TechBlog from Sewell

Unfortunately installing the USB to Serial adapter in Mac OS X isn’t as intuitive as it is in other OS’s. So here’s the steps to install our part number SW-1301 or other USB to Serial adapters that use the prolific chipset:

(make sure the cable is not currently connected to the computer)

1 - Find and run the Mac OS installation file from the CD or download it here:
USB to Serial installation file for Mac OS X

The program should open a window like this:

Just run through the basic setup instructions and it will install the driver.

2 - Once that’s done, plug the cable into the computer (without it being attached to any serial devices). Then we’ll want to make sure that it is being recognized properly. Click on the apple icon in the corner and click “about this mac.” This window should come up:

Click the more info button and this window should come up:

Click on the USB link on the left hand side and you should see “USB-Serial Controller” listed under one of the USB Bus sections. If it is not then the Cable did not detect properly or the Driver did not install properly. Before moving on you’ll need to make sure that it is detecting.

3- If it is detecting then we need to enable it. Go to the apple button then click “System Preferences.” Click network at the top and you should see a window like this:

Then you need to click on the Show button and choose the bottom item in the list, “Network Port Configurations.” The window should change to this:

Check the box next to usbserial and click apply now. Now your USB to Serial adapter should be enabled and ready to go.

If it’s still not working feel free to give our tech support a call or an email.

If you are a fan of Win-Interlnk and Win-Intersvr, and just got a new vista machine, then don’t worry. The driver that Win-Interlnk uses to mount the client Fat16 drive is compatible with Vista. The only thing that you will need to be weary of is if Vista tells you that the drive has not been formatted yet.

This is another way of Vista saying that it can’t see the drive right. If this is the case, you just need to ignore the message, and restart the computer, while making sure that all the connections between the two computers are correct. Once you boot up again, it should recognize the drive perfectly.

If the two machines are connected, then the client machine will look like the follwing picture when Win-Intersvr is loaded. Notice specifically the connection status.

Here are some very easy instructions to get the Quatech Parallel PCMCIA card working with FastLynx:

1. Install the Quatech card and drivers

2. Open the Quatech Parallel Port properties in device manager

3. Click on Resources tab

4. Click on I/O address and uncheck “Use Automatic Settings”

5. Click on the “Change Settings” button

6. Enter range EFF8 – EFFF (a range slightly lower should work if this address is already taken.)

7. Click Okay

8. Click on “Port Settings” tab

9. Select “Try not to use an interrupt” or “Never use an Interupt” (an interrupt gets in the way for some reason)

10. Enable “Legacy Plug and Play detection”

11. Click Okay

12. Restart your computer

13. Open FastLynx

14. Click on “Specify Remote Connection Parameters” button

15. Specify whether the computer with the Quatech card is the Client or the Server

16. Select the LPT port that corresponds with the Quatech card

17. Lower the speed to 4-bit normal (it had issues in higher speeds. These issues may just have been the computers we were using. The connection broke every once and a while at the higher speeds.)

18. Click okay, and connect the two computers

19. Start transferring files

Here is a picture of a successful connection using the link integrity test.

1. Manually assign an IP address to each computer.
• Start with your Connecting machine.
1. In the Control Panel open the Network Connections and find your Ethernet adapter.
2. Right click and select Properties.
3. Select the Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) connection and press the Properties button.
4. On the General tab, select the radio button that says “Use the following IP address” and input:

IP Address 10.10.10.1
Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway 10.10.10.2

• On your listening computer you will want to do the same steps, only set the following address

IP Address 10.10.10.2
Subnet Mask 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway 10.10.10.1

• Click OK to save the IP Address, and OK to close the connection properties.
2. Start Fastlynx on Both computers.
3. Set the Listening computer Security to allow TCP/IP
• On the listening computer click on the Configuration menu and select security.
• In the center of the security dialog box, make sure that the option is selected that says “Deny Access to all TCP/IP clients”
• Then click on the “Add” button to the right of the box labeled “Except those with IP addresses in this range”
• Enter the following range: Starting 10.10.10.0 Ending 10.10.10.10
• Click ok to set the range, and OK to close the security dialog box.
4. Click on the “Specify Remote Connection Parameters” button
• Make sure that the “Listen as server” radio button is selected
• Check the “TCP/IP (LAN/Internet)” box.
• Enter that computer’s IP address (10.10.10.2)
• Click OK.

Fastlynx now should show next to TCP/IP “Listening on 10.10.10.2, port 2689”

5. On your connecting computer, click on the “Specify Remote connection parameters” button
• Make sure the “Connect as client” radio button is selected
• Input in the TCP/IP section the address of the listening computer
  (10.10.10.2)
• Click OK

Fastlynx should then flash Connecting to 10.10.10.2 then show the remote computer file system.

You can then transfer as usual.

Getting the data from your old computer to your new computer can be a lot of time and work. Fastlynx can facilitate the backup of your data and files. However not your programs.

