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Traveling Software, Inc. 18702 North Creek Parkway Bothell, Washington 98011 (206) 483-8088 The Latest About LapLink Pro Version 4.0c Welcome to LapLink Pro. The following notes include information that was not available at the time the manual was printed. It also contains hints for running LapLink Pro with specific kinds of hardware and software. Be sure to read the upgrade information in the file LLPRO.TXT and the license agreement in the file LLPLIC.TXT. Both of these files are located on your installation diskette. LLPLIC.TXT also contains information on how to get technical support for LapLink Pro. TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Hardware Information A. The Xircom Parallel Port Multiplexor B. Problems with Parallel Connections C. Incompatible or Problem Modems D. System Clock Speed E. Printer Interaction When LapLink Pro First Starts II. Warning: "Clone Drive" Command Now Completes in Batch Files III. Remote Install Over Modems IV. Troubleshooting: Solutions to Common LapLink Pro Problems A. This Version Now Allows Polling B. When Polling is Not Available C. A Mouse Does Not Function D. A Modem Does Not Function E. A Port Is Disabled Or Does Not Function F. The Remote PC Does Not Appear in the Connections View G. The PC "Freezes" At Start Up H. LapLink Pro Has Trouble Accessing Network Drives I. Your Network Connection "Drops" When LapLink Pro Is Started J. Technical Information: Port Conflicts V. Windows--Running LapLink Pro in the Background VI. Using LapLink Pro with Other Traveling Software Products VII. Using Version 4.0c with Earlier LapLink Pro Versions VIII. Getting Technical Support IX. Making Suggestions to Improve LapLink Pro ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I. HARDWARE INFORMATION A. The Xircom Parallel Port Multiplexor LapLink Pro has been designed to work with parallel ports that have a Xircom Parallel Port Multiplexor. However, the system must first be set up properly. First, do not use the port-switching software that comes with the multiplexor. (LapLink Pro contains code that causes the multiplexor to automatically switch ports, so the port-switching software is unnecessary. Not using the switching software has the additional benefit of freeing more memory for your applications.) Second, the LapLink parallel cable must be attached to the "A" port of the multiplexor. Third, you must make a change using the "Port/Modem Setup" command (Options menu): Choose the command, and in the Port/Modem Setup dialog, select the parallel port with the multiplexor. In the next dialog place an x in the Force Standard (4-bit) mode check box and choose <OK>. If you do not make this change, the Multiplexor may try to switch between the printer and the cable during the middle of a copy. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ B. Problems with Parallel Connections Regardless of the communication program, some combinations of laptop PCs cannot connect with each other, and a few cannot communicate in parallel mode at all. Serial mode must be used with these combinations. When you try to connect these problem PCs in parallel, LapLink Pro may display a message--"Attempting to Connect"--and the system may "lock up." One or both of the PCs may need to be restarted. If you have problems connecting between two particular machines, check the troubleshooting tips in section IV of this read me. If you still need help, contact Traveling Software Technical Support. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ C. Incompatible or Problem Modems LapLink Pro is incompatible with modems that run at speeds less than 1,200 baud. In addition, some external modems WILL NOT accept a modem remote install. Internal modems do not exhibit this behavior. But, due to the way the DSR pin is powered, these external modems will not accept data when the remote user types: TYPE CON >COMx. The easiest solution for PCs that use these modems is to install LapLink Pro directly from disk. You may also be able to prepare a remote modem to accept a remote install by using a communication program other than the DOS MODE command. For further information, call Traveling Software Technical Support. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ D. System Clock Speed In very rare instances, after running LapLink Pro, the system clock on a few PC models (including the PS/2 Model 50) seems to speed up. That is, the time advances too quickly. If your PC seems to "gain time" after running LapLink Pro, restart and exit LapLink Pro again. This usually returns the speed to normal. Rebooting your PC will have the same effect. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ E. Printer Interaction When LapLink Pro First Starts The first time you start LapLink Pro, it tests all available serial and parallel ports. If a printer is attached to any port, it may react in one of several ways: Dot matrix printers re-initialize (the print carriage moves); LaserJet printers may print characters at the top of the next printed page; and Postscript printers appear to be receiving data. To solve this problem: 1. Choose the "Port/Modem Setup" command from the Options menu. 2. Highlight the parallel port to which the printer is attached, and press [Enter]. 