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At 12:31 PM 4/26/97 -0500, you wrote:
>.....Set the program in receive mode, hold the
>remote near and inline with the IrDa port and start pressing buttons.
They
>should show up as random character strings in the terminal window.
After I turned on the IrDA interface and enabled the COM port, I tried this
with HyperTerminal in Win 95 and didn't get anything to show up on the
screen. I guess I have a hardware problem unless there's more to it than
what you described above.
Hmm, I try to help as best as I can. I am cc'g the list as well. I took
it for granted that one must set up the win95 driver first. A large
oversight on my part. See the release notes below for exact setup and
configuration.
If you have set it up already, is the device and port enabled? I take it
you are running win 95. Look in the control panel=> system properties=>
device manager to see if in fact win95 recognizes that the com port is
enabled, it would have a yellow exclamation point or red x on it if not.
I suggest that you copy your existing profile and monkey with the copy.
control panel=> system=> hardware profiles and copy your existing config
and rename it. Always a good idea before you add hardware or have to set
up a new configuration.
Below is the Win95IR Release Notes document that came as part of the
win95r.exe distribution, its propably mimed as well, damn exchange...
Microsofta Windowsa 95
Infrared Communications Driver
Version 2.0
Release Notes
10 May 1996
aCopyright Microsoft Corporation 1996. All Rights Reserved.
Contents
Infrared Communications Driver, Version 2.0
Using the IR Communications Driver
Troubleshooting
Product Support
Installing and Using the IR Communications Driver
Step 1. Installing the IR Communications Driver
Step 2. Validating the IR Communications Driver Installation
Printing to an IR-Capable Printer
Exchanging Data Between Two Computers
Viewing the Network Neighborhood Over an IR Link
Step 3. Running Other IR-Capable Applications
An Optional Step: Removing the IR Communications Driver
Notes on Running the Direct Cable Connection Application Over an IR Link
Preparing to Use DCC
Making Sure DCC Is Installed on Both Computers
An Optional Step: Installing DCC
Establishing and Using the DCC IR Link Between Host and Guest
IR Communications Driver Components
IR Adapter Manufacturer Names and Addresses
Infrared Communications Driver, Version 2.0
The Infrared Communications Driver, Version 2.0, is an optional component
of the Windows 95 operating system. The Infrared Communications Driver
supports hardware devices which enable networking and communications over
the infrared media. The hardware device can be either an infrared port
built into the platform or an infrared adapter connected to one of the
platform's serial or parallel ports.
User motivations for installing the infrared hardware device and the
Version 2.0 Infrared communications driver are:
* The user can use wireless IR links instead of serial and parallel cables.
For example, files can be exchanged wirelessly between two computers that
have an IR device and the Version 2.0 driver installed, instead of using a
serial or parallel cable. Files can also be printed wirelessly on
IR-capable printers.
* The user can use wireless IR links instead of LAN cabling, if the user
has an IR-capable LAN access point product connected to the network (see
"Using the IR Communications Driver" for a list of LAN access point
products the Version 2.0 IR driver has been tested with).
The Version 2.0 IR communications driver supports IR communications links
running at speeds up to 115.2 kbps.
Using the IR Communications Driver
This section of the Release Notes lists the hardware and software
components on which the Version 2.0 IR communications driver has been
tested.
Notebook Computers
The Version 2.0 IR communications driver has been successfully tested on
the following Windows 95 notebook computers that have built-in IR ports:
Gateway(r) 2000 Liberty
HP(r)Omnibook(tm) 600CT
HP Omnibook 4000C
IBM(r) ThinkPad(r) 701C (Butterfly)
Sharp(r) PC 3050
TI(r) TravelMate(tm)5000
Some testing of the Version 2.0 IR driver was also done on these Windows 95
notebooks:
Digital(r) HiNote Ultra CT475
TI(r) TravelMate(tm)5000
IR Adapters
The Version 2.0 IR driver has been successfully tested on Windows 95
platforms with the following IR adapters connected to serial ports:
ACTiSYS ACT-200L Infrared Wireless Interface
ACTiSYS ACT-220L Infrared Wireless Interface
Adaptec(tm) AIRport APA-9320 External Infrared Adapter (this adapter is
also called the Adaptec AIRport 2000)
AMP PhasIR Serial Adapter
Extended Systems JetEye PC Infrared PC Interface (ESI-9680)
Parallax IR Adapter LiteLink PRA9500A
To obtain any of the IR adapters listed above, contact the adapter
manufacturer. The addresses of these manufacturers are listed in "IR
Adapter Manufacturer Names and Addresses" at the end of this document.
