PROGRAMS USING DOWNLOAD AGENTS TO CONTROL MODEMS

[mike@]

I WORK FOR A SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT COMPANY. WE HAVE HAD CUSTOMERS WHO WERE USING OUR SOFTWARE WITH NO PROBLEMS UNTIL THEY INSTALLED PROGRAMS WHICH HAD AGENTS THAT TRIED TO USE THE MODEM EVERY TIME THAT IT WAS ACTIVATED.

DEACTIVATING THE AGENTS DID NOT STOP THEM FROM TRYING TO CONTROL THE MODEM. THE ONLY SOLUTION WAS TO UNINSTALL THE SOFTWARE AND RE-BOOT THE COMPUTER.

MIRAMBA WAS ONE OF THE MOST COMMON AGENTS USED.

WE DID NOT USE THE TAPI MODEM INTERFACE ON THE EARLIER VERSIONS OF OUR SOFTWARE. WE JUST ASKED WINDOWS FOR THE COM PORT AND INITIALIZED THE MODEM OURSELVES. WE ARE CURRENTLY TRYING TO USE TAPI BUT WITH MIXED SUCCESS. THE COMPANIES WE COMMUNICATE WITH ARE STILL AT 1200 AND 2400 BAUD.

IS THERE SOME SETTING IN THE REGISTRY WHICH COULD BE CAUSING OUR SOFTWARE TO NOT BE ABLE TO ACCESS THE MODEM?

THANKS FOR ANY COMENTS.

MIKE@

[notech]

to the top - desparately in need of help.

[brentadams]

More than likely not. I would bet that the agents are just sitting on the com port waiting for it to be opened. When it can't find what it is looking for after a connection is made, it just keeps trying to look for it. You would probably have to get a debugger like Numega SoftICE and put a watch on the modem's support files,
on the com port, and on any other program would access the modem. Hope this helps.