3-3-95                      Windows & Addresses & IRQs

     Windows 3.1 has  the addresses for COM3/4 set wrong. Use the  control
panel  and  goto Comport, then  Settings, then Advanced  screen.  Set  com4
address  02E8, IRQ 3, com3 03E8 IRQ 4. If you set another IRQ on the  modem
then  use the control panel to set them for Windows. (Windows  3.0  doesn't
have  any settings for COMport3/4, so you have to do a special  setup,  ask
MS.)  Make sure no other Windows drivers are loaded for comports.  Even  if
you  are  not USING com3/4, make sure they are set correctly!  MSD  reports
COMports wrong, when a port is skipped. Don't set over 19,200bps. If 
Windows isn't saving the Address/Irq correctly, you can edit the SYSTEM.INI 
file and put them in yourself. They go just above the [standard] line in 
the INI file.

example:
......
COM3Irq=5
COM3Base=03E8
COM4Irq=3
COM4Base=02E8
COM2Irq=3
COM2Base=02F8
                 (be sure to leave this line blank)
[standard]

     If  you're  using  the external port and  having  comport  errors, try
setting Com/3/4 correctly, as that sometimes still causes a problem.  Don't
beleive MSD as it's not accurate.

     Windows  com.drv can only handle up to 19,200bps and be  reliable,  so
don't set any Windows com/fax programs higher, unless you get a replacement
driver like Turbocom.drv.

>>>   You cannot have a Dos  TSR (like Faxman, Faxcap, Faxcom) loaded  when
you  want  to use a Windows com or fax program. And if you have  a  Windows
com/fax  driver open/loaded, it controls the port, and can mess up  both  a
Windows or DOS fax or data program. (give errors when you try to access the
port).  Windows  drivers  might cause a problem too,  like  a  screensaver.
Running a DOS program from Windows may fail too. And strange as it may 
sound, having wrong settings in Windows can mess up some Dos software using 
the modem.

     If  all  else  fails, then you may need to call  Microsoft.  For  some
reason,  sometimes when you change the addres/irq it does not Save the  new
settings. MS has a debug procedure to 'fix' your comport setup.
     Microsoft - 206-882-8080

========================================================================
2-12-95
     In  your  CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT there are  commands  and  device
drivers  that  load when you boot your computer, If you  get  unpredictable
results,  or  out of memory messages (etc) then you can  re-configure  your
computer.  To test if a device driver or TSR (resident) program is  causing  this,
you can put REM in front of the line in either of the above files. You  use
an ASCII (plain text) editor or your wordprocessor in plain text mode.

an EXAMPLE......
REM DOS=HIGH            (not needed in DOS.6  may mess up DOS.5)
REM SHARE.EXE /xxx...      (good idea to REM this line)

     ANSI.SYS  is always OK to have in there and is used an  example.   The
most likely to cause problems are Windows (anything), and drivers for mice,
virus checkers, screen savers, etc.

     >>>Another IMPORTANT thing to check is that BUFFERS= and FILES=  are
35  or  higher.<<<

    **Using  the Dos MODE to direct to COM1 (from say LPT1) ALWAYS  locks
Epressfax.  Also  NAV  (Norton Ani-Virus) must be put at the  END  of  your
Config.sys  file. Some other Anti-virus will always stop an  incoming  fax.
Another problem is screen-savers. One of the worst is After Dark. It will 
actually cause a "modem unavailable" error!

                             MEMORY
    If  you have Dos-6.x, I suggest running Memmaker before and  after  you
install  the modem/fax software. Memory is not a  straightforward  computer
feature.  Normal  memory,  where  computer  programs  run,  where  the   OS
(operating  system) and (many) device drivers reside, is limited  to  640K.
Also  optimize  your disk (see your Dos manual).     You must  have  EMM386
(EMS)  Enabled,  as the extra 2meg or 4 meg is used  BY  certain  programs,
which are running in conventional (640K) memory. They have special features
which can load large blocks of data into that  (extended/expanded)  memory.
Then  as the program works on the data, it switches 'pages' of memory  (16K
blocks)  from that memory into conventional memory while it works  on  that
section  of  data. When that section isn't needed it swaps that  back,  and
gets  another  peice to work on. This lets you have  HUGE  spreadsheets  or
databases running yet only have 640K to run the program(s). It's especially
true using Windows!
     The more programs (& TSRs and device drivers) you load, the less  room
there  is in conventional memory to operate. Somewhere along the  line  the
system  will lock or crash if you keep adding programs into 640K. A  loaded
program even not running takes memory. So close each (Windows) program when
you  are  done using it. One user also reported a  'flaky'  I/O  controller
which  was able to pass a  bench test, but when replaced cured  his  multi-
page fax sending problems.

                                            Don Hinds - Senior Zoom Tech
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