David Moss tackles misbehaving com ports and resolves a windows share issue.
Lost coms
Q
We have a problem with a COM port on a system using Sage Line 50. We have a handset plugged into the COM port we use when sending the pay details to the bank. The handset takes two PIN cards that we use to authenticate the pay transfers to our employees. As you can imagine, it’s rather important to us that this works, or we struggle to get people’s pay to them on time.
We suspect that the problem is being caused by the latest version, but we can’t nail it down. Windows reports the COM port as working normally, but we’re unable to make a connection via the handset. The modem that links us to the bank on COM3 works fine. How we can resolve this issue?
A Bursar
A
I agree with your assessment of it being to do with the pay software, since we’ve had exactly the same problem. For some reason, it seems to be resetting the COM port, or even going a step further and disabling it entirely, which is what happened to us. Windows happily reports the port as being set to 9600, n, 8, 1, which are the required settings for this connection, but firing up a Command Prompt and invoking the Mode command thus: mode com1 /status gave a totally different view on things, with the command reporting that the COM port wasn’t even available.
Windows, meanwhile, is still saying that the port is in full working order, which isn’t terribly helpful. In the end, after trying a number of scenarios, I gave up and disabled the COM port entirely in Windows. I then re-enabled it and blow me down if it didn’t spring back into life. The Mode command now told me it was there with settings of 1200, n, 7, 1. Windows is still happily reporting it’s on 9600, n, 8, 1.
I then used the Mode command to actually set the COM port to the correct settings, thus:
mode com1 9600, n, 8, 1
With that done, we were able to connect happily to the bank and authorise the pay transactions.
The problem we’re seeing is that, at some point during the week, while in general use, the wages program is messing around with the COM port again, and while it’s easily fixable now that I know what the problem is, I’m not pleased that it’s happening and would hope for a speedy resolution of this issue by the company concerned.
Carbon copy
Q
I have a serious problem with Outlook Express elements of Microsoft Office Small Business Edition 2003. It randomly sends out multiple copies of emails – sometimes as many as 80. I’ve scanned my computer running under Windows XP SP2 with several virus and spyware checkers; they all indicate a clean computer. I’m trying to uninstall/reinstall Outlook Express, but I can’t find a way to do it. It appears that I need to uninstall/reinstall the whole Office suite. Is there an easier way?
T Kovacs
A
Outlook Express isn’t part of Microsoft Small Business Edition 2003. That suite ships with Outlook 2003 and the Business Contact Manager. Outlook Express is a Windows XP component that’s installed as part of the operating system. If that’s the application causing you problems, to uninstall it follow these steps:
Head to Start, select Control Panel and then Add/Remove Programs. On the left-hand side of the Add/Remove programs dialog are a series of buttons.Click on the one labelled “Add/Remove Windows Components”.
The Windows Components wizard will now run. Scroll down the components list until you see Outlook Express. It will be ticked, since it’s installed. Uncheck it and then click Next – Outlook Express will be uninstalled. Do the same again to reinstall it if you need to.
If it is indeed Outlook proper that’s causing the problem, I don’t believe it can be uninstalled as a separate item from the Office suite, but I have a suspicion that, even if it could, once it was reinstalled your problem probably wouldn’t have gone away. As you’ve already used virus and spyware checkers, I’m going to recommend you use HijackThis to check your system.
You can get HijackThis from www.hijackthis.de/en by following the direct-download link. Run all the software in order and, when you have your HijackThis log, go back to the HijackThis URL above and paste it into the textbox on the page.
Once you’ve done that, analyse the log file, go through the problems it highlights and resolve them. However, if you’re uncertain as to whether something should be removed, don’t do it until you’ve ascertained that it’s safe to do so.