Socket Serial I/O Card and Ruggedized Serial I/O Card for
Windows 9x/NT/2000/Me and DOS
Version 4.1
CD 110B README.TXT file
(c) Copyright 1997-2001 Socket Communications, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
This Readme file contains important information that supplements
the Serial I/O Card and Ruggedized Serial I/O Card User's Guide.
The expression "I/O Card" as used in this document will refer to
the Serial I/O Card and the Ruggedized I/O Card in both the PC
Card and CompactFlash versions.
NOTE: This file may not be able to be read in all text editors.
Please use NotePad, or WordPad if you experience any difficulties.
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README TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.0 WHAT'S NEW IN RELEASE 4.1
2.0 FILE LOCATIONS
2.1 Windows 9x
2.2 Windows NT 4.0 Workstation
2.3 Windows 2000 and Me
2.4 DOS
3.0 RELEASE NOTES
4.0 UNINSTALL PROCEDURES
4.1 Windows 9x
4.2 Windows NT 4.0 Workstation
4.3 Windows 2000 and Me
4.4 DOS
5.0 TROUBLESHOOTING
6.0 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
7.0 TECHNICAL SUPPORT INFORMATION
_________________________________________________________________
1.0 WHAT'S NEW IN RELEASE 4.1
This release updates the User's Guide.
Changes from v3.1 to v4.0 added support for the Serial I/O CompactFlash Cards Rev B
or later on Windows 9x/NT/2000/Me. It also added support for
the Serial I/O PC Cards on Windows 2000 and Me.
Changes from v3.0 to v3.1 supports a hardware modification.
Changes from v2.8 to v3.0 supports the updated tuples for the SIO
card.
Changes from v2.7 to v2.8 adds support for HP/C Pros with SH4
processors.
Changes from v2.7 to v2.8 included Socket's Port Configuration
Utility which enables the user to configure the serial port as a
COM port or a modem on Windows CE-based Handheld PCs.
Readme files about specific topics are available on their own
folders: Court Reporting, Enablers, Hplx, and Win-CE.
Changes from v2.6 to v2.7 include an updated Windows CE setup
program (\Win-CE\Setup.exe) that works under Windows NT 4.0.
Changes from v2.5 to v2.6 include changes in the location of
certain files on the diskette from version 2.5. Certain enabler
files (Install.EXE and Install.DAT) were moved from a sub-
directory to the root.
Changes from v2.4 to v2.5 included software and documentation for
installing the I/O Card on HP LX Palmtops. It also includes
documentation for installing the I/O Card so that it can be
used with DOS-based court reporting software running on Windows 95
notebooks.
2.0 FILE LOCATIONS
2.1 Windows 9x
No files are copied. A file (.INF) is created, and registry
information is added.
2.2 Windows NT 4.0 Workstation
No files are copied. Registry information is added.
2.3 Windows 2000 and Me
2.4 DOS
Files are copied to the SOCKETIO directory.
3.0 RELEASE NOTES
This version of the Readme.txt and disk applies to the following
versions of software contained on the disk:
Install Utility for the Direct Enabler v2.7
Direct DOS Enabler (ENABLEIO.EXE) dated 10-31-96 2:28p
Windows CE Installation (SETUP.EXE) v1.2
Note: The CompactFlash version of the Serial I/O Card is not
supported in DOS-based card and socket services, such as
SystemSoft's CardSoft.
4.0 UNINSTALL PROCEDURES
4.1 Windows 9x Uninstall
DISCLAIMER: Any time you modify your Windows 9x system registry,
you risk losing important information. Be sure to back up all
important files before you implement the procedures described in
this section.
Begin by deleting Socket Serial I/O Card entries in the Windows 9x
registry:
1) From the Start Menu, choose Run, then type in "regedit". This
will bring up the Registry Editor.
2) Double click on H-Key_Local_Machine
3) Double click on Enum
4) Double click on PCMCIA
5) Check for a line, or lines referring to Socket Communications
Serial Adapter and delete.
If you installed the I/O Card by inserting the Socket I/O Drivers &
Installation Disk 2.3 or higher, you need to remove any reference
to the Socket I/O card in the Windows\INF directory. Follow the
directions in the next section to complete procedure for removing
the drivers.
If you have Windows 95 release 950 B or Windows 98 do the
following: Open Windows Explorer. Go to the View menu and choose
Options. Under Hidden Files make sure "Show All Files" is chosen.
If it is not, change the setting and click OK. In Windows Explorer,
go to the Windows\Inf\Other subdirectory. There should be an .inf
entry called MicrosoftIOSOCKET.INF. Highlight the file and delete
it.
If you have Windows 95 release 950 or 950 A, do the following:
When Windows 95 reads a Manufacturer's INF file, it copies the
information to a file called OEM*.INF. Each time you install
another piece of hardware that requires a disk, a new OEM*.INF
file is created. You may have OEM1.INF or higher. You must delete
the OEM*.inf file that has the lines relating to the Socket Serial
I/O Card.
