At 00:18 11/28/99 , Ashok Bhiman GMX wrote:
>My system has been working fine with mouse on COM1 and external Modem
>on COM2. However, now I have acquired a data organizer / synchronizer
>for which the docking port has to be fixed to COM2. What should I do?
>I have two serial ports on the back of my computer which are from the
>motherboard. I have also fixed an old i/o card because I wanted an
>additional parallel port for my new inkjet printer (LPT1). My dot
>matrix is on the LPT2 on the back of the system (from the m/b). The
>i/o card also has a serial port. Suggestions welcome.


Hi Ashok

The easiest solution would be to buy a PS2 mouse so that you can
free up COM1. Then you would physically move the modem to COM1
(you'd need to reconfigure the modem in the operating system so
that it uses COM1) and hook the data organizer to COM2. But you'd
have to spend a little money for a PS2 mouse. (You could get a
USB mouse instead of a PS2 mouse but I wouldn't do that unless
your motherboard will support the USB mouse via its BIOS in case
you need to use an operating system without USB support.)

If you don't want to be rid of your serial mouse on COM1, you
can't use any other serial port device on COM1 *or* COM3 because
both these COM ports share IRQ4. (What differentiates COM1 from
COM2 is the I/O Port each uses.)

So you need to have your modem and data-organizer on COM2 and
COM4...which share IRQ3. Since you must put the data-organizer
on COM2, this forces you to "move" your modem to COM4.
The downside of this is that you won't be able to use both
your data-organizer and your modem *simultaneously*. But
you should be able to use one *or* the other at any time.

To do this, you'll need to enter your motherboard's BIOS Setup
and change the serial port (on the motherboard) that your modem
uses from I/O Port 02F8 to 02E8. (But don't change the IRQ from
IRQ3.) This will configure the motherboard's COM port so that
it becomes COM4. You won't have to physically move the modem
but you'll need to reconfigure the modem inside the operating
system so that it uses COM4. (In Win9X, "Remove" the modem from
"Control Panel"/"Modems" and then "Add" it back specifying COM4.)

Now set the COM port on your I/O card to COM2 via jumper or
software (this will be I/O Port 02F8 and IRQ3) and hook up
your data organizer.

That should do it.

Regards,
Bill

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