With all respect, Bill, you shouldn't need a manual to sort this.. it is
easy enough to uninstall COM 1 and then let Windows find it and set the
appropriate drivers..you might also want to remove all traces of the fax
software and physically remove your modem so that you can reboot the system
'clean'.. reinstalling the modem and fax software should then be a breeze
unless you have, at some point, forced other hardware to use COM 1 or any
other port..
XP is the result of quantum leaps forward since those heady days of DOS 2.11
and '1200' modems.. there should be little need if any to tinker/tweak the
system.. while it is useful to know the history of COM ports and IRQ's, it
is certainly not obligatory..
It also has to be stated that applying Win 3/3.1/3.11/9x/ME rules to XP can
only land the user in more hot water than can be reasonably sustained.. this
applies to all home users who 'apparently' enjoyed tinkering and tweaking
with DOS and DOS based Windows.. one of the reasons for the myth about
Windows requiring re-installation to get rid of the crap comes from amateur
tinkerers and tweakers essentially sending their systems to hell with so
called 'performance tweaks'.. you still see it in the newsgroups now.. the
'tweak kings' come out of the woodwork every now and again with some crap
that just might recover 6k of wasted memory and other similar things..
I would also like to state that some third party software is written very
badly, often utilising memory addresses that should not be used, in an
attempt to get their programs to run at a decent speed.. for the most part,
they get away with it, but if you then add into the equation 'Mr Tinkerer'
who has gone into system BIOS and made BIOS and Video memory cacheable or
whatever, now you have a major problem..
... and while I have the podium, I would also add that people who disable
services and stuff, that again with all respect, they have loaded to appear
in Start-up, in a sorry attempt to get more speed from their system that
doesn't have enough memory or hard drive space (well, it was ok then, so why
not now, they bleat) to run Win 9x, let alone XP, deserve all they get when
trying at some point in the future to load hardware or software that
requires the items that have been disabled..
How I have survived so long in IT support is a mystery.. you have to been in
receipt of the patience of ten, be able to bite your tongue without spilling
blood, smile when you could cry, look straight-faced when you feel like
laughing.. anyway.. I am ok.. I have a fresh cup of coffee and a huge amount
of cigarettes.. all is well and the sun is shining..