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Need help setting up a Xircom Network Adapter

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sona1111

Experienced Member
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Apr 10, 2010
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Hello again! While in my other thread i was just speculating, i finally got one piece of the hardware today and already their are problems. :)

Anyway, it is a Xircom Model PE2-10BT Parallel Network Adapter. (pictures if requested) It actually came with the whole works, drivers on a 3.5" disk, two drivers on 5.25" disks, manual, and power adapter.

The Pc i am attempting to use it with is am IBM PS/2 L40 SX that is currently running DOS version 7.1 (i have also installed the Arachne internet browser.)

After fully booting the computer the unit's power light is on, however running the self test program from the diskette results in a general "Unit is unplugged, power is not connected, or unit has malfunctioned" error. (not exactly how it is said) I have checked in the set features menu that the parallel port is activated.

To try to diagnose the problem i have connected the thing to another computer running windows XP and it simply freezes the command prompt after running the self test.

what should i do next?
 
Well testing it under WinXP will not help you with anything, but I am having the same problems with my PE3-10BT. You can try it on that WinXP box with a DOS boot disk for a test.
 
used with a generic dos boot disk on the win xp computer it gives the same error message. However, once and a while, one of the other lights (one of the LAN ones) flickers on and off, which is weird, because their is no LAN cable plugged in at all anyway. It does not do this when plugges into the old dos computer, only the new one.
 
Mine refuses to light up at all, even the power light, without an ethernet cable plugged in - a live one (and a live parallel port).
 
in another thread someone said (can ref) that quote "some people on the forums" had gotten these things to work with old computers.

any one of you out there?>
 
I am a big fan of the PE3-10BT. It sounds like you have a previous generation, which I am not familiar with.

I'm not sure what options your driver has, but here are some tricks I have used with the PE3-10BT:

  • Use Debug or something like MSD.EXE to find out exactly what address the LPT port you are using is located at. Verify that the LPT port works with another device, or even a printer.
  • Specify NOEPP, or whatever the option is to disable any ECP or EPP mode on the parallel port
  • Try loading the packet driver with no hardware interrupts enabled (INT=0)
  • Try a different software interrupt, just in case the default one (0x60) was in use. You can specify other software interrupts to use on the command line.
  • I've used DOS 2.1 to DOS 5 with my adapter. I would try a different (and earlier) version of DOS. Also, don't load any other device drivers or TSRs until you get it working.
  • Make sure it gets the correct power. The best source of power is from the wall adapter, not the 'phantom keyboard' cord. These things pull some power, and the parallel port definitely does not have enough power. The phantom keyboard cord might not have enough power either.
  • The PE3-10BT comes with diagnostics. These only run when the packet driver is not loaded. If you load the packet driver first, unload it to get rid of it.


Mike
 
For the record, I've followed mbbrutman's instructions in the past and they did not work with my adapter, leading me to think that it was likely dead. The diagnostics refuse to detect it in any machine.

However, if yours has a different problem it may well help you out.
 
Specify NOEPP, or whatever the option is to disable any ECP or EPP mode on the parallel port
Try loading the packet driver with no hardware interrupts enabled (INT=0)
Try a different software interrupt, just in case the default one (0x60) was in use. You can specify other software interrupts to use on the command line.
Click to expand...

HOW exactly do you do these ones?

also, the "packet driver" your talking about, is this like one of the drivers that came on the disk, or do i need to download this separately?

i will try another version of dos in the meantime...

thank you for the tips anyway.
 
They're command line arguments, both on the driver, and on the diagnostic program.

The packet driver is the driver that comes as a COM or EXE file on the disk that you run with the argument of 0x60 to enable the card.
 
so you mean a command line switch? you actually put exactly "0x60" after the file?
 
Yes.

In my case:

"pe3bt 0x60" will run the packet driver on software interrupt 0x60.

If I want to run it with NOEPP, then I do:

"pe3bt 0x60 NOEPP"

It's pretty straightforward.
 
hmm...

i know i have been a constant bother. but anyway, still no luck..i guess the unit is broken somehow. I opened it up and could see no overheat burns or anything on the wires..but it may not be visible damage..
 
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