home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
- Path: news.aimnet.com!news
- From: JNavas@NavasGrp.com (John Navas)
- Newsgroups: comp.dcom.modems
- Subject: The Navas 28800 Modem FAQ - 1/6
- Date: Sun, 21 Apr 1996 17:27:03 GMT
- Organization: The Navas Group of Dublin, CA, USA
- Message-ID: <317a6fda.61954633@news.aimnet.com>
- NNTP-Posting-Host: dial-bp1-2.iway.aimnet.com
- X-Newsreader: Forte Free Agent 1.1/16.198
-
- Navas 28800 Modem FAQ
-
-
- IWAY 500 Winner
-
- NAVAS 28800 MODEM FAQ [MODEM PICTURE]
-
-
-
- (Answers to Frequently Asked Questions)
-
-
-
- BREAKING NEWS
-
-
-
-
-
- Hayes emerges from Bankruptcy[1] and hires new CEO[2] [new 4/18/96]
-
- WinFax PRO 7.0 for Windows 95 makes TAPI a reality[3] [new 4/11/96]
-
- Quarterdeck acquires Datastorm (developer of Procomm)[4] [new 3/28/96]
-
- Hayes releases Windows 95 drivers for ESP board[5]
-
- Microsoft releases Unimodem V driver for Windows 95[6]
-
- Hilgraeve offers free upgrade for Windows 95 HyperTerminal[7]
-
- Penril introduces 33600 modem[8]
-
- Motorola introduces Premier 33.6[9]
-
- 33600 upgrade for certain USR Sportster 28800 models[10]
-
- USRobotics changes Sportster S-registers[11]
-
- AT&T bails out of consumer modems[12]
-
- Diamond Multimedia acquires Supra[13]
-
- FIFO problem still exists in SMC "multi-I/O" chips[14]
-
- ZyXEL[15] releases long-awaited V.34 modem (ISDN-upgradable Elite
- 2864[16])
-
- Motorola Lifestyle and Power Class modems can damage your serial
- port.[17]
-
-
-
- Copyright 1995-1996 John Navas, All Rights Reserved. Updated: Thursday,
- April 18, 1996.
- Permission is granted to copy for private non-commercial use only.
-
- Posted as http://web.aimnet.com/~jnavas/modem/faq.html[18]. Copies of
- this document in either hypertext (HTML) or plain text format may be
- obtained by email from an "agora" server (e.g.,
- agora@kamakura.mss.co.jp[19]) or from web-mail[20]. For information on
- agora, send an email message to an agora server with a body of "help"; for
- information on web-mail, send a blank email message to
- web-mail@ebay.com[21].
-
- Please note: The author has no present connection with any modem company
- (other than as a customer), and does not endorse the products of any
- company. This information was compiled by the author and is provided as a
- public service. Neither the author nor any organization mentioned herein
- are responsible for any errors or omissions, or for any consequential
- problems that might result. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK.
-
- Please note: The author does not have the time to give individual
- technical support, so please do not email requests for assistance. Instead,
- post them on the Usenet newsgroup comp.dcom.modems[22]. Thank you.
