I was only able to complete upgrades using another machine. The one that fails is a Dell Lattitude cPX, and the one that succeeds is an IBM Thinkpad (both are laptops). Both have exactly the same com1 driver version and settings. Both are running Win2k Pro.

On the Dell, I have Xircom Cardbus Ethernet/Modem PCMCIA, but I think problem occurs regardless of if it's installed.

Minimal other apps running, nothing that takes COM1 that I can tell.

Anyway, not too worried since I can find a way to upgrade, but just in case someone else needs some data to work from.

-Joe

Sounds like a problem with the Dell's COM port. It may be sharing an IRQ with another device.

See if you can get some other thing working on the Dell's COM port such as hyperterminal.

Yeah, maybe, but I don't see any conflicts in the device manager. Is there an easy way to list all devices on an IRQ? I know COM3 would normally share IRQ4, but don't have that setup.

Keep in mind that the upgrader successfully completes many steps before stalling on this one, so I suspect there is more to it than IRQ conflict (otherwise, wouldn't everything fail?)

Didn't try hyperterminal, got a more severe problem at the moment - the display doesn't not come up at all - totally blank. I have a note to carsupport, but suspect it's a defective unit. :-(

Is there an easy way to list all devices on an IRQ?

Yes. It's kind of a hidden feature in the Device Manager. It's sort of stupid the way they make you do this, I wish it were more obvious. When someone pointed it out to me (on this very BBS if I recall correctly), I was pretty upset about it:

At the very top of the device manager tree, is the computer itself. On my system, it's called "Computer". Double-click on that. This gives you an ordered IRQ list.

See what I mean? Pisses you off when you see it. Totally non-intuitive way of getting that information.

Didn't try hyperterminal, got a more severe problem at the moment - the display doesn't not come up at all - totally blank. I have a note to carsupport, but suspect it's a defective unit.

This is probably a side-effect of the failed kernel flash. Re-flash it on the working laptop.

At the very top of the device manager tree, is the computer itself. On my system, it's called "Computer". Double-click on that. This gives you an ordered IRQ list.

hmm. doesn't work on my installation of w2k pro, it just collapses or expands the categories under "Computer" (which on mine reads "EQUINOX", the machine's network name).

the system information tool, under the accessories -> system tools menu, has a very intuitive interface for viewing hardware configuration info.

--d.

hmm. doesn't work on my installation of w2k pro, it just collapses or expands the categories under "Computer"

Oh, I was on 98.

Try getting the "properties" for "computer". Does that work on 2K?

Well on XP it's like this:

Open Device Manager
View -> Resources by type
Expand the tree for IRQ

Tom

On Win2k, I found a way in the Device Manager too: Click on the menu item View, then Resources by type. However, I only show COM1 using IRQ4. :-(

Thanks for the tip on System Info, though! Even better interface.

JEmplode has 'show empeg screen' function; you have to keep pressing 'Refresh' button, though.

Cool, I'll check it out. Installing DS on beta 7 appears pretty involved anyway (reading the latest display server thread).

If you are feeling endevorous, the JEmplode code already supports polling updates to the screen grab, it's just not exposed through the UI. If you wanted to play around with that, it would be pretty easy to turn on polling mode.

Mike