Applications
The following applications have been run successfully over an IR
communications link, using the IR communications driver and the hardware
listed above:
Windows 95 Direct Cable Connection (DCC).
Various Windows communications applications, including HyperTerminal and
DynaComm.
Because the IR link simulates a serial communications link, some
communications applications may not perform as expected after they connect
over the IR link. See "Troubleshooting" for more information. For
instructions on running DCC over an IR link, see "Notes on Running the
Direct Cable Connection Application Over an IR Link" later in this
document.
Printers
Numerous Windows 95 applications have successfully printed over an IR link
to an HP Laserjet 5P or 5MP printer, which have built-in IR ports. Numerous
Windows 95 applications have also printed successfully over an IR link to
other printers with an Extended Systems JetEye Infrared Printer Port
ESI-9580 infrared adapter connected to the printer parallel port.
IrLan Access Points
Local area network access over an IR link has been tested with the
following IrLan access point devices:
Extended Systems ESI-9910 JetEye Net Plus.
Hewlett-Packard NetBeam IR Infrared LAN Adapter.
Troubleshooting
Some general troubleshooting tips are:
* A user must always remove any previously installed version of the IR
communications driver every time the driver is installed. If Version 1.0 of
the driver is installed, it must be removed before installing Version 2.0.
If an early Beta release of the Version 2.0 driver is installed, it must be
removed before installing the current Version 2.0 release. Instructions for
removing the IR communications driver are in "An Optional Step: Removing
the IR Communications Driver."
* If the user changes the IR adapter model that is connected to the
computer, the user must remove the installed IR communications driver and
reinstall it, specifying the new IR adapter type. Instructions for removing
the IR communications driver are in "An Optional Step: Removing the IR
Communications Driver."
* During installation of the IR communications driver, a user may select
the wrong port when the Add Infrared Device Wizard prompts for the physical
COM port to which the IR device is connected. If the user selects the wrong
COM port, the IR device will be unable to discover another IR device within
range. Reasons why the user may select the wrong COM port vary, ranging
from reasoning such as "there is only one physical COM port for the IR
adapter to be connected to so it must be COM1" to mislabeled COM ports on
the computer case to the simple fact that the user doesn't know which COM
port to select and doesn't know how to find out. A troubleshooting
procedure is:
1. Put an actively searching IR device close to the computer's IR
device.
2. Click the Infrared Monitor Options tab and then choose a different
communications port (for
example, COM1 instead of COM2).
3. Continue selecting different COM ports in this way until the IR
device on the computer
discovers the nearby IR device.
Note that the alternatives displayed in the IrMon Options tab are always
based on the internal
wiring of the computer platform:
-- COM1 always means a COM port wired to IRQ 4 and I/O address range
0x3F8 to 0x3FF.
-- COM2 always means wired to IRQ 3 and 0x2F8 to 0x2FF.
-- Physical COM3 always means IRQ 4 and 0x3E8 and 0x3EF.
-- Physical COM4 always means IRQ5 and 0x2E8 and 0x2EF.
* To get two IR devices to discover each other, the user may have to
realign the IR devices so they point right at each other, move them closer
together, and/or change the batteries in an IR adapter or plug the AC power
into an IR adapter. The devices must be three feet apart, or less, and the
angle of the cone of IR transmission is 30 degrees. Some devices work best
if kept at least six inches apart.
* If an IR adapter is attached to a COM port that is using an 8250 UART
instead of a 16550 UART, or if an IR adapter is connected to a relatively
slow computer (such as a 386 running at 20 MHz), the user might need to use
the Limit Connection Speed To option in the Infrared Monitor Options tab to
limit the connection speed to 19.2 kbps. After establishing a successful IR
connection at this speed, the user can use the Limit Connection Speed To
option to experiment with establishing a connection at a higher speed on
their particular computer.
* If the IR Monitor Options tab is used to change the port the IR adapter
is attached to while IR communications are in progress, the IR connection
is lost without prompting the user to verify that it is OK to disconnect.