-
- Email comments and suggestions to JNavas@NavasGrp.com[23]
-
- Button[24] [The Navas Group home page[25]]
- ___________________________________
-
-
- CONTENTS
-
-
-
-
-
- Why don't I get 28800 bps speed on my connections?[26]
-
- What's the difference between V.FC and V.34? What's next?[27]
-
- What are split/asymmetric speeds?[28]
-
- What is Selective Reject (SREJ)?[29]
-
- Do I need a 16550 UART? What is a UART?[30]
-
- Where can I get a 16550 UART?[31]
-
- Why am I getting CRC errors (overruns)?[32] [updated 3/29/96]
-
- What's wrong with my dialup SLIP/PPP connection?[33]
-
- Any Trumpet Winsock tips?[34]
-
- Where can I get updated video drivers?[35] [updated 4/11/96]
-
- Where can I get updated disk/SCSI drivers?[36] [updated 4/9/96]
-
- Why 1024 bytes for the Windows COM buffer?[37]
-
- What is "retraining"?[38]
-
- What are "fall-back" and "fall-forward"?[39]
-
- How do I set a speed greater than 19200 bps in Windows?[40]
-
- What about third-party comm drivers for Windows?[41]
-
- How can I share a modem between data and WinFax?[42]
-
- How can I display the status of an internal modem under Windows?[43]
-
- Why does Windows lock up when I access my modem?[44]
-
- Why can't I get back on-line after I escape to command mode?[45]
-
- What are the best (data/fax) comm programs for Windows?[46]
-
- Why do I sometimes have problems connecting?[47]
-
- Why do I sometimes get abruptly disconnected?[48]
-
- Why do connections sometimes seem to run slower and slower?[49]
-
- What is Distinctive Ring?[50] [new 4/11/96]
-
- How can I use a single phone for fax/data/voice?[51] [new 4/11/96]
-
- What is Caller ID?[52] [new 4/11/96]
-
- How do I shut off Call Waiting?[53] [new 4/11/96]
-
- How do I keep my data/fax call from being interrupted?[54] [new
- 4/11/96]
-
- Does USR Adaptive Answer work with Procomm Plus for Windows?[55]
-
- Any other USRobotics tips?[56]
-
- Any other Windows 3.x tips?[57]
-
- What are "voice" modems?[58]
-
- What is ISDN?[59] [updated 4/9/96]
-
- What are "cable modems?"[60] [updated 3/29/96]
-
- What are ADSL, SDSL, and HDSL?[61]
-
- Any Windows 95 tips? What is TAPI? What is Plug and Play?[62] [updated
- 4/11/96]
-
- Any other sources of related information?[63]
-
- How can I connect my modem to a digital phone system?[64]
-
- What modem initialization string should I use?[65]
-
- Where can I get information on my Rockwell-based modem?[66] [updated
- 4/11/96]
-
- What about magazine reviews?[67]
-
- Which 28800 modem should I buy?[68] [updated 3/29/96]
-
- Where can I get a good deal on a modem?[69]
-
- Which modem companies have a full Internet presence?
-
- Archtek Telecom[70]
-
- Best Data[71]
-
- Boca Research[72]
-
- Cardinal Technologies[73]
-
- Creative Labs[74]
-
- Diamond Multimedia[75]
-
- Global Village[76]
-
- GVC (MaxTech)[77]
-
- Hayes (and PPI)[78] [updated 4/18/96]
-
- Intertex[79]
-
- Logicode (Quicktel)[80] [new 4/11/96]
-
- MaxTech (GVC)[81]
-
- Megahertz[82]
-
- Microcom[83]
-
- miro Computer Products[84]
-
- Motorola ISG[85]
-
- Multi-Tech[86]
-
- Penril[87]
-
- Supra[88]
-
- Telebit[89]
-
- USRobotics[90] [updated 4/1/96]
-
- Zoom[91]
-
- ZyXEL[92] [updated 4/18/96]
-
-
- ___________________________________
-
-
- Why don't I get 28800 bps speed on my connections?
-
-
-
- If you are unable to get connections at 28800 with your V.FC/V.34 modem,
- here are the probable causes and what you may be able to do about them.
-
- If you consistently connect at 26400 or above, consider yourself
- fortunate -- it's simply not possible to go faster than that on many phone
- circuits. (This is not false modem advertising -- 28800 modems are designed
- to wring as much speed out of the actual real-world connection as possible,
- and 28800 speed is only possible on a near-perfect connection.)
-
- Even if you consistently connect at lower speeds (e.g., 24000 or even
- 21600), there may be little you can do, but you can at least try the
- following:
-
-
-
- Make sure that your serial port is locked at 38400 or higher (57600
- recommended). This is usually set within your comm application, not the
- Windows Control Panel (see "How do I set a speed greater than 19200 bps
- in Windows?[93]").
-
- Try connecting to known good 28800 numbers (e.g., Hayes at
- 800-"US-HAYES; Multi-Tech at 800/392-2432; USR at 708/982-5092). This
- will at least tell you whether the problem is at your end or the other
- end of the connection. (The USR number is particularly useful, because
- you can get an on-line reading of connection quality from a USR BBS
- command.)
-
- Watch out for dialin numbers that are being forwarded to a distant
- location. It's a "dirty little secret" that many BBS (bulletin board
- systems) and ISP (Internet service providers) use Call Forwarding to
- extend their local calling areas. (Where location A to location C is a
- toll call, and an intermediate location B is local to both A and C, Call
- Forwarding from B to C effectively makes A to C a local call.) Although
- this can work fairly well at lower speeds (e.g., 14400), the extra
- connection hop(s) can degrade the signal enough to limit higher speeds
- (even as compared to a direct long distance call).
