Knowledge Base

In order for a TI-Nspire handheld with a TI-Nspire Rechargeable Battery to charge via USB connection to a computer, USB drivers must be installed and functioning properly.

Typically the driver installation process is transparent to the user and happens automatically. However, in some instances with Microsoft Windows XP, the drivers do not install automatically and the driver installation process therefore must be handled manually.

The following paragraphs highlight

A. What the automatic USB driver installation process should look like,
B. How to initiate the driver installation process if it does not happen automatically, and
C. How to download and install the drivers manually if initiating the installation process (B) doesn’t work.

Notes:

• This issue applies to TI-Nspire handhelds that use a TI-Nspire Rechargeable Battery. It does not affect TI-Nspire handhelds that are powered using regular alkaline AAA batteries only.
• The handhelds that support or include TI-Nspire Rechargeable Batteries are the TI-Nspire handheld with Touchpad, TI-Nspire CAS handheld with Touchpad, TI-Nspire CX handheld and TI-Nspire CX CAS handheld.
• TI USB drives are included with the TI-Nspire Student software and TI-Nspire Teacher software. If you install either of these software applications, the TI USB drivers will be installed and handheld charging via USB connection to computer should proceed normally.

A. Automatically installing TI USB drivers for Microsoft Windows.

Please Note: You must have an active internet connection.

1) Connect the handheld to your computer using a USB cable.
2) Verify the USB cable is completely pushed into the calculator before troubleshooting and it is a tight fit. If it is not completely pushed in the computer will not detect it.
3) You should see a notification that the TI-Nspire CX Handheld was detected.
4) Followed by a message indicating that the new hardware is installed and ready to use.

If you do not get these two messages, follow the manual instructions provided below to initiate the driver download and installation process.

B. Manually initiating the TI USB driver installation process for Microsoft Windows XP.

Please Note: You must have an active internet connection.

TI-Nspire Family Software:

1) Press [Windows key]+[R] to open the run dialog then type the text below in the dialog:
devmgmt.msc
2) Click [OK] to launch the device manager.
3) Locate your device either under [Other Devices] or [Universal Serial Bus Controllers]
4) If the device is not listed as "TI-Nspire Handheld Device" [Right Click] the device and choose the option [Update Driver]
5) Choose the option [Browse my computer for driver software] then [Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer]
6) Next choose the option [Have Disk...] then click [Browse...] then navigate to the location below:

Please Note: In the path below [TI-Nspire Family Software Name] corresponds to the name of the software you installed and [OS Version] will be version of Windows you have installed Windows 7 and Above=Win7, Windows Vista=Vista, and Windows XP=XP.

32Bit:
C:\Program Files\TI Education\[TI-Nspire Family Software Name]\drivers\Nspire\[OS Version]\x86
64Bit:
C:\Program Files (x86)\TI Education\[TI-Nspire Family Software Name]\drivers\Nspire\[OS Version]\x64
7) Select the file "tinspusb.inf" in the location that corresponds to your OS then click [Open] [OK] then [Next]
8) You will receive a dialog asking if you would like to install the driver, click [Install] to install the driver.

C. Manually downloading and installing the TI USB drivers for Microsoft Windows XP.

If you do not have an active internet connection or the steps in section B are not successful, you will need to manually download the TI USB drivers from TI using a computer with an activate internet connection. You may then proceed with a manual TI USB driver installation process. The TI USB drivers can be downloaded from the Texas Instruments site.

1) Download the TI USB driver Zip file from the link above. Save the Zip file to your computer desktop or other location where it can be located in successive steps.
2) Unzip the file to a location on your computer such as your Desktop or the same location where the Zip file was saved.
3) Follow the 8 steps highhlighted above in section B (and listed below), however, proceed to step 4 below instead of selecting “Install the software automatically”.

       • Right-click My Computer
       • Select Properties
       • Click on Hardware
       • Click on Device Manager
       • Scroll down to and expand the USB line item
       • Double-click on TI-Nspire™ Handheld
       • Click on Driver
       • Click on Update Driver

4) Select “Install from a list or use specific location (Advanced)”, then click on browse.
5) Locate the driver folder that was previously un-zipped. Open it and select the appropriate folder for 32-bit or 64-bit Windows XP drivers

       • 64-bit is located in the “x64” folder
       • 32-bit is located in the “x86” folder

Please Note: To determine whether you have a 64-bit or 32-bit computer operating system, go to My Computer, Properties, General information tab and read the System Type information.

6) Click OK and follow on-screen prompts to install the drivers.

If charging using a wall charger: If you are using a wall charger, make sure you are using the TI wall charger that came with your calculator or other UL-certified USB charger rated for at least 1 amp (usually written as “1A” or “1000 mA”). To determine whether your charger is UL-certified, flip it over to the inside, and read the label. Look for the UL stamp, and confirm that it states that it is 1000 mA or higher.