* Communication over a virtual COM port link between two computers may not
be reliable if a printer's IR adapter is also within range. The user should
move the printer's IR adapter out of range.
* A user should not suspend a Windows 95 computer while an IR connection is
established. Wait until the IR link is disconnected or force a
disconnection before putting the computer in suspend mode. For example, if
an IrLan connection is established on a laptop, the user must always move
the laptop out of range of the IrLan access point before suspending the
system or closing the laptop lid. Otherwise, the connection remains active
and over time can drain the battery.
* Connecting and disconnecting over a low-speed IR link or over a
poor-quality link can take a long period of time (a few seconds), during
which time the screen will appear to be frozen. To work around this, the
user should use a higher-speed connection and/or take steps to improve the
quality of the connection by, for example, realigning the IR devices so
they point right at each other, moving the devices closer together,
changing the batteries in an IR adapter, or plugging the AC power into an
IR adapter.
Troubleshooting tips specific to using IrLan access point devices are:
* Do not assume that because an IR device on a PC communicates with an IR
device on another PC at 115.2 kbps that the IR device will also communicate
with an IrLan access point device at that speed. For example, suppose a
user has two PC-based IR devices that have negotiated a link speed of 115.2
kbps. Then if the user points one of the devices at an IrLan access point
device, these two devices can negotiate a link speed of 115.2 kbps but no
subsequent communication takes place (the PC has no access to the network
through the IR link). No error message is displayed in this case.
* Extended Systems ESI-9910 JetEye Net Plus users utilizing NETBEUI may
receive an error message when copying large files (for example, 5 MB files)
to a network drive. If this happens, call Extended Systems, Inc. product
support for NETBEUI configuration changes. For Extended Systems, Inc. co
ntact information, see the topic "IR Adapter Manufacturer Names and
Addresses."
* If there is a problem establishing an IR link to an IrLan access point
device when the network is also connected to a network interface card in
the computer, try disconnecting the LAN from the network interface card.
Restart the computer and make sure the computer IR device and the LAN
access point IR port are within range. Then use the Infrared icon in the
Control Panel to activate the IR link between the computer and the LAN
access point device.
* The IPX protocol may not communicate over an IrLan access point. This can
be caused by the Dial-Up Adapter becoming the primary IPX adapter and no
other adapter, such as the IrLan adapter, can take over. To get around this
problem, the user can create a profile that does not contain the dial-up
adapter and use it when accessing the net through IrLan.
* During a file copy to a NetWare server running burst mode, if the IR
connection between the computer and the IrLan access point is disconnected
(for example, the IR beam is blocked), the file transfer cannot recover and
the computer screen will stay the same indefinitely. If this happens often,
turn off burst mode to enable recovery from a disconnection. There will be
performance degradation with burst mode off.
* Using the virtual parallel port connection to an Extended Systems
ESI-9910 JetEye Net Plus IrLan access point to send data to a printer may
result in a program fault. To get around this, use the virtual serial port
on the IrLan access point to reach the printer.
Troubleshooting tips related to using particular applications over IR links
are:
* If the Windows 95 application HyperTerminal is used to transfer files,
there may be trouble doing file transfers successfully over an IR link. If
the Zmodem protocol fails with a link speed of 115.2 kbps, use the IR
Monitor Limit Connection Speed To tab to limit the link speed to 19.2 kbps
and then retry the Zmodem file transfer.
* When the Windows 95 application Direct Cable Connection (DCC) is run to
establish the connection between the host and guest computers, the guest
computer may display the message "Direct Cable Connection was unable to
display shared folders of the host computer" and prompt the user to enter
the computer name of the host computer. A convenient way to find the
computer name of the host computer is on the Status tab of the Infrared
Monitor interface screen.
* When the Windows 95 application Direct Cable Connection (DCC) is run to
establish an IR connection between the host and guest computers, DCC
prompts the user to select a communications port (this procedure is
described in the topic "Establishing and Using the DCC IR Link Between Host
and Guest"). Selecting the virtual Infrared port in this step will fail
(DCC announces the virtual port is not available) in the rare case that the
user has suspended the Windows 95 operating system before invoking DCC in a
session. Restart Windows 95 to begin a new session and DCC will work over
an IR link.