3. In the Enable Port field, press the spacebar to remove the x. This disables the port for LapLink Pro's use. 4. Press [Enter] to select the <OK> button. 5. Press the letter d to close the Port/Modem Setup dialog. The next time you start LapLink Pro, this behavior will not occur-- LapLink Pro saves information about available ports when it quits. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ II. WARNING: "CLONE DRIVE" COMMAND NOW COMPLETES IN BATCH FILES Contrary to the note in the LapLink Pro User's Guide, "Clone Drive" will be completed, unattended, when recorded in a batch file. You do not need to be present to respond to the command's displayed messages. Since "Clone Drive" erases all the data on the target PC, you should be cautious when using "Clone Drive" in a batch. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ III. REMOTE INSTALL OVER MODEMS Sometimes the way a remote modem is set up will prevent LapLink from remotely installing. Check the LapLink Pro Modem Tips and Reference Guide for tips on preparing a remote modem for remote installation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IV. TROUBLESHOOTING: SOLUTIONS TO COMMON LAPLINK PRO PROBLEMS LapLink Pro uses interrupts to facilitate much of its communication and is more sophisticated than older versions of LapLink. For instance, LapLink Pro automatically detects ports on your computer. If you find that LapLink Pro does not communicate in the same situations that an older version of LapLink communicates, you may have hardware interrupt conflicts. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ A. This Version Now Allows Polling To alleviate these conflicts, this version--4.0c--allows you to change the way that LapLink Pro controls serial ports: instead of controlling a port via hardware interrupts you can also control the port with "polling." Simply put, polling allows more than one serial port to share the same interrupt. Here is an example: If your PC has both a COM1 and COM3 serial port it is very likely that they share the same interrupt (IRQ4). So, if you were using a mouse on COM1, LapLink Pro could not use COM3 to communicate over a cable. To solve this problem, you can now set COM3 to use polling. To do so: 1. Choose the "Port/Modem Setup" command from the Options menu. 2. Highlight the serial port (COM1, COM2, COM3, or COM4) that you want to use for LapLink communications, and press [Enter]. 3. Press the [Tab] key until the cursor is in the IRQ area (There will be an x in front of one of the numbers.) 4. Press one of the arrow keys until the cursor is in front of the word "Polled." 5. Press the spacebar or the letter x to select polling. 6. Press [Enter] to select the <OK> button. 7. Press the letter d to close the Port/Modem Setup dialog. Setting a port to a polled mode of communication will help in the following situations: If a serial mouse is on a COM port that shares the same interrupt as the port you want to use with LapLink Pro. Set the port you want to use for a cable connection to polled. (Note: the polled method will not help solve modem problems; a modem on a serial port requires the interrupt mode.) If you have two serial ports that share the same interrupt and you want to use one of them for a modem connection and one for a cable connection. Set the port that uses the cable to polled. If the serial port that you want to use a cable connection on shares the same interrupt used for a network card. Set the port that uses the cable to polled. Polled mode may be slightly slower than interrupt mode so we recommend that you set a port to polled mode only when necessary. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ B. When Polling is Not Available When you open the "Port/Modem Setup" dialog, "Polling" may not be available. In these cases the "Polling" option shows as "grayed-out" in the dialog. LapLink Pro is designed this way to prevent you from choosing polling when the functionality is unavailable or could cause unpredictable results. The following table lists situations during which the "Polling" option is not available. If... Then... ---------------------------------- ---------------------------------- * The serial port is disabled. * Choose "Enable Port" and select the <Self Test> button. If the This can happen if you have serial port chip (the UART) is turned the port off yourself or detected, the "Polling" option LapLink Pro has never detected a will become available. serial port at the address. When you disable a port yourself, polling automatically becomes unavailable even if it was previously selected. * You are running LapLink Pro * Quit Windows. Then start LapLink under Windows. Pro from DOS and follow the directions above. When you start If you are running LapLink Pro LapLink Pro in Windows the in Windows, the "Polling" option "Polling" option will be on. is unavailable unless you had previously turned it on while NOTE: If you turn "Polling" off running LapLink Pro from DOS. while running under Windows, you can't turn it back on again unless you quit Windows and re- start LapLink Pro directly from DOS. The following sections address particular troubleshooting problems: ------------------------------------------------------------------------ C. A Mouse Does Not Function If you are using a mouse attached to a serial port but the mouse doesn't function while running LapLink Pro, this is most likely due to LapLink Pro attempting to use the port for communications instead of giving control to the mouse. To solve this problem, start LapLink Pro then use the "Port/Modem Setup" command (Options menu) to disable the port to which the mouse is attached. Then exit LapLink, reboot your PC, and restart LapLink Pro. The mouse should then function. Another problem with serial mice is that they sometime prevent LapLink from making a serial port available for communication. Commonly, this happens when the mouse is on COM1 and LapLink Pro also "sees" a mouse on COM3, even though the port should be enabled for communication. Or, the COM3 port may show as enabled but not function. This is usually due to an interrupt conflict (see section J. below). To solve this problem, first try setting COM3 to "polled." If this does not work, try moving the mouse to COM2. Or, start your PC without loading the mouse driver, then start LapLink Pro and enable the port you want to use (COM3 in this example) and disable the mouse port. Reboot your PC, and restart LapLink Pro. The mouse and port should then function. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ D. A Modem Does Not Function If a modem will not work with LapLink, there can be several causes: i.) In LapLink, the port is not set up correctly. Check that you are using the port that the modem is attached to; check that the baud rate is set correctly (for common modems the Maximum Baud Rate should be 2400); and, check to see that you are using the initialization string that matches your modem model. If your modem is not listed, use the compatible string near the top of the list that most closely describes your modem. If this still does not work, contact Traveling Software Technical Support for help in determining the correct initialization string. ii.) The modem is not powered on. This is a common problem with laptop PCs--if an internal modem is installed you may need to use the laptop's setup facility to turn the power on for the modem. (Usually, the power can be turned off to extend battery life.) iii.) There may be a port address or interrupt conflict (see section J. below). This may be a setup problem outside of LapLink. If the address of the port to which the modem is attached is wrong, then the modem probably will not work for any communications. An interrupt problem is similar to the mouse problem discussed above: for example, if a mouse is located on COM1 and the modem is at COM3, the two ports may share the same interrupt (usually IRQ4). LapLink allows only one device per interrupt (unless you are using an IBM PS/2). To solve this problem, you will need to turn off your mouse before starting LapLink Pro, or move the mouse to a non-conflicting port (e.g. COM2). iv.) If you have an external modem, the cable that you use to connect your modem to your PC's serial port may not be adequate. Cables with 9 wires usually work, but 3-wire cables will not--they do not have a pin- out for Carrier Detect. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ E. A Port Is Disabled Or Does Not Function If LapLink Pro shows a port as "Disabled" but you know that the port exists and is functioning, this is most likely an interrupt conflict (see section J. below). This is most common when you have both a COM1 and a COM3 and they use the same interrupt (usually IRQ4). It also is common when you have both COM2 and COM4 (they usually share IRQ3). If you have two serial devices that share the same interrupt, set one of the ports in LapLink Pro to use the "polled" mode. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ F. The Remote PC Does Not Appear in the Connections View If two PCs are connected by enabled ports, but the remote PC does not appear in the Connections View, the problem can usually be traced to a TSR conflict. Users of LapLink Pro have noted this problem with screen saver programs, keyboard accelerators, disk-caching programs and some menuing programs. To solve this problem, unload the TSR before starting LapLink Pro. You should also try using "Force Standard Mode"--choose the "Port/Modem Setup" command, select the port you are using to connect to the other PC, and select the Force Standard (3-wire/4-bit) Mode option. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ G. The PC "Freezes" At Start Up If your PC locks up or freezes as soon as you start LapLink Pro, this may be due to an address or interrupt conflict (see section J., below). To solve this problem, you'll need another PC. Start LapLink on the other PC and use the "Port/Modem Setup" command to disable ALL ports. Quit LapLink Pro, which saves a file called LLPRO.CFG. Copy this file onto a floppy and copy the file to the LapLink Pro directory on the PC experiencing the lock ups. Then start LapLink, it should start without locking up and all ports will be disabled. Next, enable each port you wish to use, one at a time. When you enable the port that is causing the problem, LapLink Pro will most likely lock up again. Restart LapLink Pro and set the port that caused the lock up to "polled." (If you don't intend to use the port for LapLink at all, you can also simply disable it.