TECHNICAL BULLETIN #93 - Rev 1.10 (9/03/96)

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TITLE   : Identifying and Resolving TSR Conflicts
PRODUCT : Procomm Plus 4.x, 3.x, 2.x
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Terminate and Stay Resident (TSR) programs can conflict with Procomm Plus and
cause a multitude of communication problems.  Here is a technique for
identifying and resolving TSR conflicts.

If you have a Procomm Plus for DOS communication problem or if the following
Windows procedures don't resolve your problem, consult the "Testing for
DOS-based TSR Conflicts" procedure below.

REMOVING WINDOWS STARTUP APPLICATIONS
Windows provides several ways to automatically load programs when the
Windows session starts.  If you have a Windows communication problem,
prevent other applications from loading if software conflicts are suspected.

RENAME THE WINSTART.BAT FILE
If a user has created a WINSTART.BAT file in the WINDOWS directory, Windows
runs the commands contained in the file when the Windows session starts.
Simply rename the file and Windows will not run it on startup.

PROCEDURE:
1. At the DOS prompt, type "CD \WINDOWS" and press Enter to change the
   current directory to the WINDOWS subdirectory.

2. Type "DIR WINSTART.BAT" and press Enter.  DOS will report "File not
   found" if the file does not exist.

3. If DOS finds the file, use the "REN" DOS command to rename the file to
   a name other than WINSTART.BAT.  For example, type "REN WINSTART.BAT
   TEST.BAT" and press Enter to rename WINSTART.BAT to TEST.BAT.

PREVENT WIN.INI FROM LOADING AND RUNNING APPLICATIONS
The WIN.INI file is a Windows system file located in the WINDOWS subdirectory.
It contains two commands which load and run applications during Windows
startup.  Simply prevent all applications from loading by REMarking the
"load=" and "run=" commands found near the top of this file.

PROCEDURE:
1. Open the WIN.INI file in a text editor.

2. In the section labeled "[windows]", there are two commands labeled
   "load=" and "run=".  If the commands are followed by an application name,
   such as "load=FAXTSR.COM", prevent the commands from executing by typing
   "REM" and a space before each command.

3. Remember to save the WIN.INI file after editing it.

PREVENT THE STARTUP GROUP FROM RUNNING APPLICATIONS
The Windows Startup group automatically runs applications when the Windows
session is started. By default, Windows creates an empty Startup group, but
users can add applications to it.  If you added applications to the Startup
group, prevent them from running during testing by following this procedure
every time Windows is started. To permanently remove an application from the
Startup group, click on the application's icon and drag it into a different
group.

Procedure:  To bypass the Startup group without changing its contents, press
the Shift key when the Windows logo appears during Windows startup and release
it when the Program Manager appears.

TESTING FOR DOS-BASED TSR CONFLICTS
DOS TSR's are loaded from the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files at
boot-time.  To test for a TSR conflict, prevent the TSR's from loading and
see if the communication problem disappears. If it does, one or more of the
TSR's is causing a conflict. The TSR's must be reintroduced, one by one, to
a fresh system until the problem reappears and the conflict is identified.

PROCEDURE:
1. Open your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files in a text editor such as the
   DOS "EDIT" program.

2. Prevent all statements from loading, except disk compression utilities
   such as Stacker, by typing "REM" and a space in front of each statement.
   If you have Windows communication problems, you must also allow HIMEM.SYS
   to load by not placing a "REM" in front of its command line.

3. Save the files and reboot your PC.  Try to communicate again and if the
   symptoms disappear, one of the programs you've REM'd out is interfering.

4. Edit the files and remove the "REM" comments one at a time. Reboot your
   PC after each removal, and try to communicate again. When the symptoms
   reappear, the last TSR reintroduced to the system by removing the "REM" is
   the culprit.

5. To test for multiple TSR conflicts, retype the "REM" in front of the
   conflicting TSR and continue the procedure described in step 4 to test the
   remaining TSR's.

6. Permanently remove or leave the "REM" in front of the command(s) which
   load TSR('s) that conflict with Procomm Plus' communications.

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   revision number to that of the same document on any of our support sites.
  This technical bulletin may be copied and distributed freely as long as it
       is distributed in its entirety and it is not distributed for profit.
           Copyright (c) 1996 Quarterdeck  All rights reserved.
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