TECHNICAL BULLETIN #192 - Rev 1.00 (9/25/96)

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TITLE  :  PROCOMM PLUS 2.x (DOS) FAQ
PRODUCT:  PROCOMM PLUS 2.x (DOS)
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Q: Why would PCPLUS stick at the initialization screen,lock up in Terminal
   mode, or act strange right after initialization?

A: There are several reasons PCPLUS may exhibit these symptoms.

 1.If you have Hardware Flow Control enabled in Setup and your modem, or the
   modem cable (if external modem), doesn't support Hardware Flow Control,
   PCPLUS may stick at the initialization screen.  To test this, rename your
   parameter file, PCPLUS.PRM, located in the PCPLUS home directory.  Then,
   restart PCPLUS. A new parameter file will be created with Hardware Flow
   Control disabled.

 2.You may have a corrupt parameter file, PCPLUS.PRM, or Dialing Directory,
   PCPLUS.DIR. To test this, first rename the PCPLUS.PRM and restart PCPLUS. 
   If you're still experiencing problems, exit PCPLUS and rename the
   PCPLUS.DIR. Then restart PCPLUS.

 3.You may have an IRQ conflict with another device, such as a network card.
   (See TB90.TXT for more information on IRQ conflicts.)  Check with your MIS
   department or computer store for more information on your system's IRQ
   assignments.

 4.The Enhanced Keyboard speedup setting in Setup | General Options | option H
   may be ON. The keyboard BIOS on some systems (specifically AMDEK or
   Televideo) doesn't support Enhanced Keyboard speedup. Try accessing Setup
   by pressing Alt-S, G, option H to turn OFF Enhanced Keyboard speedup. 
   Otherwise, you can modify the PCPLUS.PRM on another system in the same
   manner, disable Enhanced Keyboard speedup in the Setup, and copy the
   PCPLUS.PRM file to the other system.
 5.PCPLUS.EXE may be corrupt.  Make a copy of any customized Dialing
   Directories(.DIR) scripts, and parameter file (PRM), delete your PCPLUS
   directory and then reinstall PCPLUS.
 6.If you're using PCPLUS 2.0, the port's 16550 UART may not be properly
   enabled. You'll need to upgrade to PCPLUS 2.01.  This upgrade is free by
   downloading PCINST.EXE from any of the Quarterdeck support delivery
   systems.

Q: Why don't I get any response from the modem?

A: There are several reasons your modem may not respond to commands:

 1.Make sure the modem is getting initialized by typing ATE1Q0 at the Terminal
   screen and pressing <Enter>.  This tells the modem to echo back characters
   in command state and send result codes.

 2.You may have an IRQ or BPA conflict with another device, such as a network
   card. (See TB90.TXT for more information on IRQ and BPA conflicts.)  Check
   with your MIS department or computer store for more information on your
   system's IRQ assignments.

 3.If external, the modem may be confused.  Try turning the modem off and then
   on again.

 4.If external, there could be a problem with the modem cable.  Try another
   cable.

 5.Your color settings, in Setup | Terminal Options | Color Options may have
   the foreground color set the same as the background color.  You can confirm
   this by pressing <Alt> <E>.

 6.You may be running some TSR (Terminate and Stay Resident) programs that may
   be interfering.  Confirm this by not loading any unnecessary programs in
   your AUTOEXEC.BAT.

 7.Your modem may be returning numeric codes rather than verbose codes. 
   Confirm this by typing ATV1 at the Terminal screen and pressing <Enter>.

 8.Your modem may be broken. Call your modem manufacturer to confirm a broken
   modem.

Q: Why do I receive garbage characters occasionally when I'm online?

A: There are several reasons you may experience occasional garbage characters
   while online.

 1.Your telephone line may have line noise.  Have the telephone line checked
   by the telephone company, or try a different line.

 2.If your phone line has Call Waiting, someone may be trying to call you. 
   You should disable Call Waiting before you make your call.

 3.You may be set for the wrong emulation.  Check with the administrator or
   SYSOP of the host system you're connecting to in order to determine the
   correct emulation.

 4.You may be receiving an invalid escape sequence that the emulation doesn't
   recognize.

