a serial port that the Rika will probably plug directly into, but the USB adapter seems to work OK for me.

Best of luck.

[Lenny]

Norm,
I am on my second Rika. First one needed serial port or adapter for USB. My current Rika hardware is USB ready. I also have XP laptop to run it on. I was looking to upgrade to Windows 10 and retire XP laptop, but it looks like this is not going to happen. I am still in business with my current set up.
Lenny

[GaryN]

I use an old laptop for my RIKA.
Best of all the old laptops are CHEAP.
And as said, load XP, then keep it OFF the web, and you should be fine.