COMxProtocol Setting Not Explained in SYSINI.WRI File

 Last reviewed: November 23, 1994
Article ID: Q84780
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Windows operating system versions 3.1, 3.11

SUMMARY

Page 93 of the "Getting Started with Microsoft Windows" manual for Windows 3.1 incorrectly states that the COMxProtocol setting for the SYSTEM.INI file is explained in the SYSINI.WRI file.

There is no reference to this entry in the SYSINI.WRI file that is provided with Windows 3.1. However, this entry is included in the SYSINI.WRI file that is provided in the Microsoft Windows Resource Kit for Windows 3.1.

MORE INFORMATION

The following explanation is from the SYSINI.WRI file that is provided with the Microsoft Windows Resource Kit: 

   COM1Protocol=<XOFF-or-blank>
   COM2Protocol=<XOFF-or-blank>
   COM3Protocol=<XOFF-or-blank>
   COM4Protocol=<XOFF-or-blank>

   Default:  (Default is no entry, which is the same as any
             entry other than XOFF)

   Purpose:  Specifies whether Windows in 386 enhanced mode
             should stop simulating characters into a virtual
             machine after the virtual machine sends an XOFF
             character. Set the value for a port to XOFF if a
             communications application using that port is
             losing characters while doing text transfers at
             high baud rates. Windows will resume simulating
             characters when the virtual machine sends another
             character after the XOFF character. Leave this
             setting disabled if the application is doing
             binary data transfers; enabling this switch might
             suspend binary transmissions. Windows will not
             check for XOFF characters if this setting is blank
             or set to anything other than XOFF. If the
             application continues to lose characters after
             this setting is properly set, try increasing the
             corresponding COMxBuffer value.
NOTE: COMxProtocol does not apply to Windows-based applications that call the Comm application program interface (API) functions. Windows-based applications can set their protocol using SetCommState. However, COMxProtocol may work for Windows-based applications that use terminate-and- stay-resident (TSR) programs for communication instead of the Comm API functions (for example, WinFax).

To modify this setting, use Notepad to edit the SYSTEM.INI file.

KBCategory: kb3rdparty kbdocerr kbenv
KBSubcategory: win31 wincomm
Additional reference words: 3.10 3.11 wrk 3rdparty doc err

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Last reviewed: November 23, 1994
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