How To: Link a Mobile Phone to Win2K/XP

HOW TO: LINK A MOBILE PHONE TO WINDOWS 2K/XP
<Author: Blacklaw>
<Category: Driver Guide>
<Thanks To: Sara>

Picture the scene - this dame walks into my office... No, wait - that's 'The Maltese Falcon', isn't it? Let me try this again...

Picture the scene - you've just bought a new mobile phone. It's all singing and all dancing. It has polyphonic ringtones, colour screensavers, the works. And all you need to do to create your own mobile content is hook it up to your laptop. Well, that shouldn't be a problem! After all, your Windows 2000 laptop has an infra-red port, and so does the phone. And they're both IrDA standard, so what's to go wrong?

Well, quite a lot, actually. In Windows 9x, the IrDA driver had a bit of code that allowed it to provide application support on a virtual communications port. All you had to do was open up your serial communications software, select the virtual port instead of the physical one, and hey presto! Wireless data. However, Microsoft (in their infinite wisdom) removed this very useful bit of kit from the Windows 2000 IrDA driver. And the Windows XP driver, for that matter. So the software to link your mobile phone to your won't work. But before you go out and buy an expensive serial cable (or 'datacable' as the mobile phone enthusiasts are wont to call them), see what we discovered...

You see, my friend Sara was having the same problem. She'd just bought a Sagem myX-5, and tried to hook it up to her Windows 2000 laptop with no luck. We chewed the fat about it on Microsoft Messenger for a while, and discovered the lack of virtual COM port support in Windows 2K. Both firing up Google, Sara chanced upon a page that mentioned a third party driver from a company called Extended Systems. Only problem was, their site no longer exists. Not to be deterred, I Googled for a while longer and managed to track down a copy of the driver on a Russian FTP site (why does all the best software come from dodgy Russian FTP sites?).

Sara downloaded the driver, unzipped it, and installed it onto her laptop. A swift reboot later, and COM6 appeared in the Sagem software setup menu. It really was as easy as that. From total lack of connectivity to smooth runnings in one reboot flat.

The Extended System driver is, however, copyright. So technically you shouldn't use it. The good news is that there is an alternative, licensed under the GNU Public License. I've mirrored it here (IRCOMM2K.ZIP, 72KB), and more information is available at http://www.gsm.org.uk/gnu_ircomm.htm. And all you German speakers should visit the programmer's homepage at http://www.ircomm2k.de.

-Blacklaw

CONTENTS	I was saddened that I had no WAP, until I met a man with BlueTooth	ASSOCIATES
Articles Reviews Rants Generic Contact Old News Privacy Policy	HOW TO: LINK A MOBILE PHONE TO WINDOWS 2K/XP <Author: Blacklaw> <Category: Driver Guide> <Thanks To: Sara> Picture the scene - this dame walks into my office... No, wait - that's 'The Maltese Falcon', isn't it? Let me try this again... Picture the scene - you've just bought a new mobile phone. It's all singing and all dancing. It has polyphonic ringtones, colour screensavers, the works. And all you need to do to create your own mobile content is hook it up to your laptop. Well, that shouldn't be a problem! After all, your Windows 2000 laptop has an infra-red port, and so does the phone. And they're both IrDA standard, so what's to go wrong? Well, quite a lot, actually. In Windows 9x, the IrDA driver had a bit of code that allowed it to provide application support on a virtual communications port. All you had to do was open up your serial communications software, select the virtual port instead of the physical one, and hey presto! Wireless data. However, Microsoft (in their infinite wisdom) removed this very useful bit of kit from the Windows 2000 IrDA driver. And the Windows XP driver, for that matter. So the software to link your mobile phone to your won't work. But before you go out and buy an expensive serial cable (or 'datacable' as the mobile phone enthusiasts are wont to call them), see what we discovered... You see, my friend Sara was having the same problem. She'd just bought a Sagem myX-5, and tried to hook it up to her Windows 2000 laptop with no luck. We chewed the fat about it on Microsoft Messenger for a while, and discovered the lack of virtual COM port support in Windows 2K. Both firing up Google, Sara chanced upon a page that mentioned a third party driver from a company called Extended Systems. Only problem was, their site no longer exists. Not to be deterred, I Googled for a while longer and managed to track down a copy of the driver on a Russian FTP site (why does all the best software come from dodgy Russian FTP sites?). Sara downloaded the driver, unzipped it, and installed it onto her laptop. A swift reboot later, and COM6 appeared in the Sagem software setup menu. It really was as easy as that. From total lack of connectivity to smooth runnings in one reboot flat. The Extended System driver is, however, copyright. So technically you shouldn't use it. The good news is that there is an alternative, licensed under the GNU Public License. I've mirrored it here (IRCOMM2K.ZIP, 72KB), and more information is available at http://www.gsm.org.uk/gnu_ircomm.htm. And all you German speakers should visit the programmer's homepage at http://www.ircomm2k.de. -Blacklaw	<table border='0' cellpadding='0' cellspacing='0' width='120' height='476'><tr><td><A HREF='http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/redirect-home/blacklawsoftw-21' target=_blank><img src="http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/G/02/associates/recommends/default_120x476.gif" width=120 height=476 border="0" access=regular></a></td></tr></table>
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