One of the trickier aspects is transferring your outlook data to the new computer, with your address book and other information. Outlook stores all of the information in itself, and doesn’t by default have a files that you can just transfer over like your Word documents or Pictures. But you can do it… you just have to know where to look.

Open outlook on the old computer, go to file, then Import and Export… export the data to a file. Select an appropriate file type, such as Comma Separated Values for Windows, and find the folders you want to export–contacts, inbox, calendar etc. Then give it a name that is easy to remember like Old computer Inbox, and save it on the local machine (I think by default it is saved to the My Documents folder) Finish the wizard.

Start Fastlynx on both computers, and transfer the file you just created (Old computer Inbox.csv) to the new computer. Then open Outlook on the new computer.

From the file menu, again select Import and Export, choose to import from a program or file, select the format (like Microsoft Excel) and browse for the file that you just transferred with Fastlynx.

Select the corresponding folder on the new computer and you can upload the old file.

Repeat these same steps for all of your outlook folders and you will have all of your information, emails contact etc. up and running on your new computer.

We wanted to let all of our customers who may be using FastLynx for file transfer know that we released a new build a few days ago. The new version includes a 64-bit USB driver for 64-bit versions of Windows XP.

We are excited to offer this feature to our customers - as always please free to share any feedback (positive or negative) about the latest build of FastLynx.

A FastLynx user (let’s call him Steve) ran into an interesting problem. Steve’s application requires that FastLynx be running all the time. However, Steve’s computer suffers from semi-frequent power outages–sometimes at times when Steve is not around to restart FastLynx manually. So, Steve put FastLynx into the Windows Startup folder. Good solution…well, almost, and here’s why.

When FastLynx shuts down, it makes a note of which state it was in (Inactive, Listening, or Connecting) and makes a note of whether it was shut down correctly (not by flipping the breaker :)). If FastLynx shuts down improperly, then when FastLynx starts up again, the following nice little dialog box appears:

This poses a problem for Steve, since he would like FastLynx to simply start up without needing someone to click on anything. Furthermore, he needs FastLynx to start up in Listening mode. Here is the solution to his problem:

When FastLynx shuts down improperly (e.g., power outage), this fact is saved in one of two places: the registry or the fx.cfg file in the Program Files/FastLynx directory. When the Configuration Type (Configuration Menu) is set to User, then this data is stored in the registry. If set to Global, then it is saved in fx.cfg. So the solution follows these steps:

1. Make sure the Configuration Type is set to Global.
2. Close FastLynx properly (don’t unplug the computer to close it :)).
3. Make a copy of fx.cfg (call it something like fxProperShutdown.cfg).
4. Write a batch file that runs in the Windows Startup folder. In it, first copy over fx.cfg with fxProperShutdown.cfg. Then start FastLynx.

When the batch file runs and FastLynx starts, it will look at the newly copied over fx.cfg which will tell FastLynx that it shutdown properly. This should get rid of the dialog box.

Many Antivirus programs block virus programs from installing. Those crazy antivirus programs work too well at times, and have been known to block genuine programs from installing. One of customers told us of FastLynx struggling to install on his Windows 98 machine. If you experience the same problem, and you have a “really good” anti-virus program (let’s face it, the only good anti-virus programs do the job quietly), then disable the anti-virus program, and try to install FastLynx again.

People often ask us if they can use FastLynx to transfer programs from one computer to another. FastLynx cannot do this operation. FastLynx was made primarily for transferring all sorts of files between computers, whether for backup, restoration, or just plain fun. Transferring software bewteen computers is called Software Migration. While this may have been possible through FastLynx in the days of DOS and Win 3.1, it requires more sophisticated software to make such transfers.

Piracy has become a large issue. Software producers have become paranoid about their software, and have developed ways to make it so their software needs a disk and a validation key to reinstall. Some examples of registration paranoia include putting code into the Registry, requiring all sorts of hidden files, or even have files that are specific to certain computers based on their hardware configuartion.

There are companies that make Migration software that knows where to copy, and what to copy, so that the software still works. Much of Migration software is incredibly accurate, and gets the job done. On the other hand, it can do some damage if it isnt perfected. Because software is always changing migration software is difficult to make. There are millions of programs out there, and not all of them have been cracked by software migraters.

Software migration is not illegal, although it can be used for illegal transactions. At the same time, it is safer to use install disks, or downloaded installers, than to migrate software.

If you choose to go the more dangerous route, do your research well, and you may find migration software that works quite well.

By the way, if you have bought software from a company, there is always the chance that it you’re in their database, and can ask them for a replacement CD.

A cutomer recently was having sporatic problems with a USB transfer in Fastlynx 3.3. It was acting similar to the errors with the incompatible USB controllers, (He was using the Intel 82801FB/FBM USB Universal Host Controller in a Sony Laptop) He connected the bridge cable to a USB hub, and stopped having troubles.

If you are having similar trouble. It’s worth a try.