A troubleshooting tip related to developing an IrDA standard IrCOMM
component for an IR communications driver is:
* The IrCOMM implementation in the IR communications driver that runs on
Windows 95 supports full emulation of 9-wire connections, but does not
support emulation of 3-wire cooked connections. A specific example of this
is the inability to print over an IR virtual COM port from the MS-DOS
prompt, which uses a 3-wire cooked connection. IrDA drivers developed for
platforms designed to communicate with Windows 95 platforms over IR links
must implement full emulation of 9-wire connections (as specified in the
IrDA IrCOMM specification). For example, a pair of handheld computer
platforms may communicate with each other over IR links using 3-wire cooked
emulation. However, if the user also expects to use one of the handhelds to
communicate with a Windows 95 computer then the handheld IR driver must
implement 9-wire connections.
Troubleshooting tips related to specific infrared hardware are:
* The Adaptec AIRport 2000 infrared adapter can be powered by either the
serial port, installed AA batteries, or an external power supply. In some
cases, the serial port may not provide sufficient power for the operation
of the adapter. This can cause reduced operating range and/or a failure to
find another IR device which is nearby and aligned correctly. If such a
problem is suspected, connect an AC adapter or add four AA batteries to the
battery compartment in the infrared adapter. This will assure sufficient
power. In some instances, the user may need to separate the adapter by at
least six inches from the other IR device.
* If an ActiSys 220L IR adapter is attached to a computer and used to print
to a printer that is using an Extended Systems ESI-9580 printer IR adapter,
or for printing to an HP DeskJet 340, the Options tab in the Infrared
Monitor must be used to limit the connection speed to 19.2 kbps to print
successfully. If the IR devices are allowed to automatically negotiate the
connection speed without setting this limit, they will negotiate a higher
connection speed and an application will not be able to print.
* The TI TravelMate 5000 may communicate over an IR link only at very low
speeds (9600 bps).
* The Sharp PC 3050 may communicate over an IR link only at speeds between
9600 bps and 19.2 kbps.
* For the HP Omnibook 4000C or an HP Omnibook 600CT, which have built-in
infrared ports, a special echo-canceling serial driver must be installed in
addition to the components that make up the IR communications driver. The
echo-canceling driver, along with instructions on how to install it, are
available from Hewlett-Packard.
Product Support
Microsoft's end-user support offerings for the IR Communications driver
range from no-cost and low-cost electronic information services (available
24 hours a day, 7 days a week) to annual support plans and CD-ROM
subscription programs. Please check the SUPPORT.TXT on-line documentation
that comes with Windows 95 for detailed information.
Note that Microsoft support services are subject to Microsoft's
then-current prices, terms, and conditions, which are subject to change
without notice.
In the United States, no-charge support from Microsoft support engineers is
available via a toll call between 6:00 A.M. and 6:00 P.M. Pacific time,
Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. For all issues except networking
issues, this support is available for 90 days after the first call to a
support engineer. Networking issues are defined as server-based setup,
network administration, dialing into a computer, or connecting to the
Internet via a service provider, and using e-mail and fax from within
Windows 95. For fee-based support for these networking issues, see the
information in SUPPORT.TXT.
For technical support for Windows 95, call (206) 635-7122.
In Canada, support engineers are available via a toll call between 8:00
A.M. and 8:00 P.M.Eastern time, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.
Call (905) 568-4494. This support is available for 90 days after the first
call to a support engineer.
When calling a support engineer, be at the computer and have the
appropriate product documentation at hand. Be prepared to give the
following information:
* The version number of the Microsoft product being used.
* The type of hardware being used.
* The exact wording of any messages that appeared on the screen.
* A description of what happened and what was being done when the problem
occurred.
* A description of attempts to solve the problem.
Installing and Using the IR Communications Driver
A recommended three-step process for installing and using the IR
communications driver is:
1. Install the Windows 95 IR Communications driver.
2. Validate the installation by printing over the IR link, using an
application to transfer data over the IR link, and/or using a local area
network (LAN) over the IR link.
3. Start using the IR link on a daily basis.
After a user installs the driver, it can be removed at any time (for more
information, see "An Optional Step: Removing the IR Communications
Driver").
Procedures for carrying out each of the recommended steps, including the
driver removal step, are presented in detail below.
Step 1. Installing the IR Communications Driver
Note
A user must always remove any previously installed version of the IR
communications driver every time the driver is installed. If Version 1.0 of
the driver is installed, it must be removed before installing Version 2.0.
