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ForScan Equipment Requirements


Latebraking

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To kick off, I'm a Mac computer/Apple phone user. Hopefully, this doesn't inspire a bunch of useless, tribal, poop flinging responses..... 

 

That said, beyond just reading the parameters set for the truck, if you're out of luck as an apple user, if you want to make changes to the parameters. Am I correct abut that?  As it appears to me, not only do I need the OBDII reader, but I also need to get a windows computer to make the changes to things like turning off the double honk, enabling the 'bambi mode', etc.  Please correct me, if I'm wrong.  Please put me on the path necessary to make good use of ForScan's capabilities.

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I'm by no means a Forscan expert, never used it, but have done some research on it.

 

I am also a Mac Computer user and it is my understanding that you can use a Mac if you are running windows through boot camp. But I have never run that either.

 

I believe there is a version of Forscan for the iPone, but for monitoring only. And I believe you have to pay for that ap. You would also need to have the blue tooth version of the OBDII reader.

 

Not much help I know.....

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3 hours ago, Dog breath said:

You will need a laptop, dongle to plug into your truck and a 1year free  licence  for forescan. It’s been a few years for me but once you figure it out it’s a piece of cake

 

The dongle plugs into the OBDII, and then into the USB-A port on the laptop, correct?  I'm not always going to be near someone who has a windows laptop, so I'm going to have to look into getting a refurbished windows laptop just for doing this. Not optimal, but it's what's necessary.

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23 minutes ago, Latebraking said:

 

The dongle plugs into the OBDII, and then into the USB-A port on the laptop, correct?  I'm not always going to be near someone who has a windows laptop, so I'm going to have to look into getting a refurbished windows laptop just for doing this. Not optimal, but it's what's necessary.

Dongle plugs into the truck via OBDII, yes.  The connection from dongle to laptop can be USB, bluetooth, or Wi-Fi ad-hoc. 

 

Unless you're the type who likes to constantly tweak, you'll probably use Forscan once or twice and never touch it again.  That's the reason I recommended just borrowing a laptop.

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28 minutes ago, Forderorder said:

Dongle plugs into the truck via OBDII, yes.  The connection from dongle to laptop can be USB, bluetooth, or Wi-Fi ad-hoc. 

 

Unless you're the type who likes to constantly tweak, you'll probably use Forscan once or twice and never touch it again.  That's the reason I recommended just borrowing a laptop.

 

Yeah, I wish I had access like that to borrow one, but I gotta be self sustaining for the time being. Thank you for the help.

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1 hour ago, Dog breath said:

https://forscan.org/home.html
this should give you the info you need. If there are peeps in your area they may be able to help you

 

 

Thank you. I was on that site earlier today, and what I read is what prompted me to get a refurbished windows laptop that should have no problem running the ForScan program.

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I have an OBDII scanner on a windows laptop, but I've never used FORscan.  What are some of the most common parameters and settings that Super Duty owners change or adjust? Is it possible to change the way systems behave and if so, how do you get back to factory defaults if you mess things up?

787Toolman

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the things I change are the double honk if you have push button start

bambi mode- fog light on with brights

blinkers set to 5 blinks for lane changing

its been a few years and I will have to look at my notes

pay attention to your changes it’s only a number or two. Write down what you changed it’s really very simple. If you mess up just revert back to your original numbers from your notes but it’s unlikely if your paying attention 

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3 hours ago, Dog breath said:

the things I change are the double honk if you have push button start

bambi mode- fog light on with brights

blinkers set to 5 blinks for lane changing

its been a few years and I will have to look at my notes

pay attention to your changes it’s only a number or two. Write down what you changed it’s really very simple. If you mess up just revert back to your original numbers from your notes but it’s unlikely if your paying attention 

Thank you Dog breath...

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3 hours ago, Dog breath said:

the things I change are the double honk if you have push button start

bambi mode- fog light on with brights

blinkers set to 5 blinks for lane changing

its been a few years and I will have to look at my notes

pay attention to your changes it’s only a number or two. Write down what you changed it’s really very simple. If you mess up just revert back to your original numbers from your notes but it’s unlikely if your paying attention 

 

Restoring from backup:

To add to this, you can also export a copy of your existing module settings before you make changes.  If you don't want to keep track of individual changes, you can simply load the data from your backup file.  Your original as-built data is also available online -- just search "as built" and you will find the website.

 

Things to change:

Here's an example https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15xUAfwJ7bq13kS6hsMqiywd4-oWZg4aoYfGLCMTTO5Y/

 

 

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Will the iOS version for Forscan do what you need?  If not, buying a $500 laptop isn't a terrible idea if you consider it a tool for this specific purpose and treat it as such.  Don't expect it to be a great performer.

Depending on the changes you want, you might consider having a local shop do it for you.  I'd ask for a copies of the backup files made before and after the changes. 

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1 hour ago, Monoman said:

Will the iOS version for Forscan do what you need?  If not, buying a $500 laptop isn't a terrible idea if you consider it a tool for this specific purpose and treat it as such.  Don't expect it to be a great performer.

Depending on the changes you want, you might consider having a local shop do it for you.  I'd ask for a copies of the backup files made before and after the changes. 

