Pro 92 software can't communicate with Computer

[HaveGunWillTravel]

I've had my Pro 92 for several years now. But have not use the software in a few years.

Last I used the software was with Win ME.
Now I got Win XP home. Since my phone # changed I was going to change that on my 92's start page.

I have a great cable I bought back when. When I plug in into the 92 I get clone mode.
But when I try to test the connection to my PC, or upload or download, I always get a timed-out. Port 3 is the only one that will even get that far. Any other port is rejected out of hand!

I am using the latest 92' software: Win 92 I just downloaded. Both it, and the old program do the same thing. Time out, and reject all ports but port 3.

Save me from having to type everything in by hand. Though all my channels have been set for several years.

I would like the software to work! :roll:

Anyone been there?

Thanks ahead.

 

[HaveGunWillTravel]

Am I posting in the wrong section?
Or this is a real stumper huh? :shock:

 

[pro92b]

You didn't post much information to go on. What data cable are you using? Does the computer have a real serial port or do you use a USB to serial adapter? Are you able to run any other program that uses a serial port on this computer? You seem uncertain what the COMPORT number is. What does Device Manager show?

Download the help file for Win96 from http://starrsoft.com/software/win96/Win96Help.chm. Open the file and navigate to Getting Started and then to Connecting the Scanner. The steps in this section generally apply to Win92 as well.

 

[John_M]

Try this: Make sure the serial connection is correct in the software. Turn off scanner before inserting the cable plug.

 

[HaveGunWillTravel]

You didn't post much information to go on. What data cable are you using? Does the computer have a real serial port or do you use a USB to serial adapter? Are you able to run any other program that uses a serial port on this computer? You seem uncertain what the COMPORT number is. What does Device Manager show?

I am using a cable I got a few years ago for the 92. It uses a 9 pin female plug into the back of my PC. A small male pulg like an earphone jack into the side of the 92. It has some sort of adapter or voltage regulater on the cable between the two plugs. I don't recall the name of the cable. But it was custom made by a guy that made them at the time.
No usb is used for this.

Execpt for my digital screen I use only usb ports.
My ports in the device mgr. only shows one port, that's my printer. Which is connected via a usb.

I believe I am using comport 3 because thats what the win 92 software programs says.

I have tried all the things already in the help file you mentioned.
No got me anywhere though.

I am not sure the computer sees the cable at all. Theres no driver software that goes with the cable. Normally when I attach hardware to my PC Win XP gives me a pop-up. There is no sign of life when I plug in at all.
However when I give the upload to my PC to the 92, it tries, and the software shows it trying, or just goes through some ghost, empty blue line progression, then half way through, times out.
Wish I could know if the PC see's the cable. No sign of it in device manager either.

I'm on a win xp, pent 4, 2 gig ram, fully operational battle star.

 

[bsavery]

Com ports USUALLY start with Com1 and then Com2.

In device manager, see what your serial ports are set to use. Then set WIN92 to match. If you have 2 ports on the back of the PC, you might have to try one and if that don't work, try the other. For example... DM shows COM1 and COM2, then try COM1 in win92. If nojoy, then try COM2.

You won't get a pop-up on XP with the cable ot the scanner. XP doesn't recognize them as devices since they aren't plug and play. And they don't need drivers either. XP already loads serial port drivers on install.

Good Luck!
Bob

 

[DonS]

COM3 is most likely a modem. In Device Manager, look in the section labeled "Modems". Double-click any modem found there and, if a new window appears showing the properties of that modem, click the "Modem" tab. At the top, it should show the port assigned to the modem. If it's COM3, you can't use that port with Win92.

Back in Device Manager, look in the section labeled "Ports (COM & LPT)". If you have a 9-pin male connector on the back of your PC (a COM port), and that port is enabled in the machine's BIOS, you should see some COMx port listed - one other than COM3. That's the port number you should use in Win92.

 

[SAR923]

To make life really easy, just go out and buy a serial card for $20. It takes about 5 minutes to add the card to most desktop computers and XP will recognize it and set a new COM port for it, which you would then use for WIN92. XP doesn't make it easy to share COM ports with things like modems and I found the additional serial card was a lot less grief that battling Windows.

 

[HaveGunWillTravel]

Thanks for all the suggestions, and knowledge pointers you all.

My modem does seem to be on port 3 according to the device mgr.
Which is a shock to me. I always thought it was port 1. Maybe that was only when I used a dial-up connection. I have cable now.

