🚀 go-pugleaf

I can walk you through the process, and explain the difference between the
IRDA-protocol-wrapped "virtual COM port" created by the IRDA drivers in
Windows versus the physical COM port that the IR hardware is on.

Two questions that are important for specific troubleshooting if the below
instructions dont work:

1.  Are you using Win95 or Win98?  They handle IR listings in device manager a
bit differently.

2.  Does your Palm device have PalmOS 3.3 or later installed?  (Earlier
versions don't officially support IR hotsyncs directly, although it *is*
possible to do an IR hotsync with them.)

For the purposes of IRDA-based IR communication, you would *never* be
attempting to talk directly to the physical port that the IR hardware is on
(which would typically be COM1 or COM2, depending on the physical
configuration set by the Thinkpad hardware utilities).

Instead, the operating system, once infrared communications services are set
up would create a "virtual" COM port (which would typically be COM4 by
default) which isn't directly connected to the infrared hardware.  When you
open this "virtual" COM port, this initializes the IRDA communications layer
that "wraps" IR, and that communications layer is talking to the physical
port.

Think of the IRDA communications layer as if it was a middleman, like so:

Palm Desktop -> Virtual Infrared Port (COM4) -> IRDA communications handler ->
physical infrared port (COM2).

The physical IR COM port is *not* accessible to user software.  Instead, user
software will be talking to the virtual IRDA COM port (COM4) which would
transparently handle/strip all the IRDA-communications overhead automatically.

So, to install the Palm Desktop properly to do an IR hotsync, you first want
to make sure the infrared is all set up in advance.  You *don't need* the Palm
Desktop to be installed to get the IRDA drivers to see that the Palm device is
looking for an IRDA linkup - so you make sure the infrared is set up and can
"see" the Palm before you setup Palm Desktop.

1.  Make sure the infrared port is properly enabled under your OS and with
your Thinkpad configuration utility.  (The details vary quite a bit between
Win95's Infrared versus Win98's, so it would help if I knew which OS you were
using.)

2.  Go to Control Panel/Infrared.  If the IRDA device drivers were already
installed/configured, you should see an IRDA control panel when you open it.
If they haven't been configured, a wizard will pop up and walk you through the
process of installing the infrared communications handlers for your operating
system.

3.  On the Infrared control panel, put a checkmark in "enable infrared
communications on [COMx]".  Typically this will be COM4.  You can also put a
checkmark in another box that will make an IR icon appear on your taskbar -
turn this on for simplicity since it provides a visual indicator of whether IR
devices are in range.  Also turn on "Look for IR devices every X seconds".

4.  You'll see a single red right-facing LED icon appear on your taskbar.  It
will probably blink red every few seconds as it looks for IR devices.

5.  Take your Palm device, turn it on, and hold it near the IR port on your
Thinkpad.  Assuming the Palm had IR enabled in Preferences (it's on by
default), just wait a few moments - you should see a dialog box pop up on your
Palm device saying "Waiting for transfer" or some such.  You don't need to
play with the software on the Palm device to do this IR check.

The IR icon on your Windows taskbar should change appearance, and within a few
moments you should see *two* LED's facing each other in place of one (you
might also hear a beep).   This tells you the IRDA communications is working.
If you click on the IR taskbar icon to bring up the IR control panel, it will
show "Infrared device in range" and will show the PalmOS user's name as the
device the IRDA layer established communications with.

Once you've reached this point, you've established the IRDA-wrapped serial
link between your Palm and the infrared on the Thinkpad, and confirmed that
it's working.  So at this point, any software that talks to the IRDA-wrapped
virtual COM4 when a Palm OS device is activated near the IR port ... will
think that it's physically connected by serial cable to the Palm device.  (The
Palm Desktop software doesn't "see" the difference between a real serial
cradle versus a virtual IR connection, thanks to the IRDA communications layer
hiding the details of the connection.)

At *this* point you would configure Palm Desktop.  Set it to look at COM4 (or
whatever "virtual" COM port is assigned in the *Infrared control panel*.  It
should install and work ok.

With luck, you should now be able to do an IR hotsync at any time simply by
turning on the Palm, clicking on Hotsync.  Make sure Local is selected, and
change the dropdown from "Direct Serial" to "IR to a PC/Handheld".

Then click the sync icon on the Palm, and it should start hotsyncing.  (If you
move the Palm out of IR range during this connection, the Infrared controls in
Windows will warn you - just move the Palm back into IR range and it will
resume the transfer.)

Hope this helps.

Alex
ajbrin@rochester.rr.com



"Mike Bailey" <mikebailey@mediaone.net> wrote in message
news:9vQI4.48739$YU2.814111@typhoon.ne.mediaone.net...
> I am trying to install Palm Desktop 3.03 on a ThinkPad 240 with the goal of
> being able to Hotsync via IR. I am finding this to be tricky.  First of all,
> Desktop will not install.  The install starts, but just after selecting the
> serial port (Comm 1) for Hotsync (no cradle attached), it causes my PC to
> reboot.
>
> I've read that I may need to use ThinkPad Configuration to disable the IR
> port before installing Desktop.  If I do so, can I re-enable it afterwards
> and use it for Hotsync?  (I don't want to use a cradle.)
>
> If you have had success with this kind of configuration, will you post a
> reply and tell me how you did it?  Thanks.
>
>