Microsoft KB Archive/139542

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Infrared Data Association Relnotes.doc File (Part 1 of 2)

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Q139542

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The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Windows 95

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SUMMARY
This information is a copy of the information in the Relnotes.doc file included with the Microsoft Windows 95 Infrared Communications Driver version 1.0.

MORE INFORMATION
         --- Microsoft Windows 95 Infrared Communications Driver Version 1.0 Release Notes ---

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Quick Start Installing the IR Communications Driver Using the IR Communications Driver Troubleshooting Product Support

QUICK START

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Congratulations! You are the proud owner of the Microsoft(r) Windows(r) 95 Infrared (IR) communications driver. After you install the IR communications driver you can start replacing your serial and parallel cable connections with wireless IR links.

Wireless communications between computers is a new thing. And you're part of it! Have fun experimenting with wireless IR links between your computers and printers.

The Version 1.0 IR communications driver is a set of software components that you can add to a Windows 95 computer to enable that computer to send and receive data over IR communications links. Installing the IR communications driver is as simple as running the Setup program that is one of the driver components.

The IR communications driver supports IR communications links running up to 115.2 kilobytes per second (Kbps). The infrared hardware can be built into your Windows 95 computer or added by attaching an infrared adapter to a serial or parallel port. A future release of the IR communications driver will add support for high-speed IR devices which run at 1.152 and 4.0 megabytes per second (Mbps).

Installing the IR Communications Driver ---

NOTE: You must always remove any previously installed version of the IR     communications driver every time you install the driver. For example, if you have an earlier (Beta) version of the IR     communications driver already installed you must remove it before you install Version 1.0. You may also need to remove an installation of the Version 1.0 driver. For example, if you change the IR adapter model that is connected to your computer, you must remove the installed IR communications driver and reinstall it, specifying the new IR adapter type. Instructions for removing the IR communications driver are in "An Optional Step: Removing the IR Communications     Driver."

A Quick Start overview of the IR Communications driver installation procedure is:

- If you are using an IR adapter (rather than a built-in IR device), make sure the adapter is physically attached to a COM port and note which COM port it is (COM1, COM2, and so on). If you are using a computer with a built-in IR device, note which COM port that device is assigned to.

- Start the setup program SETUP.EXE, which is one of the IR  communications components, to invoke the Windows 95 Add Infrared Device Wizard. Respond to the wizard's prompts for physical COM port information, IR device manufacturer and model information, and so on.

- If the wizard announces New Hardware Found events for the IR serial and parallel ports, you can enable the IR device immediately after the wizard is finished. Enable the IR device by double-clicking on the Infrared device icon in the Control Panel. If the wizard does not announce New Hardware Found events before it is finished, you must restart the computer before you use the Control Panel icon to activate the IR device.

For a detailed description of each of these steps, see "Roadmap for Installing and Using the IR Communications Driver" later in this document.

Using the IR Communications Driver --

End-users can install the IR communications device driver on their Windows 95 computer and run applications using wireless infrared communications instead of serial or parallel cables. The driver has been successfully tested on the following Windows 95 notebook computers, which have built-in IR ports:

Digital(r) HiNote Ultra CT475 Gateway(r) 2000 Liberty Gateway Solo HP(r) Omnibook(tm) 600CT HP Omnibook 4000C IBM(r) ThinkPad(r) 701C (Butterfly) IBM ThinkPad 755 (most configurations) Midwest Micro Elite Midwest Micro Elite p90 Sharp(r) PC 3050 TI(r) TravelMate(tm) 5000 Toshiba(r) Satellite Pro 400 CDT

In addition, the driver has been successfully tested on Windows 95 platforms with the following IR adapters connected to serial ports:

ACTiSYS ACT-200L Infrared Wireless Interface ACTiSYS ACT-220L Infrared Wireless Interface Adaptec(tm) AIRport APA-9320 External Infrared Adapter (this adapter is     also called the Adaptec AIRport 2000) Adaptec AIRport 1000 AMP PhasIR Serial Adapter Extended Systems JetEye PC Infrared PC Interface (ESI-9680) Parallax IR Adapter LiteLink PRA9500A

To obtain any of the IR adapters listed above, contact the adapter manufacturer. The addresses of these manufacturers are listed in "IR Adapter Manufacturer Names and Addresses" at the end of this document.