4.2 Windows NT Uninstall
No files are copied, however registry information is added.
Registry information cannot be deleted.
4.3 Windows 2000 and Me Uninstall
Under normal operation, it should never be necessary to uninstall
the driver-related files for the Socket Serial I/O card. If you
must remove them, perform the following steps:
a) In the Control Panel, go to "Add/Remove Hardware" and click
Next.
b) Select "Uninstall/Unplug a device" and click Next.
c) Select "Uninstall a Device" and click Next.
d) Check the "Show hidden devices" checkbox if it is unchecked,
then select "Socket XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX" or
"Socket XXXXXXXXXXXXXX" in the listbox.
e) On the next screen select Yes to confirm the device removal.
f) Click Finish to exit the Wizard.
4.4 DOS Uninstall
Delete files copied to the SOCKETIO directory. Make changes in
config.sys and autoexec.bat as necessary.
5.0 TROUBLESHOOTING
Refer to the Serial I/O User's Guide for Troubleshooting Tips
6.0 Frequently Asked Questions
Question: What are Card and Socket Services?
Answer: Card and Socket Services (also referred to as Card
Services) are the software components that allow the dynamic
allocation of system resources needed for a PCMCIA PC Card to
operate. Card and Socket Services can be built into an operating
system, as they are with Windows 95 and Windows CE, or they can be
made available as an add-in product from third-party software
vendors such as SystemSoft and Phoenix, who offer Card and Socket
Services for Windows 3.x and NT 4.0.
Question: When do I need Card and Socket Services?
Answer: If your operating system does not have Card and Socket
Services built into it, you need Card and Socket Services in order
to use multiple PCMCIA PC Cards with your notebook or to insert
and remove a PC Card without having to reboot your operating
system. The ability to change PCMCIA PC Cards while an operating
system is running is known as "hot swapping."
Question: What is a direct enabler?
Answer: A direct enabler is an alternative to Card and Socket
Services that allows a specific PCMCIA PC Card to be enabled.
Direct enablers take little system memory but do not support hot
swapping and may conflict with the operation of PCMCIA PC Cards
they were not designed to support. You should not use a direct
enabler and Card and Socket Services at the same time for the same
operating system. You can use a direct enabler to support DOS
applications in a Windows 95 environment as long as the resources
assigned to a PCMCIA PC Card by Windows 95 are identical to the
resources assigned by the direct enabler. However, the direct
enabler will not operate from a DOS Window under Windows 95. You
must boot DOS to use the direct enabler.
Question: When do I need to use a direct enabler?
Answer: The most common reasons for using a direct enabler are to
save memory by allowing users to disable third-party Card and
Socket Services when running DOS or Windows 3.x. In the case of
court reporting applications, Socket's direct enabler makes it
possible to use the I/O Card with DOS-based court reporting
software on a Windows 95 notebook.
Question: What systems support Hot Swapping with the I/O Card?
Answer: Windows 9x/NT/2000/Me, Windows CE and the Newton OS all have built-in
hot swapping support for the I/O Card. DOS and Windows 3.x require
third-party Card and Socket Services in order to support hot
swapping for the I/O Card. Windows NT has built-in support for the
I/O Card but requires third-party Card and Socket Services to
support hot swapping.
Question: How can I get custom cables for my I/O Card?
Answer: Socket offers custom I/O Card cables to OEMs. For
information, contact Socket's OEM Account Manager by calling
510-744-2700.
Question: How do the Standard and Ruggedized I/O Cards differ?
Answer: The only difference is mechanical. The Ruggedized I/O Card
has a fixed, strain relieved cable integrated with a specialized
PC board assembly designed to prevent accidental disconnection and
to protect against dust or moisture in harsh environments. The
Standard I/O Card has a removable cable. Both cards use identical
software.
7.0 TECHNICAL SUPPORT INFORMATION
You can contact SOCKET COMMUNICATIONS at:
Socket Communications
37400 Central Court
Newark, CA 94560
You can track new product releases, software updates and technical
bulletins by visiting Socket's web page at www.socketcom.com
You are also welcome to call Socket Communications at 510-744-2700,
or you may FAX inquiries to 510-744-2727. If you have technical
questions, call Socket's technical support department at
510-744-2720 or send e-mail to techsupport@socketcom.com.
Download Driver Pack
After your driver has been downloaded, follow these simple steps to install it.
Expand the archive file (if the download file is in zip or rar format).
If the expanded file has an .exe extension, double click it and follow the installation instructions.
Otherwise, open Device Manager by right-clicking the Start menu and selecting Device Manager.
Find the device and model you want to update in the device list.
Double-click on it to open the Properties dialog box.
From the Properties dialog box, select the Driver tab.
Click the Update Driver button, then follow the instructions.
Very important: You must reboot your system to ensure that any driver updates have taken effect.
For more help, visit our Driver Support section for step-by-step videos on how to install drivers for every file type.