EDIT: PLEASE IMPROVE! We are constantly updating this first post, as new information comes in (until it won't let us update it anymore). Kudos: Many people collaborated on this, expecially Quick99Si, RDL, & ACA84 who provided much of the detail. Tribal knowledge requested to make organized sense of recommended E39 diagnostic hardware & software. Based on the available diagnostic tools (and in concert with the various BMW coding forums let's try to meaningfully organize the following E39-specific diagnostic-related scanning, coding, and programming tools & interfaces for the entire E39 tribe to benefit. ----- Assess your portable computer: Almost any laptop hardware will work The classic BMW diagnostic laptop is an IBM T30 You'll want at least a 40GB hard disk drive (100GB+ if you're installing Progman) And, as much RAM as the PC can handle (Quick99Si had 2GB RAM in his Dell D620 laptop (However almost all WinTel PCs should work fine.

Most of the BMW software works with the USB port. Some (such as Carsoft 6.5 SP1) only work with the RS-232 serial port NOTE: You need to match your cable to your available ports! Serial-to-USB conversion cables work; but you have to get the right ones (so it's problematic). Most programs run on Windows (e.g., INPA & NCS).

Pravoslavnie ikoni visokogo razresheniya. Voobrazite sebe hudoschavogo, dovol'no visokogo rosta cheloveka, oblachennogo v patriarshie odeyaniya, - v dobrom like tihoe mertsanie. Na menya vzglyanulo kak bi izobrazhenie staroj ikoni, i esli dovleet Patriarha vseya Rusi s kem-libo sravnivat', to mogu priznat' nekotoroe shodstvo s Prepodobnim Sergiem Radonezhskim. Verya bezogovorochno vo vsyo to, chemu uchit katolicheskaya cerkov, on v to zhe vremya krestilsya na vse pravoslavnie xrami, a kogda emu sluchalos prisutstvovat pri kakom-libo bogosluzhenii v nix, to on i podtyagival vpolgolosa pevchim, tak kak s akademicheskix vremen znal vse russkie obryadovie slova i napevi.

You can't go wrong with WinXP but others are reputed to work: Windows XP Windows 2000 Windows VISTA Windows 7 (NCSExpert requires XPmode) Some run under Linux (e.g., EasyDIS & Progman). Typically via VMware UNIX emulation on Windows Order the right cable (1 ((2 (1st choice: BMW INPA EDIABAS K-Line USB Interface (e.g., USB K-Line, aka 'BMW INPA EDIABAS K+CAN USB OBD2') $50 1 (2 (3 Primary K-Line on pin 7 (for the engine & gearbox); secondary K-Line on pin 8 (for all else) FTDI Chip [Note: Get FTDI drivers here (1 (Works on all newer E39s from 2001 to 2003 with the 16-pin OBDII connector above the driver's left knee Note that there is a secondary K-Line on pin 8 (which is not on most DCAN interface cables) in addition to the primary K-Line on pin 7.

There is only one version of EasyDIS, which is EasyDIS 1.0 (more properly called 'EasyDIS 1.0 based on DIS v44 and GT1'). EasyDIS is a hacked version of DIS v44 that was modified to make installation and configuration in the UNIX virtual machine easier. DIS v44 was the dealer software for the E39 era & is the most useful software you can install.

Really impressed by your guide!:thumbup: One could think that all questions are answered, but I really have problem to find where to order the correct cable interface on internet. I have a M5 E39 2000 (Production 99-12) which I have made the VANOS oil accumulator upgrade on.

Now I wish to run DIS and program it that this upgrade is present. Upgrade TIS instructions: Of course I want to read/erase the error codes memory too. I think I should choose your 4:th choice of interface to make it work for E39 -00 (20-pin), and I also need the USB-version to make it work on my newest laptop (Windows 7-64). Your link only gives me a item number on Ebay, which is not available anymore. I have downloaded INPA/DIS ns Which will hopefully work.

Can You or someone guide me more specific on what to order more exactly (the hardware needed), I want to order today?:). Guys, please bear with me, I am an absolute newbie with E46 diagnostic software although I have used OBD-II software for other vehicles. My wife's E46 (2001 model 325CI) recently had a problem with the airbag sensor in the passenger's seat and after much research I opted to purchase the bypass sensor rather than change the pad and possibly ruin the seat in the process. Replacing the sensor with the bypass which tells the system the seat is always occupied was recommended on a number of forums and it was stated that it will deploy in the event of a crash. I installed the sensor but the airbag light still would not go out. Further research indicated that I needed to install BMW Inpa and use a cable to connect to the car to tell the system that the sensor had been replaced.

I ordered the cable which came with the software and installed the software following the cable suppliers instuctions. At the end of the installation there were no errors and the tests the documentation told me to perform prior to connecting the computer to the car all worked as the documentation said they should.