 5.If you're receiving the cent sign, the DEC emulation 8-bit support switch
   may not be set correctly.  Change this by enabling 8-bit support in Setup |
   Terminal Options, Option M (ANSI 7 or 8 bit commands).

 6.You may be losing part of the escape sequence.  (See the suggestions below
   for missing characters.)

 7.The host system may be sending a file with a streaming protocol.  You can
   abort this by pressing ^X several times.

 8.Your modem may be broken.  Call your modem manufacturer to confirm a broken
   modem.

Q: Why do I sometimes lose characters, or have missing characters, when I'm
   online?

A: There are several reasons you may lose characters while online.

 1.You may be running some TSR (Terminate and Stay Resident) programs that
   cause interrupts to be disabled.  Confirm this by not loading any
   unnecessary programs in your AUTOEXEC.BAT.

 2.You may have an IRQ or BPA conflict, causing characters to be lost.  See
   TB90.TXT for more information on IRQ and BPA conflicts. Check with your MIS
   department or computer store for more information on your system's IRQ and
   Base Port Address assignments.

 3.Your ASCII upload may be sending too fast for the host system.  Increase
   the Transmit Pacing in Setup | General Options, Option G.

 4.If the problem only occurs in the first column or two, your video card may
   be experiencing problems.

 5.If Destructive Backspace is enabled, characters may be erased.  Confirm
   this by disabling Destructive Backspace in Setup | Terminal Options, Option
   H (BS translation).

 6.Your computer system may be too slow for the baud rate that your modem
   supports.  Confirm this by lowering the baud rate in <Alt><P>.

 7.Software Flow Control with an MNP modem may cause the modem to stop
   receiving or sending characters.  Confirm this by disabling Software Flow
   Control in Setup | Terminal Options, Option C.

Q: Why does my connection speed drop to 300 or 1200 baud during connection?

A: There are several reasons your connection speed may drop in baud rate
   during connection.

 1.Your modem may be set for X0, which means that it will return only basic
   result codes upon connect (carrier detected at 300 or 1200).  The X0 may be
   set if your modem is external and was powered off during initialization; or
   if the Send init if CD high setting is disabled, causing the initialization
   string to not be sent to the modem; or if there is a problem in the
   initialization string or dialing command.

 2.Setup may contain incorrect result messages.  Check this by viewing Setup |
   Modem Options | Result Messages.

 3.Setup may have Autobaud detect enabled when it shouldn't be (typically with
   any modem capable of 14400bps or more).  Either disable Auto baud detect in
   Setup | Modem Options | General Options, Option C, or reinstall the modem
   using PCINSTAL.

 4.Your modem may be broken and returning incorrect result messages.  Contact
   your modem manufacturer to confirm a broken modem.

Q: Why can't I get 132-column mode to work?

A: There are several situations that may result in 132-column mode not
   working as expected.

 1.PCPLUS may not be set up correctly.  Check this by running PCINSTAL,
   Reconfigure PROCOMM PLUS, and selecting Extended video mode support from
   the Reconfiguration Options menu.  Carefully read the information that
   PCINSTAL presents to you concerning your system's video mode support.  You
   may also refer to your system's video card manual for more information on
   the display modes available.  You can then input the proper settings in
   Setup | Display/Sound Options | Option I (Video Startup Mode equals User
   Mode) and Option K (User video mode equals XX, where XX is a decimal
   number.)  Verify that you have the terminal width set to 132 in Setup |
   Terminal Options | Option L.

 2.Your video card and monitor may not support 132 columns.  If in doubt, run
   PCINSTAL or check your hardware manuals for display modes supported.  If
   132-column display mode is not available, you can toggle between screens by
   holding the Control and Left or Right cursor keys.

 3.You may be using the wrong emulation, or the emulation sequence to switch
   to 132-columns isn't being sent by the host.  132 columns in support in the
   Wyse, Vtxxx and Ansi emulations.

 4.The host system may not be using 132 columns, therefore PCPLUS won't
   display the screen in 132 columns.

 5.You may be running some TSR (Terminate and Stay Resident) programs that
   cause interrupts to be disabled.  Confirm this by not loading any
   unnecessary programs in your AUTOEXEC.BAT.

Q: Why won't my modem dial?

A: First we need to determine if the problem is in PCPLUS, the port, the
   modem, or the phone line.

