Setting up Infra Red software on the PC

Setting up the software for Infra Red differs on Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows 2000.

Windows 95 (Infra red adapter on serial port)

Windows 95 shipped without any IrDA compliant drivers, and then OSR2 (Windows 95b) shipped with IrDA 2.0 drivers. Experience of others suggest that the IrDA2.0 drivers from Microsoft should be installed for Infra Red to work reliably. Microsoft knowledgebase articles Q149449, and Q149450 describe the issues. The IrDA 2.0 drivers are a free download. I have successfully employed the IrDA 2.0 drivers on a Windows95 (basic) system.

The Ericsson website, http://mobile.ericsson.com/spg.asp?Template=mobile_data , states that for using its DI27 Infra Red adapter, it recommends that all the original Windows 95 Infra Red drivers are removed first, and Windows restarted, before the IrDA2.0 drivers are installed.

I have installed Infra Red on COM1 on an old W95 laptop that does not have built-in Infra red, so I used a serial port adapter, the MA600. The MA600 was supplied with a CD which contained all the drivers for W95, including the updated Microsoft v2 drivers. I followed these steps:

  1. Set up the hardware (see here for details)
  2. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for installing the device driver. The MA600 manufacturer set out some clear instructions. The main elements were:

I had to start the Infra Red monitor program each time I wanted to use Infra Red, so I copied a shortcut to the Irmon.exe program into my startup folder so that it loaded automatically.

Windows 98 (built-in Infra red)

Using a laptop's built-in Infra Red with Windows 98 (basic, not SE) , I had several problems getting my mobile phone to work through Infra Red. I was lucky to also have an HP LJ2100 printer to use as another IR device, to isolate and separate phone specific problems. Here's what I did:

The first problem I had was getting IRDA to work properly at all. From the standard installation I kept getting message saying 'Cannot search for devices because other infrared devices are operating nearby'. I could only fix that by using an option on my laptop to select the on-board electronics to operate SIR (serial Infra Red, much slower but plenty fast enough for a GSM service) and disabled FIR.

Then followed much trouble with the 'plug and play' W98 drivers. For reasons that I still do not understand, I had to subsequently remove and re-install the W98 plug & play IR drivers that were loading themselves.

Finally I had a working Infra red subsystem.

Windows 98SE (Infra red adapter on serial port)

I have installed Infra Red on COM2 on a W98SE desktop using a serial port adapter, the MA600. The MA600 was supplied with a CD which contained all the drivers for W98. I followed these steps:

  1. Set up the hardware (see here for details)
  2. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for installing the device driver. The MA600 manufacturer set out some clear instructions. The main elements were:

 

Windows 98ME

Just when you thought it was safe .................

Windows 98ME seems to be creating a lot of problems for IrDA users. Slightly fewer problems seem to be caused for users who do a 'clean install' (ie, not an upgrade over an earlier version). I do not have Windows98ME to check with. I was about to update my W98 machine with it, but hearing about all the problems, I have decided to delay for while.

One problem seems common: 'Plug and Play' cannot be disabled. So several users are reporting multiple installations of their phone modems. (That may not matter, in fact, see later.)

User experience with MA600 A user of WindowsME emailed me with some interesting advice, and I quote it here:

"I couldn't get any IR features to work at first, no matter what I tried. Then, while I was browsing thru the WinME CD I came across a file in the TOOLS\pssutil directory called irdasir.reg. It had an accompanying text file that explained you have to run this registry update to enable the installation of a serial IR adapter such as MA-600. So I ran that, installed the MA-600 drivers again and everything seemed to be fine."

The lesson here is that the registry update, irdasir.reg seems to be needed on WindowsME for any serial Infra Red device. Incidentally, that user also reported a clash with the Nokia Logomanager software requiring him to disable his phone modem if he wanted to use Logomanager, so I do not think that the WindowsME problems are over yet.

More hints from another WindowsME user Another WindowsME user persuaded his Pentium II PC to recognise an adapter on the serial ports after running the "irdasir.reg" registry update, above, but needed to do more before his system would work. He emailed this further advice:

"To cut the story short I eventually tracked down a reference on the Tekram (IR adaptor manufacturer) website which mentioned the need for a registry fix to switch off ACPI support for the comm ports:

http://support.tekramusa.com/support2.nsf/Print/C8F63E3AC25DAD78882569D20067006B?OpenDocument

After changing one byte (!) in the registry, my adaptor works fine with the [CASIO] watch (and also a Nokia 6210 and JVC digital camera)."

Many thanks to the senders for these helpful ideas, I am sure they will help many others who are struggling with Windows ME!

Windows 2000

I do not have Windows2000, so I have no direct experience. Despite previous problems, there now appears to be better news.

Windows 2000, better news

There is better news now, about Windows 2000 and Infra Red. Windows 2000 was released without the 'IrComm' facility in the IrDA system that is required by nearly all mobile phones. Microsoft has now released a 'patch' for Windows 2000 that provides the correct functionality. Check this link http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q252/7/95.asp, and follow the instructions to download the software. The link brings up a page explaining the need for the patch, and, slighly confusingly, also refers to a security fix. Apparently there is a security risk with the Windows 2000 IrDA system, and this patch is needed to solve that risk, but also contains the software to provide IrComm functionality especially for mobile phones. So loading the patch solves two problems! There are some notes about the earlier Windows 2000 problems on Alan McFarlane's site. (Thanks to Alan for telling me about this Microsoft release.)

Earlier news was that there appears to be a software solution for that problem using a specially written program, free at one time but no longer so, available from Extended Systems in Germany at their site http://www.extendsys.de/ESIde/default.htm. The solution has been mentioned by several posters to Usenet. The site is in the German language. This company had previously offered a beta trial version of this software which was said to perform well. There is now a small charge for the software.

The solution is also discussed on http://www.edox.de/help4pc/nav_left.htm with a useful FAQ, whose download page usefully shows a handy screen shot of the 'device manager' settings after a successful installation. As well as the software, the site contains a message board in German discussing various IrDA problems. There are a number of postings on alt.cellular.nokia that discuss its use. Although quoted experience seems favourable, a number of posters encounter problems in specifying, and later using, the 'virtual' COM port that the program provides, more especially for the 'mobile phone' applications employed to synchronise phonebooks etc. At this stage I can offer no guidance for these problems, but as soon as explicit advice is posted somewhere, I will provide a link to it.

Windows 2000, good news for Nokia users

Recent postings on various newsgroups suggest that Nokia have released a version of the Extended Systems W2000 driver especially for their phones. It is apparently available on the Nokia 8210 W2000 website.

There are a number of postings on alt.cellular.nokia suggesting that Nokia's 7110 phone, and, possibly, the 8210 or 6210, will work under Windows 2000 without the 'Virtual COM port', probably using some other facility in the IrDA protocol. Alan McFarlane's notes also make mention of this.

I do not have access to either a Windows 2000 machine, nor to a Nokia phone, so I have not been able to test these ideas.

Windows XP

Windows XP is understood to be equivalent to the improved Windows 2000 IrDA system. That is to say, there is an IrComm service included for mobile phones, in addition to the remainder of the IrDA services.

I have no direct experience of Windows XP, and would welcome any reports of problems and solutions.

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