To install Direct Cable Connection after Windows 98 Setup
You can be productive away from the office by using the following Windows 98 mobile computing tools:
Windows 98 Briefcase
Briefcase allows you to update documents on a portable computer with source documents on a desktop computer or network, thus minimizing the task of keeping track of the relationships between files on a portable computer and on a desktop computer. With Briefcase, you can simultaneously update related files.
Direct Cable Connection
Direct Cable Connection (DCC) allows you to establish a connection between two computers quickly and easily by using a parallel cable, a null-modem serial cable, or an infrared connection. After the connection is established, Direct Cable Connection facilitates the transfer of files from the host computer to the guest computer. The host can act as a gateway to an IPX/SPX or NetBEUI network for the guest.
Infrared
Windows 98 supports infrared devices, so you can wirelessly connect a laptop or a computer to infrared cameras, other computers, or printers. Infrared works with file sharing tools such as Direct Cable Connection, so you can quickly and easily take a laptop with you wherever you go and then update files on a standalone computer or the network.
Deferred printing
Windows 98 supports deferred printing, which allows you to generate print jobs when you are not connected physically to a printer. The print jobs are stored until a printer becomes available. Windows 98 detects the printer connection and automatically spools the print jobs in the background. For information, see Chapter 11, "Printing, Imaging, and Fonts."
Internet Mail and News
With Outlook Express, you can dial into your internet service provider and download your e-mail from an IMAP4 or POP3 server. You can also download news from your newsgroups located on an NNTP server. For information, see Chapter 22, "Electronic Mail with Outlook Express."
Other mobile computing tools, such as the following, help you manage a portable computer’s limited battery power and disk space:
With Direct Cable Connection, you can establish a direct serial connection, parallel cable connection, or infrared connection between two computers in order to share the resources of the computer designated as the host. If the host is connected to a network, the guest computer can also access the network.
For example, if you have a portable computer, you can use a cable to connect it to your work computer and network. To establish a local connection between two computers, you must connect a compatible serial or null-modem parallel cable to both computers, or both computers must be equipped with infrared devices. For information about using Direct Cable Connection with infrared devices, see the section "Using Infrared" later in this chapter.
Before you can transfer files from the host to the guest computer, the files must be in a shared directory, and File and Printer Sharing services for either Microsoft or NetWare networks must be enabled in the Network option in Control Panel. You can also apply share-level security to the shared files. For information, see Chapter 18, "Logon, Browsing, and Resource Sharing," and Chapter 9, "Security."
Before you install and configure Direct Cable Connection, you need to decide:
Note
You cannot use Direct Cable Connection and Dial-Up Networking at the same time. Both applications use the same network interface (Pppmac.vxd). Before using Direct Cable Connection, make sure to shut down any active Dial-Up Networking connections.
To install Direct Cable Connection during Windows 98 Setup, you must run Setup from the DOS prompt and choose Custom or Portable as the setup type. You can also install Direct Cable Connection after installing Windows 98.
To install Direct Cable Connection after Windows 98 Setup
Windows 98 provides a Direct Cable Connection Wizard for establishing the connection between two computers. The wizard runs when you open Direct Cable Connection the first time. It allows you to designate one computer as the guest and the other as a host. Before you run the wizard, you must install Direct Cable Connection on each computer and connect them with a null-modem serial or parallel cable, or with an infrared device.
For more information about setting up and using Direct Cable Connection, see Help, or the Networks troubleshooter section on "I am unable to connect my Windows 95 computer to my Windows 98 computer."
Windows 98 supports a serial null-modem standard (RS-232) cable and the following parallel cables:
Parallel cables transmit data simultaneously over multiple lines, whereas serial cables transmit data sequentially over one pair of wires. Thus, parallel cables are faster than serial cables.
You can also use Direct Cable Connection over an infrared link. For more information, see "Using Infrared" later in this chapter.
If you can use a portable computer and a desktop computer, or you are connected to a network, you must constantly work to keep the files synchronized. Windows 98 Briefcase minimizes this task by keeping track of the relationships between files on two or more computers.