I would recommend joining the Forescan forum. There were many helpful people there and they were willing to help if you lived close by. I myself have changed things on friends trucks. After you do it once its a breeze and like i said you can just write down the changes you made to the modules if you are not computer savvy like myself. If you are around se wis i could even help if you dont have a computer or dongle. most likely you will make changes once like me and never use again.

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Monoman,  the iOS version don't allow changes the module function/behavior. You can only read the codes, so it's pretty useless, since iOS isn't developed to the same as the Windows version. I went online & bought the corded dongle, and a refurbished HP laptop for about $255 all in. The HP laptop's sole purpose will be to make the tweaks I want through the ForScan program.

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3 hours ago, Dog breath said:

I would recommend joining the Forescan forum. There were many helpful people there and they were willing to help if you lived close by. I myself have changed things on friends trucks. After you do it once its a breeze and like i said you can just write down the changes you made to the modules if you are not computer savvy like myself. If you are around se wis i could even help if you dont have a computer or dongle. most likely you will make changes once like me and never use again.

 

I like to tweak little functions, like ForScan enables, and the parameters available for modification surely will grow, and so when that happens, having my own laptop & dongle (on the way) will enable me to go in and change things up, if so desire.  And of course, if I'm near a fellow Ford owner without the gear, I'm happy to step up & help out.

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On 2/22/2022 at 4:29 PM, Latebraking said:

Monoman,  the iOS version don't allow changes the module function/behavior. You can only read the codes, so it's pretty useless, since iOS isn't developed to the same as the Windows version. I went online & bought the corded dongle, and a refurbished HP laptop for about $255 all in. The HP laptop's sole purpose will be to make the tweaks I want through the ForScan program.

 

What version of Windows did you get with the refurbished HP?

 

I hear that there is a stripped down version that you cannot load non MS software onto, but haven't been in the MS worlds in a long time. But need a laptop for the same reason as you.

 

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36 minutes ago, Bodaway said:

 

What version of Windows did you get with the refurbished HP?

 

I hear that there is a stripped down version that you cannot load non MS software onto, but haven't been in the MS worlds in a long time. But need a laptop for the same reason as you.

 

 

The laptop & dongle arrived after I left on my trip, but the specs of the laptop says it comes with Windows 10, so that should be more than sufficient to do the job.

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General questions on FORScan security parameter changes:

1. Has anyone read where Ford commented on users changing parameters and settings using FORScan?

2. It appears FORScan was developed in Russia, has Ford or any computer security experts issued any comments on safety of software installed on a personal machine with personal data potentially accessible?

3. Is FORScan the only software available for users to modify settings and parameters for our vehicles?

4. Are any federal or state laws in place WRT specific lights operating a certain way like turn signals, Fogs with high beams, or disabling certain warnings or notifications related to safety?

Don't get me wrong, I'd like to change some of my truck's dings and annoying notifications as well as lights like fogs with high beams and I think having this access is very cool, just asking a few questions others may be thinking on safety and security.

I use Norton on all my PCs, if the software has the ability to create known security vulnerabilities, I'd like to think Norton will indicate the risks before install?

 

Thanks,

787Toolman

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I copied the license agreement, see below...

LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR FORSCAN (Standard and Extended licenses)

 

Copyright (c) 2011-2021 Alexey Savin

 

1. By using or distributing this software (or any work based on the software) you shall be deemed to have accepted the terms and conditions below.

 

2. Alexey Savin (The Author) is making this software freely available on the basis that it is accepted as found and that the user checks its fitness for purpose prior to use.

 

3.THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS  INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

 

4. The software used under Standard License is freeware. The Author accepts no obligation to provide any support to Standard License holders.

 

5. Single instance of the Standard or Extended license gives to the user the right to use PRODUCT ONLY ON THE ONE COMPUTER IN CURRENT HARDWARE CONFIGURATION. "COMPUTER" term in this license agreement represents either electronic equipment itself if it is serving as a separate computing individual or computer system (mainframe) in the part computer belongs to. CURRENT HARDWARE CONFIGURATION means that program uses for internal needs information about user's MOTHERBOARD, PROCESSOR and HARD DRIVE. CURRENT HARDWARE CONFIGURATION is represented by the unique Hardware ID provided by the user during the registration process. If the user changes CURRENT HARDWARE CONFIGURATION, the Installation ID will change too. Change of the Installation ID leads to request new Registration Key.

 

6. The Author grants you a limited non-exclusive right to use this software for any purpose, including commercial applications and redistribute it freely, subject to the following restrictions:

 

 A. The origin of this software must not be misrepresented; you must not claim that you wrote the original software;

 B. You must not alter the software, user licence or installer in any way. This notice may not be removed or altered from any distribution.

 C. You may not resell or charge for the software.

 D. You may not reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, derive the source code of or modify (or create derivative work from) the program.

 E. You must not use the software, product name or The Author's name to engage in or allow others to engage in any illegal activity.

 F. You acknowledge that The Author owns the copyright and all associated intellectual property rights relating to the software.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have done a few changes the ones that didn’t work for me was the being able to type in Nav when driving. When I did it, it changed the big screen to have the smaller Rt side on the Lt side. Been also having trouble with changing the tire size on my tremor to 35’s to get speedo closer to being right. GPS is 68 when Speedo say 70.

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