-
- If possible, test for premises problems by disconnecting all your
- premises wiring (and equipment) from the incoming telco terminating
- block, and hooking your modem directly to it. If your connections are
- better, you have a premises problem that you may be able to isolate and
- fix. Premises problems (faulty wiring and/or equipment like cheap phones
- and fax machines) are a frequent cause of 28800 connection problems.
-
- If that doesn't help, listen carefully to the quality of your voice
- connections. Note that you must dial a known quiet number, since many
- otherwise good phone lines exhibit excessive noise until you actually
- connect. (Dialing a single digit is not enough.) After you connect, if
- you hear more than very faint hiss and/or hum, then you probably have a
- line problem.
-
- While a quiet line is important, there are other line problems that can
- reduce your speed: bandwidth (frequency response), distortion, etc. It
- is difficult to test for these problems without proper test equipment,
- but it's still a good idea to listen carefully for audible problems,
- particularly if you can find a number that will send you test tones.
-
- You may be able to get your phone company to improve the quality of your
- line. Since phone companies are often reluctant or even unwilling to
- work on data problems, it may help to report that you are also having
- fax problems. Or you can try asking for a data or fax "specialist."
- Ideally you want the service technician to bring the right kind of test
- equipment, a sophisticated line or transmission test set, not just the
- normal basic tester. It may also help to ask for a BERT (bit error rate
- tester) or "data test set."
-
- Sometimes switching to a different cable pair from the CO (central
- office) will help. In extreme cases the author has resorted to ordering
- a new line, making sure that it is good when installed, and then
- canceling the old line.
-
- You may be told that you need a special "data" line, more properly
- called a "conditioned" circuit, which is considerably more expensive
- than a standard "voice-grade" circuit. Don't waste your money. All you
- need is a good quality "voice-grade" circuit.
-
-
-
- A final note: Add-on noise filters will not help -- they are the modem
- equivalent of snake oil. Your 28800 modem already has all the filtering it
- can use. An add-on filter will do nothing at best, and it may well make
- things worse.
-
- Button[94] [Return to top[95]]
- ___________________________________
-
-
- What's the difference between V.FC and V.34? What's next?
-
-
-
-
-
- V.FC A proprietary specification for speeds up to 28800
- bps, based on an early draft of the V.34 standard,
- that was rushed to market by modem chipset leader
- Rockwell International[96]. It works reasonably well,
- but lacks the sophistication and robustness of V.34;
- for example, V.FC does not support split speeds[97].
- Many (but not all) V.FC modems are upgradable to V.34,
- but the modem typically has to be returned to the
- manufacturer for a "datapump" change. V.FC-only
- modems will not connect above 14400 bps to V.34
- modems that lack V.FC support. With the advent of
- V.34, V.FC is rapidly fading as modems are upgraded.
- In the opinion of the author there is now little or
- no reason to get a modem that has V.FC but not V.34,
- although until V.FC fades completely there will still
- be a significant advantage to a modem that supports
- both V.34 and V.FC.
-
- V.34[98] A true international standard for speeds up to 28800
- bps that is more sophisticated and robust than V.FC.
- Some (but not all) V.34 implementations support split
- speeds[99]. Extensions to V.34 for additional speeds
- up to 33600 (on extraordinarily good connections)
- have been drafted and are expected to be approved in
- 1996, although early products are already starting to
- appear from some companies (e.g., USRobotics[100]).
- V.34 is rapidly replacing V.FC in the marketplace.
- V.34-only modems will not connect above 14400 bps to
- V.FC-only modems. In the opinion of the author V.34
- is clearly the modem standard of choice. It may well
- prove to be the last widely-supported analog modem
- standard.
-
- 28800-33600 fax Fax is currently limited to 14400 bps. Efforts are
- underway to define a 28800-33600 bps fax
- specification, which would probably be widely
- adopted. However, general availability is probably a
- few years away.