If an early Beta release of the Version 2.0 driver is installed, it must be
removed before installing the current Version 2.0 release. Instructions for
removing an IR device and driver installation are documented in "An
Optional Step: Removing the IR Communications Driver."
1. For first-time installation of the IR communications driver, run
Setup.exe as downloaded from the Microsoft web-site.
2. When the Add Infrared Device Wizard prompts to choose a manufacturer's
name for the IR device, choose "(Standard Infrared Devices)" if the
computer has a built-in device, or choose the name of the manufacturer and
the model of the adapter if an IR adapter is attached to the computer. Then
click the Next button.
3. When the Add Infrared Device Wizard prompts to choose the communications
port that the IR device is physically connected to, click the port from the
list. If uncertain which physical communications port the IR device is
using, select the first COM port in the list (for example, COM1). Then
click the Next button.
4. When the Add Infrared Device Wizard prompts to select the virtual COM
and LPT ports, accept the default values by clicking the Next button. After
the wizard copies the IR communications driver files to the hard disk,
watch for the wizard to display two New Hardware Found messages.
5. When prompted by the Add Infrared Device Wizard, click the Finish button
to complete the IR device installation. If the wizard did not display New
Hardware Found messages as it carried out step 4, then restart the
computer. (If the New Hardware Found messages were displayed, there is no
need to restart the computer).
6. Activate the IR device by double-clicking the Infrared icon in the
Control Panel. If there is no Infrared icon in the Control Panel, then
either select the Refresh option from the Control Panel View menu or press
the F5 function key to make the Infrared icon appear.
For general information about how to use the Infrared Monitor, click the
Help button in the lower-right corner of the Infrared Monitor interface
screen. To get information about individual items in the Infrared Monitor
interface, such as check boxes, move the mouse cursor over the on-screen
interface item and click the right-button on the mouse.
.
The Options tab of the Infrared Monitor interface contains the following
two particularly useful items:
* The Enable Infrared Communication On check box, which enables and
disables the IR device.
* The Limit Connection Speed To option, which limits the link speed the IR
device can negotiate.
The Limit Connection Speed To option might be used if an adapter is
attached to a COM port that is using an 8250 UART instead of a 16550 UART,
or if an adapter is connected to a relatively slow computer (such as a 386
running at 20 MHz). In these cases, this option can be used to limit the
connection speed to 19.2 kbps.
Step 2. Validating the IR Communications Driver Installation
To validate the IR communications driver installation, either:
* Print from an application over an IR link to the printer (if an
IR-capable printer is available).
* Exchange data between two IR-capable computers over an IR link, using a
communications application.
* View the computer's Network Neighborhood over an IR link (if an IrLan
access point device is available).
Printing to an IR-Capable Printer
To test the printing capability of a Windows 95 application over an IR link
to an IrDA-compliant printer such as the HP 5P, carry out the installation
step for the IR communications driver on one computer and then try the
Print option in an application.
Printers without built-in IR ports can be made IR-capable by connecting an
IR adapter made for printers into the printer's parallel port. An example
of an IR adapter for printers is the Extended Systems JetEye Infrared
Printer Port ESI-9580. If a parallel cable is also used to connect the PC
to the IR printer adapter, a user can use either the IR link or the
parallel cable to print. The IR link is used when the user selects the
virtual parallel port and the cable is used when the user selects the
physical parallel port.
To validate the IR link to the printer, make sure the correct printer
driver is installed for the IR-capable printer (most printers with built-in
IR ports are Plug and Play devices and the installation for these devices
will be automatically carried out). Then use an application to print over
the IR link.
If the application prints on the IR-capable printer, the IR driver
installation is validated. If there is trouble printing, see
"Troubleshooting" for more information.
Exchanging Data Between Two Computers
To validate a link between two computers running Windows 95, install the IR
communications driver on both computers. To do this, carry out the
procedure in "Step 1. Installing the IR Communications Driver" earlier in
this document.
Note that the IR devices on the two computers do not have to be made by the
same manufacturer as long as both devices are IrDA-compliant. For example,
the IR link will work with a JetEye PC Infrared PC Interface (ESI-9680)
attached to one desktop computer and an Adaptec AIRport APA-9320 External
Infrared Adapter attached to the other desktop.