The following applications have been run successfully over an IR communications link, using the IR communications driver and the hardware listed above:

Windows 95 Direct Cable Connection (DCC) Various Windows communications applications, including HyperTerminal, DynaComm, and Carbon Copy.

Because the IR link is simulating a serial communications link, some communications applications may not perform as expected after they connect over the IR link. See the "Troubleshooting" topic for more information.

For instructions on running DCC over an IR link, see "Notes on Running the Direct Cable Connection Application Over an IR Link" later in this document.

Numerous Windows 95 applications have successfully printed over an IR link to an HP(r) LaserJet(r) 5P or 5MP printer, which have built-in IR ports.

Troubleshooting ---

Some general troubleshooting tips are:

- To get two IR devices to discover each other, you may have to realign the IR devices so they point right at each other, move them closer together, and/or change the batteries in an IR adapter or plug the AC  power into an IR adapter. The devices must be three feet apart, or  less, and the angle of the cone of IR transmission is 30 degrees. Some devices work best if kept at least six inches apart.

- You must always remove any previously installed version of the IR  communications driver every time you install the driver. For example, if you have an earlier (Beta) version of the IR communications driver already installed you must remove it before you install Version 1.0. You may also need to remove an installation of the Version 1.0 driver. For example, if you change the IR adapter model that is connected to  your computer, you must remove the installed IR communications driver and reinstall it, specifying the new IR adapter type. Instructions for removing the IR communications driver are in "An Optional Step:  Removing the IR Communications Driver."

Some troubleshooting tips related to using particular applications over IR links are:

- If you use the Windows 95 application HyperTerminal to transfer files, you will not be able to transfer files successfully over an IR link using the Zmodem protocol as it is implemented by HyperTerminal.

- When you run the Windows 95 application Direct Cable Connection (DCC) and establish the connection between the host and guest computers, the guest computer may display the message "Direct Cable Connection was  unable to display shared folders of the host computer" and prompt you to enter the computer name of the host computer. A convenient way to  find the computer name of the host computer is on the Status tab of the Infrared Monitor interface screen.

Troubleshooting tips related to specific infrared hardware are:

- The Adaptec AIRport 2000 infrared adapter can be powered by either the serial port, installed AA batteries, or an external power supply. In  some cases, the serial port may not provide sufficient power for the operation of the adapter. This can cause reduced operating range and/or a failure to find another IR device which is nearby and aligned correctly. If you suspect such a problem, connect an AC adapter or add four AA batteries to the battery compartment in the infrared adapter. This will assure sufficient power. In some instances, you may need to  separate the adapter by at least six inches the other IR device.

- If you have an ACTiSYS 220L IR adapter attached to your computer and print to a printer that is using an Extended Systems ESI-9580 printer IR adapter, or you are printing to the HP DeskJet 340, you must use the Options tab in the Infrared Monitor to limit the connection speed to  19.2 Kbps to print successfully. If you allow the IR devices to  automatically negotiate the connection speed without setting this limit, they will negotiate a higher connection speed and your application will not be able to print.

- The TI TravelMate 5000 may communicate over an IR link only at very low speeds (9600 baud).

- The Sharp PC 3050 may communicate over an IR link only at speeds between 9600 baud and 19.2 Kbps.

- If you have an HP Omnibook 4000C or an HP Omnibook 600CT, you must install a special echo-canceling serial driver in addition to the components that make up the IR communications driver. The echo- canceling driver, along with instructions on how to install it, are available from Hewlett-Packard.

Product Support
For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services phone numbers and information on support costs, please go to the following address on the World Wide Web:

"http://support.microsoft.com/directory/overview.asp" Be prepared to give the following information:

 - The version number of the Microsoft product that you are using.

- The type of hardware that you are using.

- The exact wording of any messages that appeared on your screen.

- A description of what happened and what you were doing when the problem occurred.

- A description of how you tried to solve the problem. Additional query words: irda

Keywords : win95

Issue type : kbinfo

Technology : kbWin95search kbWin95