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ H. LapLink Pro Has Trouble Accessing Network Drives If your PC locks up when you access a network drive or LapLink Pro does not display or let you log onto network drives, there is probably a port conflict between the network card and a serial port. To solve this problem, restart LapLink Pro and disable all ports. Next, access a network drive by opening it in the local drive list. Then proceed to enable the ports one by one. The first port that causes a lock up is the culprit. Restart LapLink Pro and set any ports that cause lock ups to the "polled" mode. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I. Your Network Connection "Drops" When LapLink Pro Is Started If you are using a network and you notice that LapLink Pro does not show your defined network drives, or the network connection is dropped altogether, this may be due to an address conflict. This can happen if you try to enable a port that doesn't exist. For example, suppose there is no physical COM3 but you go into the "Port/Modem Setup" dialog, choose COM3 and check "enable." If the default address for COM3 (which is hexadecimal 2E8) is already in use by your network card, the network connection will be dropped. To avoid this problem do not enable a port that is not physically present. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ J. Technical Information: Port Conflicts If LapLink Pro malfunctions, the most likely cause is a port conflict. Conflicts occur when your computer contains multiple serial or parallel ports and two of the ports share the same address and/or interrupt request (IRQ). Unless you set one of the ports to the "polled" mode, LapLink Pro can only use one of the two ports that share the same interrupt or address. To check address and IRQ information you can use any number of tools. Check LapLink Pro's Port/Modem Setup dialog first. You could also use PC diagnostic tools such as PC Tools from Central Point Software or Manifest from Quarterdeck Systems. To check for address conflicts, you can use DOS's DEBUG command (or SID in DR DOS 6.0): Change to the DOS directory on your computer. Type DEBUG, then press the <Enter> key. The prompt will change to a hyphen (-), (or a # in DR DOS's SID). Type d40:00 and press <Enter>. Several lines of hexadecimal code will be displayed. The first line of this display, or "dump," may be similar to the following: 0040:0000 F8 03 F8 02 00 00 00 00-BC 03 78 03 00 00 00 00 To exit the DEBUG utility, type Q and press <Enter>, which will return you to the DOS prompt. The first eight numbers of the display should be 0040:0000. The pairs of numbers that follow are addresses for your ports. Each address consists of two numbers. These numbers are hexadecimal numbers so they are often alpha- numeric. The numbers to the left of the hyphen in the middle of the line are the addresses for your serial ports. The numbers to the right are addresses for your parallel ports. In the example line above, F8 03 is one unique address. Starting at the point on the line which reads F8, count the number of unique addresses that are displayed until you reach the hyphen in the middle of the line. In the example above, there are two serial port addresses, "F8 03" and "F8 02". Count the remaining number of unique addresses to the right of the hyphen. These are parallel port addresses. The example shows two unique parallel port addresses, "BC 03" and "78 03". If the total number of serial addresses shown in the DEBUG display equals the total number of serial ports and internal modems you see on the back of your computer, then your computer recognizes all installed serial ports. If this is the case, you should investigate the possibility of IRQ conflicts. (See below) If the total number of serial addresses is different than the total number of serial ports (male ports plus modem ports), then a conflict exists. The same is true for the parallel addresses and ports. If a conflict appears, the computers may not communicate until the situation is corrected. To solve these conflicts, locate the documentation for the serial/parallel port add-on board (if the board was not installed at the factory) or the modem, turn the computer off, disconnect the power supply cable, open the machine, and reset the dip switches and/or jumpers according to the documentation for an address/IRQ pair that is not used by other ports. DEBUG can be used to verify that the correct changes have been made by repeating the steps listed above. Checking for Interrupt (IRQ) Conflicts Interrupt (or IRQ) conflicts are hard to find. One method is listed below: On a piece of paper note ALL peripheral devices attached to your computer. This list should include network cards, serial and parallel ports, mouse ports, SCSI devices, scanners, modems and fax cards. You will then need to determine what IRQ settings each device uses. What follows is a list of common IRQ settings. Your settings may vary. IRQ3 COM2 and 4 IRQ4 COM1 and 3 IRQ5 Hard Disk (XT) LPT2 (AT) IRQ6 Floppy Disk IRQ7 LPT1 If any of your other devices use the same IRQ setting that is used by any ENABLED port in LapLink Pro, then you have an IRQ conflict. To resolve this: 1) set the port to "polled," or 2) disable the port in LapLink Pro (which means you can not use that port in LapLink Pro), or 3) change the IRQ setting on your other device. Changing the IRQ setting requires opening the computer and switching jumpers according to the manufacturer's recommendations in the manual. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ V. WINDOWS--RUNNING LAPLINK PRO IN THE BACKGROUND Because of the way Windows "schedules" DOS background tasks, it is difficult to configure Windows to allow background communication for any DOS communication program, including LapLink Pro. And, there are many Windows setup and hardware configurations that will prevent background operation completely. Therefore, Traveling Software does not recommend background operation, and the Windows PIF file that is shipped with LapLink Pro (LLPRO.PIF) is not set up for background functionality. However, if you want to try LapLink Pro in the background, you can edit the PIF file and check the Background box. You will also need to increase the number for background task priority. If you just want to try to use LapLink Pro in the background for one session without editing the PIF file, use the Settings command from the LapLink Pro window's system menu. See your Windows documentation for details. In addition to these changes here are two more tips: * If you are running Windows in the 386 Enhanced mode, open the Windows Control Panel and choose 386 Enhanced. Make sure that the Exclusive in Foreground option is NOT checked. (When on, this option prevents any DOS application from running in the background.) * Try not to run other DOS applications while transferring files in the background. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ VI. USING LAPLINK PRO WITH OTHER TRAVELING SOFTWARE PRODUCTS Because WinConnect, DeskLink, and the LapLink III Device Driver compete with LapLink Pro for port usage, using them with LapLink Pro may require experimentation. In most cases, you need to delete the LapLink Pro configuration file (LLPRO.CFG), start the other program, and then start LapLink Pro. This causes LapLink Pro to re-check all available ports and it then only uses the ports that are not currently in use by the other program. (Note: When you delete LLPRO.CFG all Copy Options and Control Panel settings are returned to their default values.) If you need help with this procedure, call Traveling Software Technical Support. Battery Watch Pro is compatible with LapLink Pro, but as with other TSRs, you should avoid popping up the Battery Watch screen during a file transfer. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ VII. USING VERSION 4.0C WITH EARLIER LAPLINK PRO VERSIONS If you will be communicating with earlier versions of LapLink Pro, you may experience problems when copying: * Empty subdirectories * Files with no date or time stamp from a remote to a local PC. Copying will stop and LapLink may appear to freeze when the files are encountered. The solution to this problem is to upgrade PCs running earlier versions with this version, 4.0c. To check your version number, choose the "About LapLink Pro" command from the Help menu. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ VIII. GETTING TECHNICAL SUPPORT If you have a question or need Technical Support, the following sources are available: In the U.S., Traveling Software telephone Technical Support is available from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., (Pacific Time) Monday-Friday at (206) 483- 8088. Please have your serial number ready before calling. If you want to contact the TSI Technical Support bulletin board, set your modem to dial (206) 485-1736. Use the following settings for your communications program: Baud rate 2400 Parity None Data bits 8 Stop bits 1 On GEnie type "LAPTOPS" to join the Laptops RoundTable. Then enter the Laptops Bulletin Board and type "SET 3" to go to Traveling Software Technical Support. Answers to the most frequently asked questions can be found there. To sign up for GEnie call (800) 638-9636 (Voice). For support in Europe, call +44 (0753) 81 82 81. In Australia, Traveling Software products are sold and supported by: PC Extras--phone (02) 319 2155; and by Merisel--phone (02) 882 8865. In New Zealand, Traveling Software products are sold and supported by PC Extras--phone (09) 59 7834. For a complete listing of Traveling Software addresses and fax and phone numbers see the back of the LapLink Pro User's Guide. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ IX. MAKING SUGGESTIONS TO IMPROVE LAPLINK PRO Traveling Software is constantly looking for ways to improve its products. Over the years, our customers have been the ones who have provided some of the best product improvement suggestions. We encourage you to send us your comments, criticisms, and ideas. We will try to implement your requests in future versions. You may address your comments to: Traveling Software, Inc. LapLink Pro Suggestions 18702 North Creek Parkway Bothell, WA 98011 NOTE: For the LapLink Pro installation program, LHA was used to create a self-extracting compressed file. LHA is a copyright of Yoshi, 1991. All rights reserved. Compiled September 28, 1992.