One way to validate an IR link is to run the HyperTerminal application on
both computers and send characters from the keyboard of each computer over
the IR link. HyperTerminal is installed on a Windows 95 computer as part of
the typical installation that is recommended for most computers. To
validate the IR driver installation of the IR driver on both computers,
carry out the following procedure:
1. On both computers, click the Start button, point to Settings, and then
click the Control Panel. Double-click the Infrared icon. Then move the IR
devices within 3 feet of each other, and make sure they're pointing at each
other. When the two IR devices discover each other, the message "Available
infrared devices in range" will appear on the Status tab of the Infrared
Monitor interface screen. Make sure Infrared Monitor reports both IR
devices have the appropriate infrared device within range before
proceeding. It might be necessary to realign the IR devices so they point
right at each other, move them closer together, and/or change the batteries
in an IR adapter or plug the AC power into an IR adapter. For more
information, see "Troubleshooting" earlier in the document.
2. On one of the computers, click the Options tab in the Infrared Monitor
interface and find the information that starts with "Providing application
support on ...". Write down the name of the COM port found there. This is
the name of the virtual serial port that the IR link using. The name of
this virtual serial port might be COM4 or COM5 and it will differ from the
name of the physical communications port the IR device is running on (which
is typically named COM1 or COM2).
3. Run HyperTerminal on the computer with the virtual serial port name by
clicking the Start button, pointing to Programs, pointing to Accessories,
and then clicking the HyperTerminal folder. In the window that appears,
double-click the Hypertrm.exe icon.
4. In the Connection Description dialog box, type a descriptive name
(such as "Direct IR") for the new connection, and then click OK.
5. In the Phone Number dialog box, use the Connect Using drop-down list
to click the "Direct to Comx" entry, where x is the number of the virtual
COM port written down in step 2. Then click OK. It is now possible to start
using HyperTerminal on one of the computers.
6. Repeat steps 2. through 5. for the other computer.
7. In HyperTerminal on either computer, type any characters at the
keyboard. If the typed characters appear in the HyperTerminal window on the
other computer, then it is confirmed that the IR link works in that
direction. Repeat this step on the other computer. If the IR link works in
both directions using HyperTerminal, the successful installation of the IR
communications driver on the two computers has been confirmed.
Note
The changes in status are displayed in the Status tab of the Infrared
Monitor interface while typing characters in HyperTerminal.
8. Disconnect the HyperTerminal direct IR connection by exiting the
HyperTerminal application on both computers. When prompted to save the
session, click Yes. This saves the direct IR connection setup information
as an icon in the HyperTerminal main folder, enabling a user to
double-click this icon to restart one side of the HyperTerminal direct IR
connection.
Viewing the Network Neighborhood Over an IR Link
The Version 2.0 IR communications driver enables a computer with an IR
device (either a built-in device or an adapter) to connect to a local area
network (LAN) through an IrLan access point device acting as the network
adapter for the computer. An IrLan access point device is hardware that
supports both a LAN network interface controller (NIC) and an infrared
transceiver. Local area network access over an IR link has been tested with
the following IrLan access point devices: the Extended Systems ESI-9910
JetEye Net Plus and the Hewlett-Packard NetBeam IR Infrared LAN Adapter.
To test a computer's ability to use a local area network (LAN) over an IR
link, first install the IR communications driver on the computer. Then do
the following:
1. Run IR Monitor.
2. Power on the IrLan access point device, such as the Extended Systems
ESI-9910 JetEye Net Plus, and place the infrared receiver/transmitter of
the IrLan access point device within range of the computer's infrared
device.
3. When the computer infrared device and the IrLan access point infrared
device discover each other, the Infrared Monitor interface indicates
"Infrared communication in progress."
4. When the Infrared Monitor interface shows that the IR link has been
established, click on the Network Neighborhood icon to display the icons of
the remote machines that can be accessed through the IrLan access point
device. There can be a delay of some seconds before the remote machine
icons are displayed.
If there is trouble accessing the LAN, see "Troubleshooting" for more
information.
Step 3. Running Other IR-Capable Applications
Most applications that can communicate over a null modem cable that
connects serial ports on two Windows 95 computers should also be able to
communicate over an IR link. The procedure for setting up and using the IR
link with these other communicating applications will probably be similar
to the procedure used in "Exchanging Data Between Two Computers," which
uses the HyperTerminal application to validate the installation of the IR
communications driver. The procedure for running the Windows 95 Direct
Cable Connection application is given in detail in "Notes on Running the
Direct Cable Connection Application Over an IR Link."