-
- Voice See "What are "voice" modems?[101]"
-
- Plug and Play[102] See "What is Plug and Play[103]"
-
- ISDN[104] See "What is ISDN?[105]"
-
- "Cable modems" See What are "cable modems?"[106]
-
- ADSL/SDSL/HDSL See "What are ADSL, SDSL, and HDSL?[107]"
-
- Universal Serial Bus A better way to connect a modem to your computer than
- the conventional UART or parallel port. (See "What is
- a UART?[108]") Expected to become a standard feature
- of many chipsets and motherboards (e.g., those
- manufactured by Intel) and operating systems (e.g.,
- Windows 95), although USB is not yet available. (See
- "Universal Serial Bus Home Page[109]")
-
-
-
- See "Modems: the make-it-happen machines for the ultimately wired of the
- 90's[110]"
-
- Button[111] [Return to top[112]]
- ___________________________________
-
-
- What are split/asymmetric speeds?
-
-
-
- In the past, most standard modems were only capable of transmitting and
- receiving at the same speed. (The exceptions were proprietary modems such
- as the USR HST that used greatly different transmit and receive speeds.)
- Since most connections were made at the maximum speed, there was little
- reason to support different transmit and receive speeds.
-
- With the advent of speeds up to 28800 bps that is no longer true. It's
- now quite common to have a connection where at least one (and often both)
- speeds must be limited to less than 28800 bps, and it's not uncommon to
- find that a connection will support faster speed in one direction than the
- other. (One reason is that send and receive channels are separated for
- transmission between telephone switching offices.)
-
- Having been designed to optimize performance over a wide variety of
- conditions, V.34 includes an optional specification for asymmetric
- (differing or split) transmit and receive speeds. For example, a connection
- might support a transmit speed of 28800 bps but a receive speed of only
- 26400 bps; without split speed, the speed in both directions would have to
- be limited to 26400 bps. For this reason split speed capability is a
- worthwhile and desirable feature.
-
- Not all V.34-compliant modems support split speeds. For example, at the
- time of this writing most "glue 'n go" Rockwell V.34 clones, do not support
- split speeds. On the other hand, others, including all USR V.34 modems
- (Sportster 28800/33600 as well as the Courier V.34), Supra, and Motorola,
- do support split speeds.
-
- Button[113] [Return to top[114]]
- ___________________________________
-
-
- What is Selective Reject (SREJ)?
-
-
-
- Selective Reject (SREJ) is an optional, advanced LAPM (V.42) error
- correction capability that allows the receiving modem to request
- retransmission of a given block while continuing to receive later blocks;
- i.e., to receive the retransmission late (out of order). Without it, the
- entire transmission has to start over at the retransmitted block, which can
- result in later blocks being resent unnecessarily. Hence, Selective Reject
- can improve throughput where there is a significant error rate,
- particularly over links with long delays (e.g., satellite links).
-
- Not all modems support Selective Reject, which is typically found only in
- high-end products.
-
- Button[115] [Return to top[116]]
- ___________________________________
-
-
- Do I need a 16550 UART? What is a UART?
-
-
-
- A UART (an acronym for Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter) is
- simply an interface chip. Your computer needs one to "talk" over a serial
- connection to serial devices such as serial printers and modems. Each
- serial device needs a UART chip to "talk" to your computer, even modems
- that are installed inside your computer.
-
- In computer terms the UART is very old technology. We continue to use
- them because we own so much software that depends on there being a specific
- kind of UART. Efforts to replace the UART and its particular serial
- architecture are ongoing (e.g., Universal Serial Bus[117]), but it's
- doubtful that the UART will be replaced anytime soon.
-
- There are many types of UART chips, but only two main types that are used
- in IBM-compatible personal computers:
-
-
-
- 8250/16450. Major weaknesses of the 8250 and 16450 are a lack of
- built-in flow control, and buffers that can only hold a single
- character. This means that the UART must be promptly serviced by the
- system processor each time a character is received, or that character
- will be wiped out by the following character, a condition called
- "overrun." (See "Why am I getting CRC errors (overruns) when
- downloading?[118]")
-
- 8250/8250A. The 8250 is the UART used in the original IBM PC. "Urban
- legends" notwithstanding, the 8250 and the improved 8250A are capable of
- speeds up to 115,200 bps.
-
- 16450. Slightly improved over the 8250, the main advantage of the 16450
- is that it works better on computers with higher internal speeds. From a
- functional standpoint, however, it is essentially indistinguishable from
- the 8250, and suffers from the same weaknesses.
