Microsoft KB Archive/245396

= Cannot Connect to Desktop After Upgrading to Windows 98 =

Article ID: 245396

Article Last Modified on 2/4/2004

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows CE 3.0 for the Handheld PC Professional Edition
 * Microsoft Windows CE 2.12 for the Handheld PC
 * Microsoft Windows CE 2.11 for the Handheld PC
 * Microsoft Windows CE 2.1 for the Handheld PC
 * Microsoft Windows CE 2.0 for the Handheld PC
 * Microsoft Windows CE 2.12 for the Handheld PC
 * Microsoft Windows CE 2.11 for the Handheld PC
 * Microsoft Windows CE 2.1 for the Handheld PC
 * Microsoft Windows CE 2.0 for the Handheld PC
 * Microsoft Windows Pocket PC with Windows CE 3.0
 * Microsoft ActiveSync 3.0
 * Microsoft ActiveSync 3.1

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This article was previously published under Q245396



SYMPTOMS
After you upgrade from Microsoft Windows 95 to Microsoft Windows 98, your Windows CE-based device may not be able to connect to your desktop computer.

The ActiveSync status or Mobile Device windows states: "Waiting for Mobile Device to Connect." The Windows CE-based device displays: "Retry 2," "Retry 3," and "Retry 4," and then stops attempting to communicate, indicated by a chirp sound.

If you run the Get Connected Wizard in ActiveSync, the wizard indicates that "Setup cannot tell which COM port you are using to connect your mobile device." The status of the COM port you are attempting to use is listed as "Available."

Device Manager may not show any resource conflicts for the COM ports (indicated by red X's or yellow exclamation points).



CAUSE
During the Windows 98 upgrade process, resources such as IRQs may have been reassigned among devices on your computer. If the resources for the COM port that the Windows CE-based device uses are shared with another device, the Windows CE-based device cannot communicate with the desktop computer.

Note that this behavior is the same as if you run the Get Connected Wizard in ActiveSync when there is no Windows CE-based device connected to a COM port.



RESOLUTION
Use the Microsoft System Information tool to determine if there are any hardware conflicts:  Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click System Information. Click the plus sign (+) next to Hardware Resources, and then click Conflicts/Sharing. Check to ensure that none of the IRQs assigned to the COM port used by the Windows CE-based device are listed as being shared with other devices. Record any devices that share resources with the COM port. IRQ Steering may cause some IRQs for devices other than COM ports to be listed as shared. This is typical behavior. Although other PCI devices can share resources in some cases, COM ports cannot. For additional information about IRQ Steering, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

182604 Description of PCI Bus IRQ Steering

 Check the IRQ assignments by clicking IRQs under Hardware Resources. Typically, COM1 uses IRQ4; COM2 uses IRQ3. Additional virtual COM ports may be designated by internal modems. Note any other devices that may be assigned to the same IRQs as the COM ports. If any other devices are assigned to the same IRQs, a conflict occurs, preventing the Windows CE-based device from communicating.

If a conflict exists with the COM port being used by the Windows CE-based device, you must either connect on another COM port or resolve the conflict manually by using Device Manager. For information about using Device Manager to check resource assignments and to troubleshoot device conflicts, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

141497 How to Use Device Manager to Check the Status of a Resource

133240 Troubleshooting Device Conflicts with Device Manager



Keywords: kbhardware kbenv kbprb KB245396

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