An Optional Step: Removing the IR Communications Driver
The IR communications driver can be removed either by using Add/Remove
Programs in the Control Panel or by using the Device Manager. Both methods
are documented in these Release Notes, but using Add/Remove Programs is the
preferred method.
Using Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel
To carry out the preferred way of removing the IR communications driver, do
the following:
1. Click the Start button and select the Settings option. Then select the
Control Panel option.
2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs in the Control panel.
3. When a list of software components is displayed, select the Infrared
Support for Windows 95 entry and click the Add/Remove button.
4. When the system prompts you to restart, do so.
Using the Device Manager
To remove the IR communications driver using the Device Manager, do the
following:
1. To run the Device Manager, right-click on the My Computer icon, select
the Properties option from the popup menu, and then click the Device
Manager tab in the System Properties dialog.
2. To display the name of the infrared device installed on the computer,
in the System Properties dialog, make sure the View devices by type option
is selected. Then click the plus sign to the left of the Infrared device
class label. Select the infrared device name and click the Remove button.
3. When prompted, click OK to confirm the device removal. After the
Device Manager has successfully removed the infrared device installation
information from the computer, the Infrared device class label will
disappear from the System Properties dialog. Click the Close button.
Note
The Infrared Monitor icon may still be displayed in the Windows 95 status
bar, even after the infrared device is removed. Ignore it; the Infrared
Monitor cannot be used to establish an IR link after the infrared device is
removed.
Notes on Running the Direct Cable Connection Application Over an IR Link
With Direct Cable Connection (DCC), a direct serial or parallel cable
connection can be established between two computers to share the resources
of the computer designated as the host. DCC can also be used over an IR
link connecting the host and a guest computer. If the host is connected to
a LAN, the host can also be used as a gateway to the LAN for the guest.
Preparing to Use DCC
The computer that contains the folder to be shared is the host, and the
other computer is the guest. Share a folder on the host, granting access
rights to anyone using the guest computer, by carrying out the procedure
given below.
Note
The following procedure is just one of many that could be used to share
files in a folder on the host computer. For example, there is user-level
access control as well as share-level access control. The following
procedure is one of the simplest access control procedures, which is all
that is needed to get started using DCC. To get information about all the
ways files, folders, and printers can be shared, use the Windows 95 Help.
1. Double-click on the My Computer icon.
2. Double-click on the icon of the drive that contains the folder to
share (for example, double-click on the icon for the C: drive).
3. Right-click on the icon of the folder to share and then select
Properties.
4. In the folder properties dialog, select the Sharing tab and then
select the Shared As option, enter a share name, enter a comment, and add
user access rights (Full or Read-Only).
5. The picture of a hand is added to the folder icon to indicate the
selected folder is now a shared resource.
Making Sure DCC Is Installed on Both Computers
DCC is not installed with the typical Windows 95 installation recommended
for most computers.
Check whether DCC is installed on both of the two computers that will be
using the IR link. To do this, click the Start button, point to Programs,
and then point to Accessories. Direct Cable Connection appears in this menu
of it is installed on the computer being checked.
If DCC is installed on the host and DCC is installed on the guest, then
skip the next step.
An Optional Step: Installing DCC
Before establishing a DCC connection, DCC must be installed on both the
host and guest. The procedure for installing DCC on either the host or the
guest is given below. If DCC is not installed on the host and is also not
installed on the guest, the following procedure must be run on each
machine.
1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click the Control
Panel. Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon.
2. In the Add/Remove Program Properties, click the Windows Setup tab.
3. In the Components list, click Communications, and then click the
Details button.
4. In the Communications dialog box, make sure Direct Cable Connection is
checked and then click OK.
Establishing and Using the DCC IR Link Between Host and Guest
To run DCC over an IR link, carry out the following procedure:
1. Make sure the IR communications driver is properly installed and the
IR devices are enabled by carrying out the procedures in "Step 1.
Installing the IR Communications Driver" and "Step 2. Validating the IR
Communications Driver Installation" earlier in this document.
Note
To increase the likelihood of success with DCC over an IR link, use the
Limit Connection Speed To option on the Infrared Monitor Options tab to
limit the IR connection speed to 9600 bps for the first test of DCC over
the IR link (and then increase the speed later).