-
- 16550. A substantial advance over the 8250/16450, the 16550 has both a
- fully 8250-compatible mode and a newer mode that provides 16-character
- FIFO (an acronym for First In, First Out) buffers. When the old mode is
- enabled, it works just like an 8250; when the newer mode is enabled, the
- FIFO buffers greatly extend the time available for responding to
- incoming characters. The receive FIFO buffer has a variable threshold
- that can be set to values of 1, 4, 8, or 14 characters, with higher
- numbers giving less time to respond before the 16-character FIFO buffer
- is full; on the other hand, higher numbers can give slightly better
- performance, by allowing the system to process incoming characters in
- larger "chunks." A good rule of thumb is a threshold of 8 characters.
- (See "What about third-party comm drivers for Windows?[119]") Most (but
- not all) internal modems come with a 16550 UART.
-
- 16550. Certain versions of the original 16550 were buggy. It is best to
- avoid them.
-
- 16550A. Improved version of the 16550. Later types, the 16550AF and
- 16550AFN, are essentially indistinguishable, but even less likely to be
- buggy. These are the UARTs of choice. Look for the National
- Semiconductor[120] brand.
-
- 16552. Two improved 16550 UARTs in a single package.
-
- Clones. More recent designs typically package UART functionality (often
- two of them) in a single "multi-I/O" chip. Many of them work very well;
- however, some of them are buggy. (See "Why does Windows lock up when I
- try to access my modem?[121]")
-
-
-
- Some internal modems emulate UARTs with on-board logic rather than using
- actual UART chips; these products can provide more effective buffering than
- a conventional UART. More advanced UARTs (e.g., 32-character FIFO buffers,
- built-in flow control) are becoming available, but they are generally not
- needed. Parallel modem interfaces and the Hayes ESP card are alternatives
- to UARTs, but they require special drivers and provide no significant
- advantage over the 16550A in the opinion of the author.
-
- In general, a single-task operating system like MS-DOS can get by with an
- 8250/16450 UART with serial port speeds of 19200-57600 bps (depending on
- the speed of the system processor) and well-written software. This is
- usually adequate for even a 28800 bps modem. However, a multitasking
- operating system like Windows, OS/2, or UNIX, will usually need a 16550
- UART. (Nevertheless, if you are stuck with an 8250/16450, you can probably
- still use a 28800 bps modem if you are careful.)
-
- You can tell what kind of UART chip you have by running Microsoft's
- MSD[122] (which comes with Windows), being sure to run it outside of
- Windows. (The reason is that Windows can hide the true state of the UART
- from MSD.)
-
- The Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a better way to connect a modem to your
- computer than the conventional UART or parallel port. USB is expected to
- become a standard feature of many chipsets and motherboards (e.g., those
- manufactured by Intel) and operating systems (e.g., Windows 95), although
- it is not yet available. (See "Universal Serial Bus Home Page[123]")
-
- Button[124] [Return to top[125]]
- ___________________________________
-
-
- Where can I get a 16550 UART?
-
-
-
-
-
- If your 8250 or 16450 UART is a single chip mounted in a socket, it is
- easy to replace it with a 16550 UART chip. At the time of this writing
- WH Networks[126] was selling real 16550 UART chips for US$10 each.
- (Replacement of "multi-I/O" chips is usually not practical.)
-
- If you only need serial and parallel ports, Quickpath makes a good,
- albeit pricey, "multi-I/O" card called the "4 Serial 2 Parallel" that is
- available at retail (e.g., $100 at Central Computer in Santa Clara, CA,
- 408/248-5888), featuring:
-
- Four serial ports with high IRQ support that use real 16552 chips.
-
- Two parallel ports
-
- Quickpath also makes a more complete, albeit pricey, "multi-I/O" card
- called the "Port-Folio 550E" that is available at retail (e.g., $120 at
- NCA Computer Products in Sunnyvale, CA, 408/739-9010)
-
- Pros:
-
- Four serial ports with high IRQ support that use real 16552 chips
-
- Two parallel ports
-
- Four floppy support
-
- IDE and game port
-
- Con: Floppy support is only 1.44 Mb, not 2.88 Mb (inexcusable in a
- product at this price in the opinion of the author)
-
- Another good high-end "multi-I/O" card is the GSI Model 32, also
- available at retail (e.g., $120 at NCA Computer Products in Sunnyvale,
- CA, 408/739-9010).
