[PCR-1000] Maybe XP can inadvertently corrupt the PCR1000 EEPROM

[nt1g at comcast.net]

The EEPROM corruption issue is OLDER than XP, and now that you mention
it, seemed to have GONE AWAY as XP became more prevalent...
 How long has Windows been looking for Serial Mice?

--
Skip Flem, NT1G 
Hull, Massachusetts

-------------- Original message -------------- 

> I recently ran my TalkPCR verify utility and discovered 109 errors in the 
> EEPROM. Strange - I don't run any hairy-wild software here. No big deal - I 
> had a good backup EEPROM copy, so I restored it and noticed signal levels 
> come back up OK. But I was wondering what could have caused the EEPROM 
> corruption. 
> 
> So I started thinking. 
> 
> Not long ago, I upgraded to XP here, and I remember seeing XP doing tricks 
> with the serial port at startup. I did a google to see what XP could be 
> doing, and discovered it is looking for a serial mouse. There is actually a 
> command to add to the BOOT.INI file to disable this query 
> 
> " 
> 
> /fastdetect:comnumber 
> 
> This switch turns off serial and bus mouse detection in the Ntdetect.com 
> file for the specified port. Use this switch if you have a component other 
> than a mouse that is attached to a serial port during the startup process." 
> 
> The above is from: 
> http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;833721 
> 
> So Microsoft ways that, at startup, XP somehow pulses or queries the serial 
> ports to see if a serial mouse is attached there. 
> 
> Perhaps your PCR1000 is at risk of EEPROM corruption when that query is 
> sent out on the port. The above reference tells us how to kill the serial 
> port query, if we need to. I am going to leave mine as it is now and see if 
> anything happens in the future. I mostly leave the present PCR1000 computer 
> running 24/7, so have few startups to test, but still may see something 
> happen. (The PCR1000 was on a different XP machine until recently, with 
> normal startups/shutdowns.) 
> 
> We have had several cases of EEPROM corruption reported here. Does this 
> possible XP connection ring a bell with anyone? 
> 
> Jerry W4UK 
> 
> 
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