Is the Serial Plugin still supported? What do I need to let it work?

[dgdg]

Hi,

I want to connect my Windows 7 PC to a DOS PC. Can I do this with the TC Serial Plugin and tcsrv4dos?
Is the Serial Plugin still supported by the newest TC version under Windows 7?
Do I need a real serial port or does it work with an USB adapter?
What cable do I need?

Regards,
dgdg

[dgdg]

Thx for the excellent support.

[petermad]

From TC's Help:

PORT connection to other PC through the parallel port

The PORT connection through the parallel port allows to transfer data between two computers in the same room over a special parallel cable. This cable can be found in most computer shops under the name "Interlink/Laplink parallel cable" or "parallel cable for direct cable connection". It allows a transfer rate of about 50-80kB/sec. The function therefore cannot be used as a network, but is meant to synchronize data between two machines (e.g. a desktop and a notebook). If both PCs use Windows XP or newer, you can use the much faster USB cable connection. Alternatively, you can use a pair of network cards for a permanent connection.

Important safety instructions - please read:

1. You need a special cable for the parallel port cable connection! This cable has crossed data lines! Normal parallel extension cables may damage the parallel port(s) if you connect them to your computers! You need a 4 bit (not 8 bit cable). See below for the connections.
2. Only connect the computers when they are turned off! Contrary to USB, the parallel port is not suited for hot-plugging!
3. There is always a danger of the destruction of the port by static electricity. Therefore please touch the PC case before connecting the cable. Avoid rubber soles on a carpet floor.
4. Only connect two parallel ports, not a parallel with a serial! The parallel port on the PC has 25 holes (not pins). The cable must have two plugs with 25 pins each.
5. You should not use the parallel port connection with other devices on the same line, like a dongle, ZIP drive (TM) or an external harddisk. Total Commander blocks all port access for the whole duration of the connection!

Starting the parallel port connection

1. Turn off both machines, connect them by parallel cable, and turn them back on.
2. Start Total Commander on both machines. You only need 1 licence if you are the only user.
3. On both machines, select 'Net' - 'PORT connection to other PC'.
4. One machine will act as a server, and one as a client. You will be working on the client, while Total Commander cannot be used on the server during the connection. Therefore select 'Server' on one machine, and 'Client' on the other.
5. If your computer has multiple parallel ports, Total Commander will ask for the port which you want to use. Choose the port to which the parallel cable is connected.
6. The connection is now established. It works similar to an FTP connection, i.e. you can now upload, download, delete, rename, view, and edit files, but not execute programs. Furthermore, you can use 'synchronize dirs'.
7. Close the connection on the client (Disconnect) and server (Abort).

You can also start a port connection using a command in the button bar, start menu, or Ctrl+D menu (client only):
The command would be
cd port://lpt1/c:/subdir1/subdir2
Important: Subdirectories must be separated by forward slashes "/"! The reason is that Total Commander internally uses the FTP functions for the connection.

If you want to transfer data from a Windows machine to a machine without Windows (only plain DOS), e.g. to copy a system, you can use the standalone server for DOS. You can find it on our homepage, www.ghisler.com, on the 'addons' page. Although this server runs on Windows 95/98 and Windows 3.1 in a DOS box, you shouldn't use it there because it accesses the port without any protection from other programs. Furthermore, it's slower and doesn't support long file names.

Usage of the drivers for the parallel port

Total Commander uses the driver cglpt9x.vxd for the parallel port connection under Windows 95/98/ME. It is loaded automatically when the connection is started, and removed at the end. Under Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista/7, the driver cglptnt.sys is used. On 64-bit Windows, cglpt64.sys is used. To load this driver dynamically, you need administrator privileges on that machine! If you don't have these, or want to work under a user account for security reasons (recommended), you can have the driver loaded automatically at system start. To achieve this, you or your administrator have to call Total Commander from an administrator account like this:
Totalcmd.exe /installdriver
To remove the driver, use the command
Totalcmd.exe /removedriver
This will only work on Windows NT based systems! The driver implements a so-called 'Parallel port class driver'. It was developed by us, and contains functions to block/unblock access to the parallel port, and functions to send individual characters and even whole blocks. It allows user mode programs to gain exclusive access to the parallel ports, but not to other ports.
Under Windows 3.1, Total Commander accesses the port without a driver. This means that other applications are not blocked from accessing the same port! Therefore don't try to print to that port during the connection, or to access devices on that port.

Troubleshooting

If the port connection fails, try the 'test' mode. To use it, select 'test' (instead of 'client' or 'server') on both sides! Total Commander will then send a test pattern over the parallel port, which can be used by the receiving end to detect if the cable is OK or not. Both ends need to report that the cable is good, because each end can only test its side!

You may get one of the following results:

1. Both sides say 'the cable is good', but the connection still fails. Solution: Your cable is probably too long or the shielding isn't good enough. You probably need a shorter or better cable. Cables up to 5-10 m/yards should be OK.

2. Error 'could not load driver'. Solution: Make sure you have the cglpt9x.vxd in the Total Commander directory (Win95/98/ME), or you have the cglptnt.sys/cglpt64.sys installed (Windows NT, 2000, XP, Vista or 7). Another possible reason: You have tried to create a shortcut to Totalcmd.exe on the desktop, but have copied the program instead! To fix this, delete the false shortcut and create a new one by right clicking on the desktop (new->link).

3. No reply at all. This can have several reasons: The wrong cable (not with crossed lines, but 1:1 connection), connected to wrong port, or non-standard ports. Solution: Make sure you have connected the cable to the correct ports (parallel, not serial), and you have chosen the right port number (LPTx). If this doesn't help, try a different cable!

4. Total Commander detects that data is received, but shows a receive error. Reason: Wrong cable (wrong lines are connected), or a pin may be broken. Total Commander will show which connections do not work.

Unfortunately we cannot offer any support for non-functioning parallel port connections.

The cable needs to have at least the following pins connected:

2 <----> 15
3 <----> 13
4 <----> 12
5 <----> 10
6 <----> 11
15 <----> 2
13 <----> 3
12 <----> 4
10 <----> 5
11 <----> 6
25 <----> 25 (Ground)

Also see: https://www.ghisler.com/serial.htm

,

[ghisler(Author)]

Yes, the plugin is still supported. It does work with USB to serial adapters, even on Windows 10. The parallel port connection does NOT work with USB to parallel port adapters, though.

[dgdg]

Then I will look for a serial cable and give it a try.
But when I installed the plugin in TC, I did'nt see any new menu entry. How can I start it?

[Stefan2]

...
But when I installed the plugin in TC, I did'nt see any new menu entry. How can I start it?

See petermads' post above, or read that yourself in TCs' Help.



EDIT: See below >>> by *ghisler(Author) » Mon Feb 18, 2019 15:58




 

[petermad]

2dgdg

any new menu entry

Net -> PORT Connection to Other PC

EDIT: Sorry, this is not correct - see below ↓

[ghisler(Author)]

No, this is just for the parallel port and USB port connection!
The serial connection works as a file system plugin:
Alt+F1 or Alt+F2 - Network Neighborhood
There the plugin should show up. When you open it, it will ask for the port number and speed.

[dgdg]

That was the info I needed. Thank you.