 1.Verify that PCPLUS is attempting to access the correct port by checking the
   port configuration in <Alt><P>, and <Alt><D> if you're trying to dial
   through the Dialing Directory.

 2.Verify that the port addresses are correct in Setup | Modem Options | Port
   Assignments.  Unless you're using a PS/2 system, the address for COM3
   (Option C) should be 0x3E8 and the address for COM4 (Option D) should be
   0x2E8.

 3.Verify that PCPLUS is using the correct Dialing Command in Setup | Modem
   Options | Modem Commands, Option B.  For tone dialing, this should be ATDT.
   At this same screen, verify that the Dialing Command Suffix is correct,
   typically ^M.  Also, verify that the phone number is correct in the Dialing
   Directory entry, and that the Dialing Directory entry Mode is set for Modem
   instead of Direct.  Make sure that the Dialing Directory entry line 
   settings are correct, as well (N-8-1 vs. E-7-1).  This is often the problem
   when only one entry won't dial.

 4.If you're using an MNP modem and PCPLUS is set for a fixed DTE (port)
   speed, the port may be unable to receive characters.

 5.Verify that the modem is turned on if it's an external modem.

 6.If the dial tone of the phone line is missing, or barely audible, the modem
   may require a command to ignore the dial tone.  Issue the command ATX1 or
   ATX3 to the modem from the Terminal screen and try to dial.  If this fixes
   the problem, add the command to your initialization string in Setup | Modem
   Options | Modem Commands | Initialization command (Option A).  Include the 
   X1 or X3 after the initial AT and before the ending ^M.
 
 7.Verify that the phone connection isn't loose, that the line is plugged into
   the correct jack on the modem, and that the phone line is in service.  You
   can verify the service by plugging in a regular phone and trying to dial.

Q: Why won't my modem dial on a first attempt, but it dials fine on the
   second attempt?

A: Verify that your initialization command contains a ^M at the end.  The
   initialization command is located in Setup | Modem Options | Modem
   Commands, Option A.

Q: Why does my modem hang up during negotiation or shortly after connection?

A: There are several reasons your modem may hang up during negotiation or
   shortly after connection:

 1.The modem may be timing out due to the modem's setting to wait for Carrier
   Detect, or to the PCPLUS setting to Wait for connection in Setup | Modem
   Options | General Options, Option A.  To increase the modem's setting,
   issue ATS7=90 (the default is 60 seconds for most modems) at the Terminal
   screen. Then try to dial the number.

 2.The modem's S10 and S9 registers are set too tight, and some noise is
   coming in.  To verify this, increase the S10 register to 18 by issuing
   ATS10=18 at the Terminal screen.  Then try dialing.  If this clears the
   problem, add S10=18 to your modem initialization string in Setup | Modem
   Options | Modem Commands, Option A.

 3.Your MNP modem may be set to forced reliable or forced high-speed connect
   mode.

 4.Part of the modem connect message that your modem returns may match one of
   the No Connect messages in Setup | Modem Options | Result Messages.

 5.Some host systems will hang up if the calling system is using the incorrect
   parity. Verify that your parity settings in <Alt><P> (or in the Dialing
   Directory entry) are correct for the host system you're calling.

 6.Your modem may be broken.  Contact your modem manufacturer to confirm a
   broken modem.

Q: Why won't Host mode recognize a user name or password?

A: There are several reasons why Host mode may not recognize a user name or
   password:

 1.Host mode can't find the PCPLUS.USR file.  Verify that this file exists in
   the PCPLUS or home directory of PCPLUS.  (This is especially true if you
   receive the message "Not found in current directory:")

 2.You may not have enough file handles specified in your CONFIG.SYS file.
   Increase the FILES= in CONFIG.SYS and reboot your system.

 3.You my have more than one PCPLUS.USR file on your system.  Check the system
   for numerous PCPLUS.USR files.

 4.The PCPLUS.USR file may be corrupt.
   The PCPLUS.USR file may contain lower case entries.  Entries must be in all
   upper case.

 5.The PCPLUS.USR file may contain an embedded Ctrl-Z.  Verify this by viewing
   the file in a hex editor and searching for an ASCII 26.

 6.The user may have forgotten their logon name or password.

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           Copyright (c) 1997 Quarterdeck  All rights reserved.
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