From: tmcreek@eos.ncsu.edu (TOBIN MATTHEW CREEK)
Subject: Re: COM3/4 problem.
Originator: tmcreek@c00477-224wi.eos.ncsu.edu
Reply-To: tmcreek@eos.ncsu.edu (TOBIN MATTHEW CREEK)
Organization: North Carolina State University, Project Eos
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1992 22:36:14 GMT


In article <1992Jul26.210238.21921@mksol.dseg.ti.com>, mccall@mksol.dseg.ti.com (fred j mccall 575-3539) writes:
>In <0095E0C5.50EBD660@FHYDRA.FYSEL.UNIT.NO> dahls@fhydra.dnet.unit.no (Joern Yngve Dahl-Stamnes) writes:
>
>>Hello.
>
>>Yesterday I installed a "RTA-451 2 serial/parallel" card on my PC. I already
>>got one parallel and two serial ports on the machine, so I configurated the
>>serial ports to COM3: and COM4: and the parallel port to LPT2:
>
>>Before I installed the card I ran the Microsoft Diagnostic Version 2.00
>>program to check the status on the COM1:, COM2: and LPT1: port. Based on the
>>output from the program I configurated the RTA-451 card as follow:
>
>>    ACE1 configurated as COM3: at address 3E8 with IRQ4.
>>    ACE2 cinfigurated as COM4: at address 2E8 with IRQ3.
>>    LPT configurated as LPT2: at address 278 with IRQ5.
>
>This won't work.  Put COM3 at IRQ2 and COM4 at IRQ5.  If COM4 doesn't
>work correctly, DISABLE LPT2.

Not true.  It will (read on).
>>After the installation I ran the diagnostic program to check the status again.
>>The LPT2: port was recognized by the program, but COM3: and COM4: was still
>>"N/A".
>
>That's because you can only have one ISA device per interupt
>(normally).  There may also be a problem with the version of DOS you
>are running.  Are you running 5.0, or something earlier?

Not true again.  You can have 2 COM ports on the same interrupt, you just can't
use them both at the same time.  I.E., com1 and com3 cannot work at the same 
time.  Make sure you put your mouse on a free interrupt if you want to use it
with another COM port.
	You may want to get a program called 34instal.  It will 
get com3 and com4 recognized under DOS.  This may fix the problem with the 
diagnostic.  34instal can be found on 128.252.135.4 under /systems/ibmpc/msdos/
sysutl, I think.

>>Have I done anything wrong since the diag. program won't accept the extra COM
>>ports? Everything on the machine seems to work just fine. The mouse work
>>(connected to COM1:) and the external modem on COM2: work just fine.
>
>>COM1: and COM3: will both have IRQ4 and COM2: and COM4: will both have
>>IRQ3, while LPT1: have IRQ7. Will this work?
>
>No, this won't work.  You can't simultaneously access devices which
>have the same IRQ on an ISA card.  If your machine is MCA, I take it
>all back.

This is true.

>>If I get COM3: and COM4: to work from DOS, will they be recognized by Windows
>>3.1? Anything I have to do to make them work from Windows?
>
>Once you have them set up correctly and recognized by DOS, Windows 3.1
>should recognize them automatically.  Note that this WASN'T true for
>Windows 3.0.
>
>-- 
>"Insisting on perfect safety is for people who don't have the balls to live
> in the real world."   -- Mary Shafer, NASA Ames Dryden
>------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Fred.McCall@dseg.ti.com - I don't speak for others and they don't speak for me.
>