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Liviu
Tl Posts:
3

Posted - 8/14/2001 3:26:01 PM  Show Profile  Email Poster  Edit Message
Short questions... Is there a way to
- either disable the plug-n-play feature of an external USR 56K (just make it behave like an old non-PnP modem), or
- tell Win2k to _not_ scan for PnP devices on one certain COM port?

Long story... In Win2k a PnP external modem is removed from the device manager hardware list if not turned ON at boot time, and there is no way to bring it back short of a re-detect.

Requiring the modem to be always on is not an option in my configuration and, for me, this a huge step backwards from the old non-PnP behavior where the modem was always listed in device manager, and always available once it was on by the time you tried to use it.

Note that plugging-in an external non-PnP modem still gives me the old desired behavior. Problems, again, appear to be that:
- Win2k insists on scanning the COM ports for PnP devices;
- the recent USR modems identify themselves as such PnP devices.

I know the official line saying that it's a "new feature" and it's "by design" - however I thought I'd ask here before I gave up all hope ;-)

Thanks,
Liviu


P.S. What sort of works for me is to
- disable the auto-detected PnP modem
- turn it off
- manually add a 2nd modem on the same port
- select it as the non-PnP USR 56k from the same .INF file.

However, this leaves an annoying always-disabled red-X'd device in the list, and also does not prevent Win2k from scanning the COM port for plug-n-play devices any time it sees fit.

jackylman
Tl Posts:
245

USA
Posted - 8/14/2001 3:32:50 PM  Show Profile  Email Poster  Edit Message
Do you need PnP for anything else? Might try disabling it altogether in BIOS. You can reenable it if you need to install a new device
Liviu
Tl Posts:
3

Posted - 8/14/2001 3:45:48 PM  Show Profile  Email Poster  Edit Message
As a matter of fact, I do need PnP for an external USB scanner. Works like a charm there - turn it on, use it, turn it off and so on. Actually, just how I wish PnP worked on COM ports, too...
v.Richard
Tl Posts:
6222

USA
Posted - 8/16/2001 10:06:27 PM  Show Profile  Email Poster  Edit Message  v.Richards Homepage
Perhaps you can totally remove the modem.
Boot with the modem off;
Install the modem (maybe even with power off?) using a non-PNP modem (or 'standard modem')? If standard modem, you'd then need to at least change init string with extra settings of &F1

(And, you probably need to get rid of the .inf file altogether that 'supports' your modem & PnP.)

Aloha,
Richard

Edited by - v.Richard on 8/16/01 10:07:11 PM

Liviu
Tl Posts:
3

Posted - 8/16/2001 11:47:57 PM  Show Profile  Email Poster  Edit Message
Yes, that would work - with two caveats.

It needs to be a non-PnP modem _other_ than 'standard' - as the 'standard' one will recognize the modem as PnP and will automatically default to the seek-and-hide PnP behavior.

Then, next time a "PnP detect" (aka "scan for hardware changes") runs while the modem is on, a 'standard' modem will be added anyway. Later on, if another "PnP detect" runs with the modem off, Win2k will issue a warning about "unsafe removal of device" and volunteer to place an "unplug / eject" button in the systray. Come to think - eject the external modem, now that's utmost PnP irony ;-)

If only I could find the jumper/at-command/s-bit (I can't believe there isn't one) to stop the modem from responding to the PnP inquiry - and not identify itself as a PnP device - then all these workarounds would not be necessary.

Thanks,
Liviu

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