2. On the host computer, click the Start button, point to Accessories,
and then click Direct Cable Connection.
3. Follow the steps in the Direct Cable Connection Wizard to set up the
host computer. When the wizard prompts for it, select the Host option. When
the wizard prompts to choose a port, use the same virtual port used in the
procedure "Step 2. Validating the IR Communications Driver Installation"
earlier in this document. The wizard will also offer password protection.
It is not necessary to establish password protection on the host for this
test of the IR link. When done with the wizard, click the Finish button.
DCC will start running on the IR link and display the message "Status:
Waiting to connect via Serial cable on Comx," where Comx is the name of the
virtual port the IR link is using.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the guest computer, except select the Guest
option instead of the Host option. When done with the wizard, click the
Finish button. The DCC connection is automatically made over the IR link,
and all the shared folders on the host are displayed on the guest's screen.
5. Working on the guest computer, to copy a shared folder from the host
to the guest over the IR link select the folder's icon in the window that
displays all the shared folders that are on the host and drag the icon to
the desktop. To work on a shared folder on the host without copying it to
the guest, double-click on the folder in the display on the guest. Note
that if the host is connected to a network, the guest can reach shared
resources on the network through the DCC connection to the host.
IR Communications Driver Components
The files that make up the IR communications driver are:
Filename Description
ACT200L.VXD Support for the ACTiSYS ACT-IR200L IR adapter.
ACT220L.VXD Support for the ACTiSYS ACT-IR220L IR adapter.
ADAPTEC.VXD Support for Adaptec IR adapter.
CRYSTAL.VXD Support for AMP PhasIR Serial Adapter.
ESI.VXD Support for Extended Systems JetEye PC Infrared Interface
(ESI9680).
INFRARED.CPL Infrared device in the Windows 95 Control Panel.
INFRARED.DLL Infrared device class installer.
INFRARED.INF IR device information file for Windows 95 Setup.
INFRARED.HLP On-line help topics for Infrared Monitor.
IRCOMM.VXD Top layer of IR communications for Windows 95.
IRDALAN.INF IrLan device information file for Windows 95 Setup.
IRDALAN.SYS IrLan driver.
IRENUM.VXD Enumerator for the "IR bus."
IRLAMP.VXD Generic infrared framer, lower layer of IR communications
for Windows 95.
IRLAPFRM.VXD
IRMON.EXE Infrared Monitor.
IRMONHLP.EXE IR Monitor on-line help utility.
IR_BEGIN.WAV Sound for Infrared Monitor user interface.
IR_END.WAV Sound for Infrared Monitor user interface.
IR_INTER.WAV Sound for Infrared Monitor user interface.
MSPORTS.INF IR port information file for Windows 95 Setup.
PARALLAX.VXD Support for Parallax IR Adapter, LiteLink PRA9500A.
W_IR.CNT Table of contents for Infrared Monitor on-line help.
The documentation files supplied with the IR device driver are:
Filename Description
RELNOTES.DOC This document.
IR Adapter Manufacturer Names and Addresses
The names and addresses of IR adapter manufacturers that have been
successfully tested with the IR driver in the Windows 95 IR Communications
DDK are:
ActiSys, Inc.
1507 Fulton Place
Fremont CA 94539
tel: 510-490-8024
fax: 510-623-7268
email: corp@actisys.com
Adaptec, Inc.
691 South Milpitas Blvd,
Milpitas CA 95035
tel: 1-800-959-7274
fax: 1-408-957-7223
AMP Product Information Center
AMP Incorporated
Harrisburg PA 17105
tel: 1-800-522-6752
Extended Systems, Inc.
5777 North Meeker Ave
Boise ID 83704-1520
tel: 208-322-7575
fax: 208-377-1906
The Parallax IR adapter distributor in North America is:
TSC Electronics
1610 Lockness Place
Torrance CA 90501
tel: 310 534 2738
fax: 310 534 3216
email: dtsaitsc@aol.com
contact person: Daniel Tsai
The Parallax IR adapter distributor outside North America is:
Parallax Research
201 Innovation Centre
NTU
Nanyang Drive
Singapore 639798
Republic of Singapore
tel: +65 793 0855
fax: +65 793 0775
email: parallax@technet.sg