Windows 95 Troubleshooting Guide

This document provides answers to common Windows 95 Questions. For more detailed support, visit www.microsoft.com.

1. Can I still use my 16-bit communications software under Windows 95?

Answer
 Yes. No additional work is required for your 16-bit communication programs to see the modem under Windows 95. 16-bit applications access the COM Port directly, which Windows 95 natively supports.

Note: If Windows 95 was installed over Windows 3.1, and the COMM.DRV= line in the Windows system.ini file was set to RHSICOM.DRV, you must edit the system.ini file and replace COMM.DRV=COMM.DRV with COMM.DRV=RHSICOM.DRV. Windows 95 replaces your current Windows 3.1 COM driver with COMM.DRV during the initial installation.

 

2. How are 32-bit communication programs, handled under Windows 95?

Answer

32-bit, or Windows 95 native communication programs do not directly access COM Ports. They access what is called the TAPI interface, which is a combination of a COM Port, a modem, and a set of dialing rules. To configure TAPI, click Windows Start, point to Settings, and click Control Panel. Double-click the Modem's icon then add the appropriate COM Port and modem combination. This was most likely configured when the modem was initially installed. Once this is complete, HyperTerminal, MSN, Dial-Up networking, and any other Windows 95 native communications applications will be able to address the entire TAPI system. The TAPI system then communicates with the modem, via AT commands.

 

3. I configured my modem to COM4/IRQ3, but it doesn't seem to work.

Answer

Click Windows Start, point to Settings and click Control Panel. Double-click the System icon. Click the Performance tab and click Graphics. Set Hardware Acceleration to None. We have found there is an addressing conflict with certain graphic accelerator cards. If you configure your Windows 95 graphic driver to basic VGA, and find the modem now works at that setting, then the problem is your graphics card. You may want to try using one of the more commonly used Com Port and IRQ settings such as:

  • Com 1 Irq 4
  • Com 2 Irq 3
  • Com 3 Irq 5 (if not used by your sound card)

 

4. When auto-detect tries to add a new modem at COM 2, Windows 95 locks up.

Answer
In Control Panel, double-click the System Settings and deselect COM2. This can be accomplished by selecting COM2 under System Settings, then choosing Properties. There should be a red 'x' in a box down towards the bottom of the Properties screen. Click once on the red 'x' and it should clear. This disables the COM Port in Windows 95. Click OK, then restart the machine. When Windows 95 restarts, it should now find the COM Port. This technique can apply to all available COM Ports.

 

5. I'm using Windows 95 built in PCMCIA support. HyperTerminal works, but none of my 16-bit communication programs work.

Answer
 Using a text editor, edit the SYSTEM.INI file in your Windows directory. Under the [386Enh] section of your SYSTEM.INI file, change the COMM.DRV line back to its original COMM.DRV. This line should read comm.drv=comm.drv. Ensure that there is a line that states device=*vcd. If your SYSTEM.INI has a line that reads device=*vrdd, place a semicolon in front of it. Your 16-bit applications should now work.

 

6. My modem will not auto-detect under Windows 95.

Answer

Follow this procedure to fix the problem.

  1. Select Start/Settings/Control Panel.
  2. Select Add New Hardware.
  3. Select Modems. 4.

    Pick the model modem you have (or the closest to it ).

      If your modem is not listed in the Windows 95 modem list, choose the one closest to it. Always check our Sportster file section for an available INF file. We try to make them available as soon as possible at the release of a new product.

      Here are a few examples:

      Your Model Select Sportster 14.4kbps Sportster 14.4kbps Sportster 14.4kbps Si Sportster 14.4kbps Sportster 14.4kbps Vi Sportster 14.4kbps or download MDMUSRVI.INF. Sportster 28.8kbps Sportster 28.8kbps Sportster 28.8kbps DSVD Sportster 28.8kbps Sportster 28.8kbps Vi Sportster 28.8kbps or download MDMUSRVI.INF.

7. I'm having trouble configuring my Sportster Vi under Windows 95.

Answer
We have an .inf file available for this modem which provides Windows 95 with the proper identification and installation instructions for the Sportster Vi product line, released to date. The following procedures are required to set this up:

  1. Download the mdmusrvi.inf file to the c:\Windows\Inf directory.
  2. Assuming the modem is correctly installed in the computer, click Windows Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and double click the Modems icon.

    For internal modems, you will have to double-click the Add New Hardware icon in Control Panel to install support for the new COM Port the modem provides. Do this after the modem has been installed.
  3. Click Add.
  4. Click Next. Windows 95 will now rebuild the database of modem drivers. This takes about 25 seconds on a IBM 486/66. Windows 95 will then query the modems attached externally and/or internally on the system. After the query process is complete, Windows 95 will report that it found a Sportster Vi modem.
  5. Click on Next.
  6. Click on Finish.

If you have an internal modem, make sure that it is configured to a COM Port and IRQ that is not being used by another device in the computer.

9. How do I check to see if I have the release version of Windows 95 and not a beta copy?

Answer

Click Windows Start, point to Settings, and click Control Panel. Double-click the System icon. Click the General Tab. The version number will be located under the System section of the screen. If it shows a version number of 4.00.950 or 4.00.950a (service pack 1), then you have the release version of Windows 95. You can also check by right-clicking on the My Computer icon and selecting Properties.

 

10. Is Windows 95 accurate at determining device conflicts?

Answer

Yes. Clicking Windows Start, point to Settings and click Control Panel. Double-click the System icon and click the Device Manager tab. From here, you can view and make changes to your device settings. This window uses exclamation icons and so forth to point out devices that are conflicting in the system.

