For some years I have used a Shuttle PC running windows XP as my lab machine for debugging and programming mid range PICs such as the 16F87 and 16F87X using MPLAB 8.9. and an ICD2 Apart from the usual idiosyncrasies associated with Microchip products it serves me well even if it is a bit slow compiling. Earlier this year I bought a used Thinkpad laptop running Windows 8 (32 bit) and decided to use that as my lab machine since it was newer and faster and took up less desk space. So I installed MPl8.92, shifted the ICD2 and set about programming. Unfortunately programming under the debugger fails with the ICD0083 message. After some desultory web searching and tinkering I gave up,and reinstated the old Shuttle. But today my son, visiting for Christmas, installed something called Virtual Box which allow me to run XP in a window on the laptop And to my amazement I can use MPL8.92 successfully in this scenario. I suppose that I should be happy with this but I am puzzled and want an answer as to why MPLab won't run under windows 8. The programming hardware and all the cables are the same so cable length doesn't come into it. Any ideas??? I __________________________________________ David C Brown 43 Bings Road Whaley Bridge High Peak Phone: 01663 733236 Derbyshire eMail: dcb.home@gmail.com SK23 7ND web: www.bings-knowle.co.uk/dcb *Sent from my etch-a-sketch* --=20 http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .