+SteveOr Posted April 7, 2003 Share Posted April 7, 2003 I have an eTrex Legend and can't get it and my Win98 pc to talk. I recently reformatted my hard drive but get "Com1 handle is invalid" when I try to upload from MapSource Topo. Everything looks good in the Device Manager and I didn't have a problem before I cleaned house in my hard drive. I've tried all sorts of combinations in the GPS settings. So I am all out of ideas. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment
+PDOP's Posted April 7, 2003 Share Posted April 7, 2003 Do you have anything else using the com port like PalmDesktop? You may have to shutoff this other software to free up the port. PDOP's GPS Pages Quote Link to comment
+Verboten Posted April 7, 2003 Share Posted April 7, 2003 What program are you trying to connect to the Legend with? Also, not to insult your intelligence, but have you verified that you have it plugged into the correct Com Port? Quote Link to comment
+SteveOr Posted April 7, 2003 Author Share Posted April 7, 2003 quote:Originally posted by PDOP's:Do you have anything else using the com port like PalmDesktop? Nothing else using the port as far as I can tell. FYI, USA Photo Maps and EasyGPS doesn't communicate either. I also have tried both plugs and the same thing happens. So it seems to be a software problem and not a hardware problem. Quote Link to comment
+Verboten Posted April 7, 2003 Share Posted April 7, 2003 Do you have any other serial devices to test on Com1? Have you verified your interface settings in the Legend? I know Easy GPS requires the default "Garmin" interface setting. I'm not sure what Photo Maps uses, but some programs require other input formats. MapPoint, for instance, only uses NMEA. Any other recent changes, or just a new install of 98? Device manager shows Com1 as alive and well and no conflicts anywhere? Modem isn't on Com1? I don't know, I'm stumped. What are the settings on Com1? -Vb Quote Link to comment
+SteveOr Posted April 7, 2003 Author Share Posted April 7, 2003 Unfortunately I don't have any other device to test in the serial port. And I've made sure the GPS settings were correct for all the programs. In fact whether the GPS is connected or not I get the same error messages. My modem is on Com2. The Com1 settings are the default, i.e., Baud: 9600, Data bits: 8, Parity: None, Stop Bits: 1, Flow control: Xon/Xoff, I/O range: 03F8-03FF, Interrupt request: 84. Other than that I haven't a clue. I've tried to investigate com port troubleshooting but Google just gives me modem solutions and Microsoft's knowledge base is a big zilch. Shoot, shoot, shoot! Quote Link to comment
flat_lander Posted April 7, 2003 Share Posted April 7, 2003 Check to see if you have multiple serial ports on the back of your box. If you do, try the other one. Could be that easy. Quote Link to comment
+SteveOr Posted April 7, 2003 Author Share Posted April 7, 2003 quote:Originally posted by flat_lander:Check to see if you have multiple serial ports on the back of your box. Two ports. Both zip. Quote Link to comment
+Verboten Posted April 7, 2003 Share Posted April 7, 2003 Did this just happen after you re-installed 98? Possibilities: Bad port on the PC Bad port on the GPSr Bad cable None of which seem likely to fail at the same time that you just happened to re-install 98. But I've never seen 98 kill an I/O port of any kind. And I've never seen an invisible conflict either. I guess the only thing to do is get a $5 serial mouse to test the port or find another PC to test the GPSr/cable on. Sorry I couldn't be of more help. Good luck. -Vb Edit: one last thought that's probably just as useless as my previous guesses. Have you updated 98 to all recent patches since you re-installed? [This message was edited by Verboten on April 07, 2003 at 09:11 PM.] Quote Link to comment
+SteveOr Posted April 7, 2003 Author Share Posted April 7, 2003 quote:Originally posted by PDOP's:Do you have anything else using the com port like PalmDesktop? You may have to shutoff this other software to free up the port. DUHHHH! I have a Pocket PC that syncs with my computer but uses a USB connection. So naturally I thought that couldn't possibly be the problem. Alas it was. I can't remember a conflict before I formatted my hard drive though. Garmin's tech support page provided the Eureka moment. Imagine that. Thanks all! Quote Link to comment
+Wilky & Quebbly Posted April 8, 2003 Share Posted April 8, 2003 Having the same problem, and been through all of it. I don't have a pocket pc or palm pilot. The only thing connected on a com port is my backup power supply. The power supply is NOT going to be uninstalled/disconnected. The other com port is free and the computer says it's up and running, but there's no communication at all. I will go get a serial mouse and try that. Quote Link to comment
+SteveOr Posted April 8, 2003 Author Share Posted April 8, 2003 Unfortunately none of the error messages I encountered provided obvious clues to the problem. "Handle is invalid?" What the heck is that supposed to mean!? My synchronization program's properties had an option to use the com port in addition to my USB port. Once I cleared that the problem was resolved. You've probably already checked this but maybe your power supply is hogging both ports somehow. Good luck. Quote Link to comment
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