Go back to the 'System Utilities' screen (Figure 5) and choose 'Set Dealer Information.' Enter your name your phone number (without dashes) as your 'Code' and choose your country. You can find a copy of Acrobat Reader on the VCM DVD under 'Other Tools.' You should consider installing it prior to installing the IDS software. It does not install Adobe Acrobat Reader, but does use some PDF files. It will take up around 900 megabytes (MB) for IDS and another 1.1 gigabytes (GB) for the calibration files on your hard drive. You will need to be sure that you have adequate hard drive space to install this program - with all of its calibration files, it is quite large. I have not found this step necessary in any installation that I have performed, but if you want to do it their way, just make sure that the machine is not connected to the Internet until after the installation is completed. This is one of the CYA things I mentioned. You are going to be told to turn off your virus protection, firewall, etc.

When you put the disc in the machine, the installation program should launch automatically. Don't worry we will get you updated to the most current version after the initial installation is complete. But you must perform the initial installation from this disc so that all of the reflashing and calibration databases are on your machine. This disc will be outdated, as Ford is constantly updating this software and seems to have a program update just about every week. But because that doesn't include us, I am going provide you with some tips and pictures of some of the things you will see during installation.įirst and most importantly, you will need the installation DVD that came with the VCM tool. It is built for an environment where the user is familiar with its layout. Long pauses that look more like a computer lock-up are not uncommon. This software has a considerable amount of CYA - standard legal language - built into its install routine, and it generally does not tell you much about what it is doing either during installation or anytime thereafter until around version 48. So let's stay on topic, and make this tool work for you.

However, rather than get too far into the minutia that we techies love, I have decided that there are far more of you that are trying to determine either if you want a factory scan tool or how to make it work.

It is clear that many of you are absolute experts with your scan tools. Since Part 1 of this series was published, I have received several messages from readers.

Ford vcm 2 calibration files