Well after dinking around with this thing for what seems like a light year, I decided to throw more money at this 92 and go with the suggested $20 fix.
Or at least look into it and see if it may do it for me.
The thought of checking and trouble shooting the ports...etc... without a government grant, or a team backed with Microsoft money makes me weak in the knees. :shock:

 

[Al42]

Well after dinking around with this thing for what seems like a light year, I decided to throw more money at this 92 and go with the suggested $20 fix.
Or at least look into it and see if it may do it for me.
The thought of checking and trouble shooting the ports...etc... without a government grant, or a team backed with Microsoft money makes me weak in the knees. :shock:

If you put in a serial card, you're still going to have to see what serial ports are already in the computer.

Unless you install a plug-&-pray serial card, in which case you're going to have to go in and see which port Windows installed it to.

IOW, you're going to have to go into Device Manager, regardless of what you do, so you might as well do it before spending any money. Do as Don suggested and see what serial ports Windows sees. It'll probably be Com1, maybe Com1 and Com2.

Or you can just try to set Win92 to Com1 and see if that works.

 

[HaveGunWillTravel]

I went in to my PC maker and ran the idea about the card by him.
He said it would actually make things worse.
He said Win XP has issues with the 9 pin thing. Mapping problems, which will be cleared up by bring in my PC. I have a gold membership so it's free for me.
He said he has had to do his own & many other XP's.

I told him I could just us ethe old Pent 3,Win ME computer I have for the scanner.
He said I better get it done if I ever want to use that connection. He said only a pro can do it because of address and mapping issues.So I guess I shut her down for a few days and get it done. 8)

 

[SAR923]

This person is feeding you a giant line of bull. WinXP will recognize a serial card as soon as it's in the slot and booted up. You don't even need a driver. There's no such thing as a problem with "this 9 pin" thing. I have two WinXP computers, both with additional serial cards due to serial port conflicts with Windows. They work perfectly and there is no problem with using the normal 9 pin RS232 plugs.

I'm glad you're not paying for this "gold" plan because you're getting your money's worth.

 

[HaveGunWillTravel]

This person is feeding you a giant line of bull. WinXP will recognize a serial card as soon as it's in the slot and booted up. You don't even need a driver. There's no such thing as a problem with "this 9 pin" thing. I have two WinXP computers, both with additional serial cards due to serial port conflicts with Windows. They work perfectly and there is no problem with using the normal 9 pin RS232 plugs.

I'm glad you're not paying for this "gold" plan because you're getting your money's worth.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Yeah the guy I was talking too was from Comp USA where I got my PC.
He's the head tech there. He either doesn't know what he's talking about or he's just goofy.
One of the other techs did the work. Took him 5 mins after my PC sat in the shop 2 days. I was told one day, that streached to two. When I got there today, nothing had been done. I called for the manager, and went into my angry, whining customer act. It worked.
The tech opened it up. Said "Oh the 9 pin is turned off in the Bio's. He turned it on. I took it home. Every thing is is *A,OK!

Guess anywhere you go your going to run into numbnuts people.
The manager was cool. He got them right on it as I waited.

So no more problem.

Fixed by ordeal!

 

[HaveGunWillTravel]

In case anyone is learning from my miss-adventures, here is another chapter in the of the Radio Shack Pro-92 adventure.

Ah yes, you, like I, thought you’d heard the last.

For in the last episode it seem our hero (me) had silver tongued his way into getting my way at Comp USA by verbally bashing the tech stooges over the head with verbal diatribe.
The last move I made was to ask the tech to pick two fingers. Then wham, bonk, right in the eye balls.
Seems I scored my “Moe to the eyes” in one smooth motion teaching the morons to sit on command.

But… :?

Not so. Seems when the tech turned on my 9 pin in the bio’s, my PC shut down my D, and E drives.

So After an hour and a half on the phone where the tech got the last laugh,, he walked me through re-mapping my drives.
Now it seems all works.

Got the time? Get your work done at Comp USA, home of the dead beats.

Knuck,knuck,knuck! :lol:
:lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[SAR923]

LOL. I'm sure there are times we'd all have liked to do the old two fingers to the eye things to some computer tech.

After all this, I would suspect my $20 serial card doesn't sound so bad now.

 

[garyarff]

PCMCIA SERIAL I/O CARD IT WORKS

PRO 2067 WIN92 PROGRAM COMPAQ PRESARIO X6000 WITH NO SERIAL PORTS. I PURCHASED OVER 6 USB/SERIAL CABLES WENT THROUGH A LOT OF DEAD END PROBLEMS...EVEN THE PURPLE COMPUTING USB/SERIAL CONVERTOR...STILL THE SAME PROBLEM. THEN I PURCHASED A SOCKET SERIAL I/O PC CARD FOR MY LAPTOP AND IT WORKS LIKE A CHARM, HOWEVER IT IS NOT CHEAP. NO PROBLEMS AND NO HEADACHES

 

[Al42]

Re: PCMCIA SERIAL I/O CARD IT WORKS

PRO 2067 WIN92 PROGRAM COMPAQ PRESARIO

There's your problem in 2 words.