With Briefcase, you can do the following:
Windows 98 provides a set of OLE interfaces that allow applications to bind reconciliation handlers to it, track the contents of Briefcase, and define the outcome of any reconciliation on a class-by-class basis. For example, when both the file in Briefcase and its synchronized copy outside have changed, Windows 98 calls the appropriate reconciliation handler to merge the two files. This could be handy when several users are simultaneously updating one large document.
Caution
Do not place one Briefcase inside another Briefcase. You cannot drag a file into a Briefcase that is in another Briefcase.
To install Briefcase during Windows 98 Setup, you must run Setup from the DOS prompt and choose Custom or Portable as the setup type. You can also install Briefcase after installing Windows 98.
To install Briefcase after Windows 98 installation
If you install Briefcase, it appears as an icon on your Windows 98 desktop. To run Briefcase, double-click its icon.
To uninstall Briefcase
Tip
You can use Briefcase to synchronize files between a portable computer running Windows 98 and a desktop computer running Windows NT Server 3.5 or later.
When you update files by using Briefcase, Windows 98 automatically replaces unmodified files with modified files. If both files have changed, Windows 98 calls the appropriate application (if available) to merge the disparate files. The host and guest can be connected in the following ways:
For more information about Briefcase, and for instructions for using Briefcase to update two connected computers, see Help.
Tip
To find the copy of a file that is outside Briefcase, click Find Original in the Update Status dialog box.
Windows 98 includes Microsoft Infrared version 3.0, which allows you to use infrared devices to connect to computers, printers, or other devices such as infrared cameras. Microsoft Infrared 3.0 supports the Infrared Data Association (IrDA) standards IrDA 1.0, for Serial Infrared Devices (SIR); and IrDA 1.1, for Fast Infrared Devices (FIR). Because of its low cost and simple implementation, infrared is the first widely used wireless transmission technology. It can be used for the following purposes:
The Windows 98 implementation of Infrared provides the following benefits:
Windows 98 also includes Microsoft Infrared Transfer, an application that enables a suitably enabled computer to quickly send files using their infrared device.
This section describes how to install infrared devices.
Note
If you change the infrared adapter model that is connected to the computer, you should reinstall it.
The procedure for installing an infrared device varies depending on whether it is a Plug and Play device. All Fast Infrared devices are Plug and Play–compatible.
To install a Plug and Play device
To install a non-Plug and Play infrared device
You can use the Infrared Monitor to keep track of your computer’s infrared activity. You can activate Infrared Monitor once your infrared device is installed by double-clicking the Infrared icon in Control Panel or by clicking the animated Infrared icon in the system tray on the Taskbar. The Infrared Monitor contains the tabs and options shown in Table 19.5.
Table 19.5 Infrared Monitor tabs
| Tab name | Tab option | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Tells you whether infrared is working properly and displays information about the infrared connections. | |
| Options | Enable infrared communication | Enables and disables infrared services on the physical serial port. |
| Search for and provide status for devices in range | Starts and stops the infrared device’s ability to detect other devices that are in range. | |
| Enable software install for Plug and Play devices in range | Enables and disables Microsoft Infrared Support software from automatically configuring a device across the infrared communication link when the computer comes into range of a new Plug and Play device. | |
| Limit connection speed | Configures the maximum speed for the infrared. Limiting this speed may improve communication. | |
| Restore defaults | Restores settings to defaults. | |
| Preferences | Display the infrared icon in the taskbar | Determines whether the infrared icon displays in the system tray. |
| Open Infrared Monitor for interrupted communication | Specifies whether to open the Infrared Monitor when infrared communication is interrupted. | |
| Play sounds for devices in range and interrupted communication | Specifies whether sounds will be played for various infrared events. | |
| Identification | Computer name | Contains the name assigned to the computer. This is the same name used to identify your computer on the network. If no name appears here, enter one. |
| Computer description | Contains a description of the computer. This is the same description used to identify your computer on the network. If no description appears here, enter one. | |
To verify your connection using Infrared Monitor
Windows 98 includes Infrared Transfer, a new application for transferring files through an infrared connection.
