[Ham-Computers] Clearing Com1?

Wed Nov 2 00:26:00 EST 2005

The easy solution? More like a work around. But no matter, if it works and does
what you need, that is all that matters.	

This is what happens when you try to mix the old and the new technology, they
fight. It is best to run one or the other. Then you really do have a solution.	

The DOS in Windows is not the real MS DOS some of us remember, but a watered
down version of it. When one tries to make the new technology do what it was not
designed to do, conflicts are unavoidable. Easily solved though, run two
machines. I do and then I avoid all these conflicts.	

I wrote a file to load the program with a hot key, it clears memory and ports,
then does so again when it leaves. This way nothing fights for it and wins. 

----------
From: Jay Eimer <ad5pe at familynet.net>
To: 'Computers (or other) used for amateur radio, communications,  or
experimenting' <ham-computers at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: RE: [Ham-Computers] Clearing Com1?
Date: Wednesday, November 02, 2005 12:08 AM

Granted - but it doesn't always work.  On XP (that I know of, possibly
others) Windows "start" and/or "run" registry keys run AFTER autoexec (not
sure which, or how - may be the "user" keys that start at login rather than
boot-up).  So your solution clears the com port, then the "activesync"
software starts and grabs it again.  And some of them "misbehave" and won't
release it once they've got it, even WITH the command line call.

I never tried to reverse engineer the "why", I just found the easy solution.
For me (WinXP, Dell Axim running PocketPC 2003, and Win95 to load my
RadioShack Pro-95) was to remove ActiveSync from the auto-start (which I did
from its config menu), reboot so it wasn't running, and then use Win95 as
nec.  When I want to load a scanner, I reboot.  When I want to sync the
Axim, I double-click ActiveSync on the desktop.  If I want to run Win95
again later, I reboot - as that's the only "reliable" way to kill
ActiveSync.

So, in general, the only solution is to remove the offending app from the
appropriate regkey, reboot (so it doesn't have the port, and hasn't
started), do your stuff with loading scanners or radios or whatever, and
then start activesync from a desktop shortcut or the start menu.  

I'm afraid, though, that in this case it may be an IR port that is doing it,
and that it's doing it in BIOS.

Jay 

-----Original Message-----
From: ham-computers-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:ham-computers-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Duane Fischer,
W8DBF
Sent: Tuesday, November 01, 2005 22:51
To: Computers (or other) used for amateur radio, communications, or
experimenting; kd4e at verizon.net
Subject: Re: [Ham-Computers] Clearing Com1?

It is not difficult to write a routine that can go in the autoexec.bat file
to clear the com port on boot up - It is a simple command line call. 

----------
From: Jay Eimer <ad5pe at familynet.net>
To: kd4e at verizon.net; 'Computers (or other) used for amateur radio,
communications,  or experimenting' <ham-computers at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: RE: [Ham-Computers] Clearing Com1?
Date: Tuesday, November 01, 2005 11:48 PM

Do you have any software installed to sync a palm device (palm pilot, pocket
PC, etc.) - those programs are notorious for not releasing the com port even
when they aren't running.  You have to kill them in task manager, or tell
them not to auto-start, then reboot (but then you'll have to start them
manually before they work again).

If it's not one for a palmtop, there are other devices that behave
similarly.  Even some "USB" devices capture a com port.

Jay 

-----Original Message-----
From: ham-computers-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:ham-computers-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of kd4e
Sent: Monday, October 31, 2005 17:49
To: Ham-Computers at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [Ham-Computers] Clearing Com1?

I am trying to program my scanner but something is grabbing and holding the
Com1 serial port on my old IBM ThinkPad 600e and I cannot remember how to
discover what it is and how to free up Com1.

Help?

--
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks! & 73, doc kd4e
Echoes of Eden Blog: http://bibleseven.com/blog1/blog.html

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