Just a heads-up to other WL users with multiple comm ports, etc. Who was it
that first said, " If it works, leave it alone ...? "
In running the various web-site pre-tests ( like www.PCPitStop.com ) to
ensure hardware/software compatibility before taking the plunge, and getting
reliable-looking OKs of my hardware and overall no serious surprises, I had
finally decided to move up from Win98 to XP (Home Edition) in a dual-boot
configuration. And then ......
Before opening the XP upgrade packaging I decided to run one last round of
tests using MS's own UpgradeAdvisor which came free on a little CD tucked
into the outer box from Staples.Com. (.I had looked for it earlier on the
MS site with no success.)
Very glad I did! << OUCH >> -- It revealed that XP absolutely won't
support some older plain vanilla ISA serial port add-ons I've used for years
as Comm 3 and 4. My SIIG PCI Comm 5 and 6 ports would require an easy and
free driver update from SIIG - no problem there. But no more "real"
legacy serial port support! While I had followed earlier threads here about
LPT port problems, and had already changed CW keying over from LPT2 to a
serial port, I had not realized that legacy serial ports are also now
rendered unusable without something like the Direct-IO.com driver. (Or a
future addition to WL?) Upgrade Advisor also said NO to my trusty HP
OfficeJet printer/FAX/scanner, though no doubt HP has a driver upgrade....?
So -- back goes the sealed XP package to my friendly software vendor, just
as Win2K Professional did before it. Maybe later, Big Bill, but not now.
I'll save the $100 bucks for my grandkids' Christmas. For the forseeable
future, this WL user sticks with Win 98, which has been stable and solid on
a little BioStar board with 400 mHz K6 and 256mB of SDRAM.
73 to all,
Jon K1US
Also appears Intel plans to finally kill off RS-232 ports, PS/2 ports and
1.44mB floppy drives within two years -- see www.BeyondLogic.com .
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