When an infrared device has been installed, an icon called Infrared Recipient is added to My Computer, and a shortcut to it is added to the \Windows\Send To folder. This shortcut adds an item to the Send To menu option that appears when you right-click a file or folder.
The first time Infrared Transfer is used to send a file or folder, a folder called My Received Files is created, and all sent files or folders will be copied to this folder. If a file or folder is sent that already exists in the My Received Files folder, a copy of the file or folder is made.
You can transfer files using one of several different methods. Before attempting to transfer files, make sure the infrared communications driver is properly installed and the infrared devices are enabled by carrying out the procedures in "Installing an Infrared Device" and "Using the Infrared Monitor" earlier in this chapter.
To transfer files or folders using Infrared Recipient
To transfer files or folders using Send To
To transfer files or folders using Drag and Drop
-Or-
You can use Direct Cable Connection over an infrared link to connect a host and guest computer. This section describes how to transfer files over an infrared link, using Direct Cable Connection. Before transferring files, you must install Direct Cable Connection on both computers by following the procedure outlined in "Using Direct Cable Connection" earlier in this chapter. Both computers must also use a common network protocol; a broadcast protocol such as NetBEUI is easiest to configure.
Additionally, the files must be in a shared directory, and File and Printer Sharing services for either Microsoft or NetWare networks must be enabled in the Network option in Control Panel. You can also apply share-level security to the shared files. For information about File and Printer Sharing, see Chapter 18, "Logon, Browsing, and Resource Sharing." For more information about share-level security, see Chapter 9, "Security."
To transfer files using Direct Cable Connection
When the wizard prompts you for it, select the Host option. When the wizard prompts you to choose a port, use the same virtual port you found in Step 2.
The wizard also offers password protection. It is not necessary to establish password protection on the host computer for this test of the infrared link. When you have finished the wizard, click Finish. Direct Cable Connection starts running on the infrared link and displays the following message: "Status: Waiting to connect via Serial cable on Comx," where Comx is the name of the virtual port the infrared link is using.
The connection is automatically made over the infrared link, and all the shared folders on the host computer are displayed on the guest computer’s screen.
When you run Direct Cable Connection to establish the connection between the host and guest computers, the guest computer might display the message "Direct Cable Connection was unable to display shared folders of the host computer" and prompt you to enter the computer name of the host computer. If this happens, check the Status tab of the Infrared Monitor interface screen.
If you are working on the guest computer, and you want to copy a shared folder from the host computer to the guest computer, select the folder’s icon in the window that displays all the shared folders that are on the host computer, and drag the icon to the desktop.
To work on a shared folder on the host computer without copying it to the guest computer, double-click the folder in the display on the guest computer. Note that if the host computer is connected to a network, the guest computer can reach shared resources on the network through the connection to the host.
Before attempting to print, make sure the infrared communications driver is properly installed and the infrared devices are enabled by carrying out the procedures in "Installing an Infrared Device" and "Using the Infrared Monitor" earlier in this chapter.
To print to an Infrared-Capable Printer
You can make printers without built-in infrared ports infrared-capable by connecting an infrared adapter made for printers into the printer’s parallel port. An example of an infrared adapter for printers is the Extended Systems JetEye Infrared Printer Port ESI-9580. If a parallel cable is also used to connect the computer to the infrared printer adapter, you can use either the infrared link or the parallel cable to print. The infrared link is used when you select the virtual parallel port; the cable is used when you select the physical parallel port.
To validate the infrared link to the printer, make sure the correct printer driver is installed for the infrared-capable printer. (Most printers with built-in infrared ports are Plug and Play devices, which are installed automatically.) Then use a program to print over the infrared link.
If the program prints on an infrared-capable printer, the infrared driver installation is validated. If there is trouble printing, see "Troubleshooting Infrared" later in this chapter for more information.