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Rearranging
COM Ports
As
mentioned previously,
if an internal device uses a COM port which is normally
associated with one of the external sockets, the port is
taken away from the external socket and given to the internal
device.
For example, if you have a serial mouse connected to COM1,
and an internal modem connected to COM2, no matter what
device you connect to the physical COM2 socket, no communications
will take place. The internal modem has taken control of
COM2 and the external socket is, for all intents and purposes,
dead, and unavailable for use by an external device.
However,
you can rearrange your COM ports to free up COM2 so that
you can keep your mouse and modem and connect an
external device.
In
essence, since your internal modem does not require an external
port, you will "move" it's association from COM2
to COM3 or COM4. If neither COM3 or COM4 appears in your
listing of ports,
you will need to add it.
Consult
your Windows documentation regarding adding COM ports.
Viewing
System Resources
Windows 95 & Windows 98
Systems
-
Select Start > Settings > Control Panel > System > Device Manager.
- Double-click
on Computer.
- Select
the View Resources tab
- Select
Interrupt request (IRQ) radio button.
The currently assigned system IRQ resources are displayed.
Windows
NT Systems
-
Select Start > Programs > Administrative Tools > Tools option and run NT Diagnostics.
- Choose the Resources
tab.
The information that appears in the dialog box is the IRQ information for your system.
Please
note, when you add a COM port, only Windows
95 and Windows 98
systems can share IRQs. Therefore, if you are installing
on a Windows NT
system, you will need to view the current System Resources
and assign a unique IRQ.
Once
you have added the COM port, you will reconfigure your modem
to use it. Some older modems can only be reconfigured by
moving a physical jumper on the modem card itself. Most
modems today however, can be reconfigured through the modem
application. Consult your modem manual for instructions
on reconfiguring its COM port.
Once
the reconfiguration is complete, you can use COM2 for your
eBeam hardware.
Return
to Managing COM Ports
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