 

11. What happens when you put an internal modem on IRQ 3 or 5. Will it just detect the device or install it?

Answer

There are two sides to this question. If another device is using the IRQ you want to use, then the modem, or the other device must be configured to another IRQ. With that out of the way, we can assume there are no IRQ conflicts. After installing the modem and starting up the computer, Windows 95 will detect and install the modem. If the device is configure for Plug and Play mode, Windows 95 will detect and configure the card automatic. If the device is not Plug and Play, user assistance will be required. If the modem was not detected at all, double-click the Add New Hardware icon in Control Panel.

 

12. How can I stay updated on new product identifications for my modem?

Answer

USRobotics will provides modem identification configurations as they become available. For each new product release or revision, the .inf file for that device will have to be updated. This update can be as simple as adding what is called a Unimodem id, or as complex as writing a new .inf file to support advanced features. As a rule, your current .inf file should work fine.

 

13. Can you reserve an IRQ to prevent Windows 95 from assigning it to a Plug and Play device?

Answer
 You can reserve an IRQ for hardware in Windows 95, but it must be done manually. If the IRQ is in use, Windows 95 will not let you reserve it. To reserve an IRQ, follow these steps:

  1. Click Windows Start, point to Settings, and click Control Panel. Double-click the System icon.
  2. Click the Device Manager tab, and double-click Computer.
  3. Click the Reserve Resources tab and then Interrupt Request .
  4. Click Add.
  5. In the Value box, scroll to the IRQ you want to reserve.

14. Why won't Hyperterminal send commands to the terminal?

Answer
 Refer to the online help within Hyperterminal for assistance. If you experence continued problems, visit the support areas of www.microsoft.com or www.hilgraeve.com.

 

15. What is Safe Mode and why can't I do anything in it?

Answer
 Windows 95 can load into Safe Mode in two ways: automatically and by user choice. It will occur automatically if there is something severely wrong with the system. In this case, Windows 95 shuts everything down and loads "raw" Windows. If you decide to enter Safe Mode manually, press the F5 key immediately after the “Starting Windows 95” message at startup. Safe Mode itself does not fix the system problems, but gives you the opportunity to correct problems without affecting anything else.

 

16. Is it normal for Windows 95 to take a long time to boot, or do I have a problem?

Answer
 Windows 95 does start up slowly, even slower in Safe Mode. This is due to several tasks running in the background and is perfectly normal.

 

17. What should I do if my computer automatically boots up in Safe Mode?

Answer
 Click Windows Start, point to Settings, and click Control Panel. Double-click the System icon and click the Device Manager tab. From the Device Manager, you should be able to see any hardware conflicts. If the problem occurred right after the installation of a modem, check for conflicts and if none are found, call USRobotics Support. If the problem is not directly related to the modem, contact Microsoft or the manufacturer of the device that you feel is conflicting.

 

18. Does Hyperterminal support Z-Modem?

Answer
 Yes, it supports X/Y/Z-modem, ASCII, and Kermit.

 

19. Will Windows 95 detect my PCMCIA modem?

Answer
 Yes. We have found that Windows 95 quickly detects and installs our PCMCIA modems. No cardsoft drivers of any type should be loaded in your config.sys or autoexec.bat files.. Windows 95 must use its own drivers. All “card and socket services” exist within the Windows 95 operating system and are native 32-bit drivers. Never load Phoenix drivers within Windows 95. It will cause many different problems with your system.

 

20. What is the (;) with no phone number about?

Answer
 Windows 95 uses “TAPI”, an intermodem interface which uses what they call staged dialing. It can accept 128 characters, which is more than the modem can handle. Because of this, TAPI uses a semicolon (;) to break the phone number into manageable parts. This will only work with modems that support this feature, and Windows 95 will ignore the command if the modem does not.

 

21. What happens if I exit Windows 95 without using Shutdown or Restart the computer?

Answer
 Although this is not recommened, Windows 95 will usually recover from an unexpected termination of the operating system. However, like Windows 3.1, you may find some fragmentation of your drive, temporary files that were not removed, and garbage characters in the program you were using at the time the system closed.

 

22. Where can I find the latest, or new .INF file for my modem?

Answer
 USRobotics creates .inf files for all of our modems. Check our support page for the latest updates to our .inf files for Windows 95.

23. What are the System requirements to run Windows 95?

Answer
 Microsoft says the minimum requirements are a 486 16mhz or faster computer with 12 megs of RAM, and a VGA card.

 

24. What can you not Shut Down using the Windows 95 Close Program Task Manager?

Answer
 The System Tray and its functions such as Clock and other applications running in the background at all times, some controls, and the PCMCIA card. if installed cannot be shut down using the Task Manager.

 

25. Is DOS still running with Windows 95?

Answer
 Windows 95 is it's own operating system with an integrated operating environment. In Windows 95, DOS is more emulated than actual DOS. It uses a new version of DOS known by some as DOS 7.0 or DOS 95. This emulated version of DOS integrates better with Windows 95 than running over DOS 6.22 as Windows 3.1 does.

 

26. Does Windows 95 work well with DOS?

Answer
 Yes, Windows 95 handles normal application and multi-tasking much better then it’s predecessor. The DOS shell still does not run as fluidly as native DOS.

 

27. Can you write directly to the hardware like in DOS?

Answer
 No, not in Windows 95. However, even though you have limited functionality, this is possible in Safe Mode.

 

28. Will my sportster Si work in Windows 95.

Answer
 Yes. Start by manually installing the modem as a Standard 14,400 modem off the picklist in Windows 95. Next, load the WinRPI driver off the Quicklink II disk. After loading the driver, edit the Windows SYSTEM.INI file and ensure the COMM.DRV line reads comm.drv=wrpi.drv. When configuring your communication programs, an init string of AT&F+H11&C1&D2S7=90 should work in most cases. This will load the software based compression and error correction.