From: dahls@fhydra.dnet.unit.no (Joern Yngve Dahl-Stamnes)
Newsgroups: comp.os.ms-windows.setup,comp.os.msdos.misc,comp.os.msdos.programmer
Subject: Re: COM3/4 problem.
Date: 27 Jul 92 13:56:04 GMT
Reply-To: dahls@fhydra.dnet.unit.no (Joern Yngve Dahl-Stamnes)
Organization: University of Trondheim, NORWAY

Thus spoke the keyboard of tmcreek@eos.ncsu.edu (TOBIN MATTHEW CREEK):
>
>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?

Sorry that I forgot to tell it. Yes, I'm running 5.0 on my machine.

>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.

What does that exactly mean? Does it mean that if I'm using the mouse on COM1:
and I'm running a program that read data from COM3:, the mouse will interfear
if I move it while the program read data from COM3:? Can I use the mouse
*after* the read operation on COM3: is done?

>	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.

When you write MCA, is this a brand name, ie. like Olivetti, IBM etc., or is it
a type of machine (sorry to ask this silly question, but I just have to be
shure - if you are talking of the brand name MCA, we are not familliary with it
here in Norway)?

>>>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.

Thanx to all who have replied.

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* I went back to my mother,           * Joern Yngve Dahl-Stamnes           *
* I said, "I'm crazy ma, help me!"    * University of Trondheim            *
* She said, "I know how it feels son, * The Norwegian Institute of Tech.   *
* 'cause it runs in the family."      * Division of Physical Electronics   *
*       - The Who, Quadrophenia       * e-mail: dahls@fhydra.dnet.unit.no  *
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Newsgroups: comp.os.ms-windows.setup