Permanent sleep

[mister_e]

it's just too bad that it doesn't allow to open COM port > 15 or 16

[T.Jackson]

Heh, how many comm ports do you have? I won't be terribly surprised if you tell me a 100 or so since I already know you have 2 monitors.

[mister_e]

LMAO nah i don't have as this much of COM port. I only have 13. But you know, some USB-Serial (if not all) default value will be higher than COM15 - 16... which is the MSComm limit. Sure there's a way to do it with old VB version (5-6). Maybe one day i'll do a deeper API/DLL search.

I'm afraid, i will need to move to .NET soon

[SteveB]

Heh, how many comm ports do you have? I won't be terribly surprised if you tell me a 100 or so since I already know you have 2 monitors.

Don't most folks have 2 monitors? I couldn't imagine life otherwise. If I had more desk space I would move up to 3 or 4! (I still swear by CRTs, but am starting to consider a move towards LCD as $ goes down and image quality/size goes up), It would be an interesting poll to see how many monitor folks on this forum have and would like to have.

Steve

[skimask]

Don't most folks have 2 monitors? I couldn't imagine life otherwise. If I had more desk space I would move up to 3 or 4! (I still swear by CRTs, but am starting to consider a move towards LCD as $ goes down and image quality/size goes up), It would be an interesting poll to see how many monitor folks on this forum have and would like to have.
Steve

With used 17 inch CRTs as cheap as they are (like $40 in the classifieds), more people should have more.
Have you seen those USB-VGA adapters? Good for 2-D screens, obivously not enough bandwidth for gaming, etc. If I remember right, XP supports up to 9 monitors. I got 4 myself, 2 on a dual output PCI card (GeForce 4400 based), 2 on an AGP card (GeForce 7600 based). I tried to get the 5th one running off the onboard VGA (ATi IGP)...never did get the 5th running right.

[mackrackit]

Don't most folks have 2 monitors? I couldn't imagine life otherwise. If I had more desk space I would move up to 3 or 4! (I still swear by CRTs, but am starting to consider a move towards LCD as $ goes down and image quality/size goes up), It would be an interesting poll to see how many monitor folks on this forum have and would like to have.

Steve

I only have one monitor per machine, six machines in the shop and one in the truck.

I got my first LCD last week, one of those 19" wide jobs, it may not stay around long. Things are a little fuzzy.

A friend of mine went with a 24" or so plasma, two monitors in one Thats what I want!

[skimask]

I got my first LCD last week, one of those 19" wide jobs, it may not stay around long. Things are a little fuzzy.

Usually LCD monitors are right on the money, focus and otherwise...but you gotta get the settings right.
Got good cables/connections at each end? Running the right resolution? Messed with the phase settings? Clock settings?

[Acetronics2]

Hi, Skimask

I must admit my "old" IIYAMA "pro 450" (also called A 901 HT) is far better at Graphics than lots of 19" LCDs ...

Alain

[keithdoxey]

LMAO nah i don't have as this much of COM port. I only have 13. But you know, some USB-Serial (if not all) default value will be higher than COM15 - 16... which is the MSComm limit. Sure there's a way to do it with old VB version (5-6). Maybe one day i'll do a deeper API/DLL search.

The problem with USB-Serial adapters is the way that windows works.

USB is not the easy "Plug'n'play" solution that it should be. If you plug a Prolific USB-Serial adapter into a PC it is detected and assigned the next unused COM number. so lets say it gets assigned COM3

All good so far..... except next time you decide to use it you plug it into a different USB post on your PC, now Windows sees it and depite it being the SAME physical adapter it installs it again, this time as COM4

All it recognises is the Vendor ID and Product ID so ANY Prolific USB-Serial adapter plugged into your first USB port will be COM3 and likewise the secind USB port would be COM4.

If however you plugged an FTDI USB-Serial adapter into your first USB port, it gets installed as COM5 because it is a different Vendor and Product.

Worst of all, you cant uninstall an adapter unless it is actually plugged in because it doesnt exist in Device Mangler.

I was working with a piece of kit a couple of years ago that HAD to use a USB Serial Adapter and the software HAD to run on COM3. Plugged an adapter in and it got assigned COM4 because a different brand had previously been used.

I did however discover that if you change the adapter you want to be COM3 to COM3, the "other" non existant comport then gets assigned a differnt com number.

Trying to remember which adapter you used and on which USB port is a real headache !!!

[mackrackit]

Usually LCD monitors are right on the money, focus and otherwise...but you gotta get the settings right.
Got good cables/connections at each end? Running the right resolution? Messed with the phase settings? Clock settings?

Yep, tried all of the above and still messing with it. Hooked to the onboard VGA, maybe that is the problem. It is not all that bad, my son likes his, that is why I tried one. Might also have something todo with sitting beside a 19" CRT. To easy to be critical.

The space LCD's save, I think I can deal with some fuzz

[mackrackit]

Trying to remember which adapter you used and on which USB port is a real headache !!!