-
- Pros:
-
- Two serial ports with (limited) high IRQ support that use a real 16552
- chip
-
- One bi-directional parallel port
-
- Supports four floppies, up to 2.88 Mb (4 Mb unformatted), with drive
- remapping
-
- Enhanced IDE support for two drives (including large drives)
-
- On-board Flash BIOS
-
- Con: BIOS, IDE, and floppy support cannot be disabled
-
- A source of low-cost I/O cards with 16550-type UARTs is:
- Byte Runner Technologies
- 406 Monitor Lane
- Knoxville, TN 37922
- voice: 800/274-7897 or 615/966-3667
- fax: 615/675-3458
- The "T-9004 Plus" ($32 plus a modest shipping charge) features:
-
- Two 16550-compatible serial ports (COM1-4) with high IRQ support
-
- One EPP/ECP bi-directional parallel port (IRQ 7 or 5)
-
- Supports two floppies, up to 2.88 Mb (4 Mb unformatted)
-
- Legacy header for (separate) PCI IDE controller
-
- But see warning below
-
- SIIG (Fremont, CA) makes I/O cards that are available at retail (e.g.,
- $70 at Fry's Electronics in Fremont, CA, 510/770-3797). The "IDE
- Professional" (Model 2404) features:
-
- Two 16550-compatible serial ports (COM1-4) with high IRQ support
-
- One EPP/ECP bi-directional parallel port (IRQ 7 or 5)
-
- Supports two floppies, up to 2.88 Mb (4 Mb unformatted)
-
- IDE controller (hard disk or CD-ROM, primary or secondary channel)
-
- Game port
-
- But see warning below
-
-
-
- Pros of the Byte Runner and SIIG cards:
-
-
-
- High IRQ support makes it a lot easier to have a serial mouse and more
- than one modem.
-
- EPP/ECP parallel ports can be a lot faster than slow, old-style parallel
- ports.
-
- 2.88 Mb floppy support can make your "floppy tape" (e.g., HP/CMS Jumbo
- 250/350) twice as fast as 1.44 Mb.
-
-
-
- Con of the Byte Runner and SIIG cards:
-
-
-
- Both use the SMC[127] FDC37C666GT "multi-I/O" chip, which can cause
- lockups under Windows 3.1. (Warning: see "Why does Windows lock up when
- I try to access my modem?[128]")
-
-
-
- Button[129] [Return to top[130]]
- ___________________________________
-
-
- Why am I getting CRC errors (overruns)? [updated 3/29/96]
-
-
-
- CRC errors (e.g., as reported by ZMODEM), particularly when downloading,
- are usually a sign of overrun (incoming data that is lost because the
- computer is unable to process it in time). Overrun can result from a
- variety of causes. The following are suggestions on how to avoid
- CRC/overrun errors (particularly in Windows 3.1):
-
-
-
- Use a 16550A UART. (See "Do I need a 16550 UART? What is a UART?[131]"
- and "Why does Windows lock up when I access my modem?[132]") (Most, but
- not all, internal modems use a 16550.)
-
- Use hardware flow control, and make sure it is working properly. This
- applies both to your modem and to your comm software. If you experience
- overrun while uploading, then you almost certainly have a flow control
- problem in your comm software and/or modem configuration.
-
- If you are running anything other than the standard Windows VGA driver,
- switch to the standard VGA driver and see if that affects your problems
- -- certain video drivers are known to interfere with communications.
- (See "Where can I get updated video drivers?[133]")
-
- If you determine that your video driver is causing overruns, check to
- see if your video card uses a recent S3[134] chipset (e.g., 864, 964, or
- 968). If so, there may be an option in the video driver to set
- "Bus-throttle=On" (usually Off by default) in the [display] section of
- SYSTEM.INI, which may well solve the problem. ("Bus-throttle=On" may
- slightly reduce speed as measured by benchmarks, but the difference will
- probably not be noticeable in the real world.) Contact the manufacturer
- of your video card. (Note: Generic S3 video drivers[135] are available
- from S3. Unfortunately, they do not work on all S3-based video cards.)
- [updated 3/29/96]
-
- If possible, use 32-bit disk access under standard Windows, as well as
- 32-bit File Access under Windows for Workgroups. If not, be sure you
- have a current version of a quality BIOS and/or disk driver.
