Psion WorkABout on Win2000

[andrea.temporin]

I'm tryin to connect my Psion WorkAbout and the connection alwais fails.
I've got Win2000 on my PC and tried to use both EPOC Connect Lite and PsiWin2.3. The connection just don't work without any
particular message.
I've tried the same thing on several Win2000 pcs, the result doesn't change

[diem]

Is your Psiwin 2.3.3 or 2.3.1?

Only 2.3.3 is guaranteed to work with 2K and XP.

[andrea.temporin]

I've downloaded PsiWin 2.3.3 from psion site.
Sometimes I get a connection uninstalling and installing EPOC Connect lite several times, but I'never got a connection with
PsiWin 2.3.3.

[diem]

it is also very important to have a 'clean' install of either of these products; the registry needs to be cleaned in between installs.

Goto my FAQ (URL below) and you'll find a guide and tools to help you troubleshoot your connection problems.

[andrea.temporin]

Unistalled everything, used newclean.inf (link found in your site),
installed PsiWin 2.3.3 and no connection.
Is there anithiyng I have to do on the workabout besides setting
the remote link on at baud 19200 on port C?
(The settings for the boud on the pc are 19200)

[diem]

I have not used a workabout, so I don't know anything on that front. Have you set Psiwin's connection properties to match? i.e. selected the correct COM port, unticked all the others in the list, and set the connection speed to 19200 instead of 'Maximum attainable'? Right-click 'My Psion', choose properties, and go the the connections tab to set these properties.

[andrea.temporin]

Everyone says it is possible to connect Psion machines with PsiWin 2.3.3 under Win2000, but I still don't get any connection.
Do tou think It is possible that the EPOC os version installed on PSION WorkAbouts doesn't support some of the function of the
SDK used by PsiWin 2.3.3?

[diem]

It is possible - what release of EPOC does the Workabout use?

Also, did you try the suggestions I made in my previous post?

[andrea.temporin]

ROM V.2.40F
Epoc/OS V.3.96F
and I have tried the suggestiuon about the boud rate.

I think that all the problems may raise from the fact that I had previously installed Epoc Conncet Lite with PsiWin 2.1.1 and even uninstalling it ad using the newclean.inf somthing in the system is not good.
Now I'm looking for a clean Win2000 PC to install PsiWIn 2.3.3 first of all and try the conncetion.

[diem]

That sounds like a good plan. The OS revision is similar to the original Series 5, which can certainly talk to Psiwin 2.3.3. Please post back if u get success (or failure of course!).

Another thought (and I freely admit this might be granny-suck-eggs time), you don't have any other programs running that have grabbed hold of the serial port do you?

In terms of tracing where the fault lies, there's a guide on my site about using Hyperterminal to identify which serial port the Psion is apperaing on; of course Psconsv.exe must be shut down when trying this!

[andrea.temporin]

Thanks a lot for your attention.
I will try all this as soon as I found the clean Win2000 Pc.
For all I know there is no program running on my comm.
I will make you now if the winner will be PSION or me.
By the way, what's the italian for "granny-suck-eggs time"?

[diem]

Originally posted by andrea.temporin
By the way, what's the italian for "granny-suck-eggs time"?

My apologies - the english expression "Trying to teach your grandmother to suck eggs" means insulting someone's intelligence by trying to tell them something that they already know, or that is completely obvious :)

I strongly suggest that you try the Hyperterminal test, just to confirm that the Workabout is trying to communicate. If it works, then all that remains is a problem in Windows, probably residue from an old installation as you say. If this is the case, then good luck with finding another Windows 2000 PC. We'll beat it yet!

[andrea.temporin]

Thats's the state of art:
HyperTerminal do really see both serial ports.
On a different PC with Win2000 everything works all right.
It seems like the problem is only on IBM PCs.
On those PCs HyperTerminal see the COMMs but PsiWin does not.
The problem is tha I have to meke them Works on the IBM!

[diem]

Hmmm, this is bad news. I have heard before of Psiwin failing to work with some specific models of PC (Dell in the past).

Given that you are using a Workabout, do you have a support contract of any sort? Psion may be more prepared to offer help to an industrial customer than they are to private consumers.

[andrea.temporin]

New state of art:
2 IBM PC installed, 1 IBM PC not working 1 COMPAQ not working.
To install the IBM I have first of all uninstalled EpocConnect Lite,
installed the newclean.inf and reboot the computer a couple of times an then installed PsiWIn 2.3.3. I didn't understand the importance of installing newclean.inf and rebooting several times,
and I dindn't understand why It doesn't work on the third PC as they are identical and no particular software seems to be installed on the PCs...
Psion support send me this e-mail:
"[...]We wish to point out that PsiWin 2.3.2 and 2.3.3 are beta
versions, released for the purpose of bug testing, and
which include recently discovered bugs. [...]".
In any way where I was able to install It, PsiWin 2.3.3 seems to
work better and be faster then EpocConnect Lite.

[diem]

Double-clicking newclean.inf does not install it. The file simply contains commands to remove all registry entries created by Psiwin/EPOCConnect. Rebooting a couple of times is a just standard precaution with Windows ;) It seems to help it sort itself out.

The comment from Psion support is simply their way of saying "If it doesn't work, then its because you are using beta software". This is very rude of them, since only 2.3.3 actually works with Windows 2000!

As regards the PCs the installation does not work on, is this the same IBM you had the problems with in the first place? If it is, and it is an identical model to one of those that works, I can only suggest reinstalling Windows.