Thats not as bad as having kids that will move keyboards around just to see dad type on the wrong machine. Gotta do a color code.

[keithdoxey]

Thats not as bad as having kids that will move keyboards around just to see dad type on the wrong machine. Gotta do a color code.

Ive got kids...I also sometimes have multiple keyboards in front of my and I can manage to type on the wrong one with no interference from the kids!!!

Wouldnt be so bad but one PC, Keyboard and Mouse is black the other is White !!!!

[keithdoxey]

I got my first LCD last week, one of those 19" wide jobs, it may not stay around long. Things are a little fuzzy.

Check the resolution of the display and PC.

A 19" widescreen monitor is probably something like 1440 x 900 and ANY Flat panel run at other than its native resolution looks truely awful compared to running at its native resolution. Some cope better than others but it still ends up fuzzy to a certain extent.

[mackrackit]

Wouldnt be so bad but one PC, Keyboard and Mouse is black the other is White !!!!

There goes the color code idea

A 19" widescreen monitor is probably something like 1440 x 900 and ANY Flat panel run at other than its native resolution looks truely awful compared to running at its native resolution. Some cope better than others but it still ends up fuzzy to a certain extent.

Thats it. I do not have the 1440 x 900 option. Will have to live with it or get a new card.

[keithdoxey]

Thats it. I do not have the 1440 x 900 option. Will have to live with it or get a new card.

Check for updated drivers

In the properties,click on Advanced > Monitor and see if the "hide modes my mnitor cant display" is ticked

My PC was showing 1280x1024 as the highest setting but when I unticked the box there was a 1600x900 and a 1920 x something mode.

Also take a look at a program called "Powerstrip"

http://entechtaiwan.com/util/ps.shtm

I havent used it personally but I know some people who swear by it to get custom resolutions for their PCs on Plasma and large LCD screens.

[dhouston]

it's just too bad that it doesn't allow to open COM port > 15 or 16

To handle higher ports, use "\\.\COMnn" (where nn is the port number, in decimal) when you define the port using the API.

You can patch the MSCOMM32.OCX control to allow ports >COM10. Use a hex editor to search for 3D 10 00 and change it to 3D xx 00 (where xx is the new upper limit, in hex) - e.g. 3D FF 00. NOTE: This may not work with all versions of the OCX.
CAUTION: Make a backup copy before patching.

My memory has faded but I think some early versions of the OCX worked above COM10.

[mister_e]

Yeah i saw the piping method a few times here and there... just never have the real requirment andd time to experiment it. Sure i keep the info handy.

one thing is sure VB.NET handle all available COM.. i know i have to move on that one... Not sure how good and how long VB6 will work with Vista... which i still don't want to have I like the good ol' stuff.

i'd downloaded VbExpress today... and it's like a brand new language... chinese to me.. for now. If anybody have some nice PDFs on it, let me know.

Visual Studio is on the 'stuff to buy one day.. but ASAP' list. I'm waiting for 2007 release... Orcas, or something like that.

Visual Studio 6 did a nice job... already paid few times

PS an API call always work better... Mscomm seems to be erratic on lower baudrate on some machine, while an API call seems to solve most problems. But... who use low baudrate in 2007? ;-)

My memory has faded but I think some early versions of the OCX worked above COM10

yeah indeed.. over 10 there's no problemj, over 16.. you have a problem. There's some OCX available here and there, i don't think they worth as long you can deal with API.

unfortunately, and as far as i'm aware of, there's no 'real' API guide. Those i know are just outdated.

[mister_e]

Don't most folks have 2 monitors? I couldn't imagine life otherwise. If I had more desk space I would move up to 3 or 4! (I still swear by CRTs, but am starting to consider a move towards LCD as $ goes down and image quality/size goes up), It would be an interesting poll to see how many monitor folks on this forum have and would like to have.

Steve

I use 2 monitor since over 10 years now.. you know when those dedicated card where over hudred dollars. I think i paid 400 or 500 for a Matrox one in the past... Now you can have a basic one under 100$ Sure not good for games.. but in my book, a PC is not a toy, but a tool.

Next step is to have room enough on my bench to have 3-4 19" inches monitor. 1 it's not enough, 2 is really nice, i imagine how better 3-4 could be. Kind of thing you don't know if you didn't have tested. One thing is sure... i don't have, and i will no longer any PC here (apart my laptop) running on a single screen. Soo much handy.

[mackrackit]

Check for updated drivers

In the properties,click on Advanced > Monitor and see if the "hide modes my mnitor cant display" is ticked

My PC was showing 1280x1024 as the highest setting but when I unticked the box there was a 1600x900 and a 1920 x something mode.

Also take a look at a program called "Powerstrip"

http://entechtaiwan.com/util/ps.shtm

I havent used it personally but I know some people who swear by it to get custom resolutions for their PCs on Plasma and large LCD screens.

I updated my OS from Mandrake 10 to Mandriva 2007. Fuzzy left