-
- Watch out for poorly-written firmware and/or device drivers for local
- bus IDE interfaces, particularly in multi-sector mode. Obtain the latest
- versions. (You may be able to alleviate an overrun problem by switching
- modes and/or reducing the number of sectors per transfer.)
-
- Are you using a SCSI drive? Certain SCSI drivers can cause problems.
- Obtain the latest versions.
-
- Disable write caching on your download disk drive. (Read caching should
- be OK.)
- * With the current SMARTDRV (i.e., standard Windows, or Windows for
- Wordgroups without 32-bit File Access), the /X parameter disables all
- write caching. You can also disable write caching on individual drives.
- (See "SMARTDrive Drive Letter Parameters Should Not Contain a
- Colon[136]")
- * With 32-bit File Access under Windows for Workgroups, put the
- following in the [386Enh] section of your SYSTEM.INI file:
- ForceLazyOff=<drives>
- where <drives> is a drive letter string; e.g., ForceLazyOff=C for drive
- C only, or ForceLazyOff=CD for drives C and D. (See "How to Disable
- Write Caching for the 32-Bit File System[137]")
-
- If you are using Procomm Plus for Windows[138] 2.xx, set
- "DropRTSAroundDiskWrites=1" in your PW2.INI file. (This won't help if
- you cache writes.)
-
- Beware of TSRs, especially network TSRs. Try booting your system as
- clean as possible to see if that helps.
-
- Watch out for certain memory managers; e.g., the use of QEMM "Stealth"
- may cause problems.
-
- Put your modem on COM2 if possible, especially if you are using a serial
- mouse. (COM2 has higher interrupt priority than COM1.)
-
- Under Windows, put the following in the [386Enh] section of your
- SYSTEM.INI file:
- MinTimeslice=20
- WinTimeslice=100,50
- COMnFIFO=1
- COMnBuffer=1024
- where n is the number of your modem COM port (e.g., COM2FIFO=1 and
- COM2Buffer=1024). The COMnFIFO statement won't help until you get a
- 16550A UART, but it won't hurt in the meantime.
- Note: The only legal values for COMnFIFO are 0 and 1. (See "Windows
- Support of the 16550 UART[139]")
-
- Do not use Microsoft's PC speaker sound driver[140]! Get a cheap sound
- card instead. (The Logitech Factory outlet in Fremont, California,
- 800/231-7717, is a good place to get a cheap sound card.)
-
- Watch out for an IRQ conflict. (You normally cannot use both COM1 and
- COM3, or COM2 and COM4, at the same time.)
-
- On a portable or "green" machine, you should also try disabling the
- power management features, which can sometimes "kick in" and interfere
- with data communications.
-
- Disable any screen savers, which can interfere with data communications.
-
- Don't run your serial port any faster than necessary. Marketing hype
- notwithstanding, there's rarely any need to go faster than 38.4 Kbps
- with a 14.4 Kbps modem, or 57.6 Kbps with a 28.8 Kbps modem. Caveat:
- With an acknowledgment protocol (e.g., XMODEM), as opposed to a
- streaming protocol (e.g., ZMODEM), a higher serial port speed can
- improve the response time.
-
- Try a third-party replacement for COMM.DRV. (See What about third-party
- comm drivers for Windows?[141])
-
- Switch to Windows for Workgroups or Windows 95, which have a better
- serial architecture than standard Windows 3.x.
-
- With a 16550 UART (See "Do I need a 16550 UART? What is a UART?[142]")
- under regular Windows and a third-party comm driver (e.g.,
- WFXCOMM.DRV[143]) or Windows for Workgroups or Windows 95, try dropping
- the receive FIFO trigger level. For example, where n is the number of
- your modem COM port:
- * WFXCOMM.DRV (default 14): ComnRXSize=8 (e.g., Com1RXSize=8).
- Recommended setting.
- * Windows for Workgroups (default 8): COMnRxTRIGGER=4 (e.g.,
- COM1RxTRIGGER=4).
- Legal receive FIFO trigger values are 14, 8, 4, and 1. The normal
- recommended value is 8. You should not go down to 1 unless you are
- really desperate.
-
-
-
- Button[144] [Return to top[145]]
- ___________________________________
-
-
- <<cont>>
-