
          TeleShare Quick Start and Quick Fixes      Page 1





          UPDATED: November, 1994


          This Product is Shareware, if you continue to use it

          Please Legalise your usage through Registration.


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          Quick Start

          Getting the System Up and Running:

          You may have already used TSSETUP to configure the host or
          remote, and may prefer to bypass this paragraph.  The first
          thing is to ensure that the modem works with the software that
          came with the modem.  They are basically guaranteed to be
          compatible.  If/Once you know that they work together, steal
          the settings from the original software (write them down or
          print screen them) and transfer the values to TeleShare.
          There is a useful tool called PORTEST that you should run to
          verify what ports you are using.  In this (November, 1994)
          release of TeleShare, simply put the initialization string in
          a file called INIT, then run SCOMMUPD to update SCOMM's
          values.  Start up tssetup.exe and set it to match your other
          recorded values.  Then start up SCOMM, select Directory and
          enter a test number.  Then call the number to ensure that the
          port setup is correct.  If it fails consider changing from
          port 1 to 2 or vice versa.  If it still fails after that check
          out the quick fixes below.




          Quick Fixes

          The most basic and common problems that you are likely to bump




          TeleShare Quick Start and Quick Fixes      Page 2

          into are related to the modem.  The following advice should be
          considered like a sandwich, with general advice like this
          above and below and various likely materials in between.

          First, some simple tests:

          Run PORTEST and record what it yields.  If it locks up your
          PC, turn the the machine off for 15 minutes (YES).  Some of
          the internal settings are zonked and need time and 'cooling'
          to self reset.

          Second, run some batch files, or run these commands directly
          from DOS.  Lets assume portest reports your modem is using
          port 1 (COM1).

          REM  Reset the modem.  Watch its lights.
          ECHO ATZ > COM1

          REM  Tell it to answer.  Listen and watch its lights.
          ECHO ATA > COM1

          REM  Tell it to hang up.  You might set this up after a
          REM  pause in the same batch file as the ATA command.
          ECHO ATH0 >com1

          If you are getting responses, the COM port is correct and the
          modem is responding.  If you aren't getting responses, try
          changing COM ports.  If you're getting responses and you know
          the port is correct turn the machine off for awhile (a longer
          while if necessary).


          Dvorak's Guide to PC Telecommunications has a list of the most
          common problems, which has been interpreted and amplified
          below:


          1) Call waiting has not been cancelled.  You can often dial
          70# or *70 or try setting both modems to ATS10=255 for a long
          wait to bypass call waiting.

          2) An external modem cable is bad or loose.

          3) The phone line is disconnected at the wall or the modem.
          Test push the connections together.

          4) The communications software is incorrectly setup.  Try
          N81.  It has to be trying to work with the correct port,
          preferably COM1 or COM2.  Try changing ports.  A fair number
          of P.C.s cannot use COM3 or COM4 for communications (or
          anything else that matters).




          TeleShare Quick Start and Quick Fixes      Page 3

          5) Modem switches or jumpers are incorrectly setup.  Is the
          modem switched on?  (Our most common problem is leaving the
          external modem turned off for the first call of the day).

          6) The modem is competing with another device for a COM port.
          No you cannot physically attach a mouse and a modem to the
          same port, but you can do so with software.  Test by
          deactivating the mouse, or scanner, or whatever SOFTware it
          might be.

          7) Its the wrong type of cable.  Sorry you cannot tell
          visually.  Direct connection and modem cables look alike, but
          are wired differently.

          8) Switches inside the computer are set incorrectly.
          Conflicting computer interrupts can cause significant hair
          loss in people trying to solve the problem.  We supply the
          RS232OFF.EXE to reset interrupts that have gone nuts (You just
          type in "RS232OFF").  Yes, the original settings can all be
          fine, but some other software zonks the interrupts.
          Apparently, a common example is Procomm which apparently
          resets more ports than just the one it is using.

          9) There is a BIOS problem.  AMI bios's have problems with
          16550 chips.  P. C. Softsmith has found common problems with
          16550 chips user inserted into cards.  Many cards are really
          designed to work with older chips and do not let a 16550 chip
          activate properly.  Normal diagnostics (and technicians) will
          pass everything, but a separate test will find the 16550
          acting like an older chip.  If you buy the card with a factory
          inserted 16550, they should match and work fine.  We can
          supply, or you can download, software from a BBS that 'fixes'
          the AMI bios to 16550 problem.  A common name is
          550RESET.exe.

          10) The software is incompatible with the modem.  Their two
          features sets fail to overlap in some crucial area.  Try some
          other sofware, even a simple dialer, to make sure you have
          correctly isolated the problem.

          11) The modem is broken or defective.  We have found some
          modems that overheat then gradually fail are very good tools
          for detecting problems with telephone lines.  Voice checking a
          phone line does not indicate its condition for a modem, but
          your 'phone company can likely check it remotely from their
          office.


          Try to get anything working, then steal its
          settings/information for the other things that you want to get
          running.  If you have the system basically working, then keep




          TeleShare Quick Start and Quick Fixes      Page 4

          changing small portions out from the working core until they
          work.  As an example, we often just erase the TSCONFIG.CFG
          setup file and restart when a problem continues, because it is
          the most basic setup file.  Many problems disappear once
          everything is reset to original defaults.


















































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