Re: Com port problems on ThinkPads with Windows95

[Michael Verne/VENTANA <Michael_Verne/VENTANA.ITP@lgate.vmedia.com>]

i've found that these instructions solve several differnet com port and mwave 
problems on various thinkpads (assuming, of course, that your bios is 1.41 or 
better & you've installed all the thinkpad win95 diskettes):

1)  boot to easy setup, initialize, restart
2)  boot to easy setup, config, com ports, disable both serial ports
3)  boot to win95, run 'infrared' program, disable infrared, save, don't reboot
4)  run 'serial' program, enable 'serial a' on com 1, disable 'serial b,' save, 
don't reboot
5)  run 'dsp' program,
            enable 'dsp device' at 430Eh, IRQ10, DMA7 (should be the default)
            enable 'midi' at 330h (should be the default)
            enable 'soundblaster support' at 220h, DMA1, IRQ5 (should be the 
default)
            enable 'modem' on COM2 (should be the default)
            save, don't reboot
6)  run device manager,
            expand 'ports,' remove them all, don't reboot
            expand 'modem,' remove everything that may be there, don't reboot
            expand 'IBM Mwave Digital.....' or 'DSP,' remove everything that 
may be there
            shut down, power off, restart
7)  95 will pick up most devices when it reboots.  one will ask you to select a 
driver.  choose 'windows default driver.'  reboot as many times as it picks up 
new devices.
8)  run device manager, expand 'ports.'  you should see, among other things, 
'IBM Mwave Communications Port' and 'Communications Port...' (may have 'com1' 
or 'com2' in parentheses).

****now, if you have two listed as 'Communications Port,' in addition to the 
'IBM Mwave...,' go to step 10.  if you only have one listed as 'Communications 
Port' in addition to 'IBM Mwave...' go to step 8.  if you don't have 'IBM 
Mwave...' listed, you either haven't installed the tpwin95 diskettes properly 
or you have a hardware problem.***

8)  from 'control panel,' run 'add new hardware.'  don't auto-detect, select 
'port,'  choose '(standard port types)' in the left window, 'communications 
port' in the right, reboot when finished.
9)  run device manager
10)  you should have 2 'Communications Port' items under 'ports.'  Ignore the 
'IBM Mwave...'  the two 'Communications Port' should say 'Com 1,' 'Com 2,' or 
nothing.
11)  highlight the 'Communications Port' that has no 'Com' designation at the 
end.  if they both have a designation, highlight the one labelled 'Com 2'.  if 
neither indicates a com port, then use the second one listed.  click on 
'properties.'
12)  select the 'driver' tab, click on the 'change driver' button, click on 
'show all devices' on the left, 
select 'IBM' in the left window and 'IBM Thinkpad Infrared Port' on the right.  
click 'ok,' reboot when it's finished.

the only further com port movement i've seen after doing this is that the 
infrared port in device manager may jump around unused com ports (4,5, none).  
these instructions have worked flawlessly for me on a dozen 755's, but i have 
never used the infrared port for anything, and it may well be unusable at this 
point.


Michael J. Verne
Systems Administrator, Ventana Communications Group
michael_verne@vmedia.com
http://www.vmedia.com/michaelv/
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in the other direction.    --Dietrich Bonhoeffer