I don't understand this quote coming from someone on behalf of Microsof. This posting is provided 'AS IS' with no warranties, and confers no rights. You should contact the manufacturer for information on their Windows 8 support plans. Please see the links in my original answer for information about how to access location. You cannot use the COM port directly in Windows 8. This has solved our problem in the short term, but with WindowsĨ being forced upon us both in marketing and hardware terms, what of the future? Where do we go when the current hardware fails? Why have Microsoft not included support for this feature which has worked well for decades? The newer Windows 8 laptops will not allow you to install Windows 7, and so in our case we had to return a new Toshiba Ultrabook and scrounge around for an older model supplied with Windows 7.

Franson say that they have no solution so we are forced to stay with Windows 7. These programs which detect GPS data on bluetooth or a USB port and distribute it to several programs via virtual ports simply will not function on Windows 8. Now our ability to input GPS data to our software via virtual port creation software such as Xport or Franson GPS

We, like many thousands of other seafarers have successfully run our navigation software on Windows platforms - until Windows 8 came along.

Microsoft streets and trips 2013 serial