PICO Card PC Installation and Configuration
Short Description
Rev. 1.16.8 / 26-Mar-2002

Table of Contents

Pico Card Installation CD File Structure

Installation and Uninstallation

 Working with the Bluetooth Monitor

Application Examples:

 Problems

Pico Card Installation CD File Structure

This CD contains the driver software necessary for operating your Pico Card. The installation for all Windows Versions is performed by Setup.exe.

The directory 'doc' Install contains installation and operating instructions (these are directly accessible from the Setup program) as well as the release notes for the current software version.


Installation on Windows 95/98/ME

Installation steps to perform before inserting the PICO Card into your system:
  Now insert the PICO Card into a free PCMCIA slot. The system will automatically detect the card and install all necessary drivers.

After successful installation the Bluetooth Monitor is automatically started and displayed as a blue antenna symbol in the Task bar. Double-clicking on this antenna symbol opens the Bluetooth Monitor window.

Information for installation on Windows 95

Under Windows 95, installation is only completed after a restart of the system. If you install the PICO Card in a Windows 95 system you must subsequently restart your computer !


Installation on Windows NT

Manual installation of the driver is necessary here as Windows NT fundamentally does not support any Plug & lay. However, so-called "Card Manager" software is available from a range of producers, allowing PC Cards to be inserted and removed under Windows NT even during operation. Installation may differ from what is described here if such software is installed on your PC.

The installation instructions in the "Installation using the System Soft Card Wizard" section could serve as an example.

Installation without Card Manager software

Installation using the System Soft Card Wizard

Please note: if using Card Manager software that permits removal of the PC Card during operation, you should always close the Bluetooth Monitor first, before removing the PICO Card.
 

Starting the Bluetooth Monitor

After successful installation the Bluetooth Monitor will be started automatically at the next system start. You can now also start it without a restart under Start -> Programs -> PICO Card -> Bluetooth Monitor.

Installation on Windows 2000 / Windows XP

Installation steps to perform before inserting the PICO Card into your system:
  Now insert the PICO Card into a free PCMCIA slot. The system will automatically detect the card and install all necessary drivers.

After the installation has finished you have to restart your computer.


Uninstallation on Windows 95/98/ME

Under certain circumstances, e.g. before installing new drivers or if encountering compatibility problems, it may be necessary to uninstall the PICO Card software. Before uninstalling the PICO Card software, make sure that the PICO Card is not physically inserted in your computer.

If the PICO Card is still in your computer, please call up the PCMCIA Manager first, select the PICO Card entry there, and press the STOP button. Wait for a message confirming that the device has been removed and unplug the PICO Card from the computer.

Please note: in most cases the PICO Card can also simply be removed from the computer without previously registering this in the PCMCIA Manager. This can, however, lead to instability of the system under certain circumstances.

Start the uninstallation:

Start -> Programs -> PICO Card -> PICO Card Uninstall

Confirm the subsequent query.

The PICO Card Software is uninstalled. In the process, all the virtual interfaces that you set up for the PICO Card are also uninstalled.


Uninstallation on Windows NT

The Bluetooth Monitor must be closed before uninstallation. This also applies to programs that access virtual COM ports (e.g. an RAS Server).

Then call up Windows NT Software Installation/De-installation under
Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Software.

Select the listed entry for PICO Card and press "Add/Remove".


Uninstallation on Windows 2000 / Windows XP

Before uninstallation of the PICO Card you have to close all programs using the card. This will be the "Bluetooth Monitor", but could also be any service your a running on a virtual COM port (like a RAS server). The PICO Card should be inserted in your computer.

First you have to deinstall the PICO Card hardware and afterwards you should deinstall the remaining Bluetooth software.

For deinstalling the PICO Card hardware double click on the PCMCIA icon in the system tray.

Select the "PICO Card" in the "Unplug or Eject Hardware" Window.
Press the "Properties" button.
Select the "Driver" tab in the "PICO Card Properties" Window.
Press the "Uninstall" button in this tab. Confirm the warning dialog with "OK".
Windows will now uninstall your PICO Card Hardware from the system.
Close the "Unplug or Eject Hardware" window.

For uninstalling the remaining Bluetooth software select
Start -> Settings -> Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs
In the "Add/Remove Programs" window select the "PICO Card" entry.
Press "Change/Remove". Windows will now uninstall the Bluetooth software.
 

CAUTION: If you want to reinstall the Bluetooth software immediately after deinstallation, you have to restart Windows before installing the  software again.


Working with the Bluetooth Monitor

The Bluetooth Monitor is the central site for the installation, uninstallation and configuration of Bluetooth devices. The Bluetooth Monitor is automatically started when the PICO Card is detected in the system. It is automatically stopped on removal of the PICO Card from the system. A manual stop of the Monitor can be carried out by right clicking on the Monitor symbol and selecting the menu entry "Exit".

On installation, an entry is inserted in the Start menu to allow a manual restart of the Bluetooth Monitor:
Start -> Programs -> PICO Card -> Bluetooth Monitor

There are various register cards in the Bluetooth Monitor for different tasks. These are described in more detail below.

The Environment register card

Other Bluetooth devices within radio range are shown here and can be installed and uninstalled.

The Bluetooth address (if desired), device class and, if available, the name of the device are shown for each device found.

In order to call up the available Services for a remote device either select the device and click on Search Services or simply double-click on the device. If a Service is already installed on your computer, the corresponding port
(COMxx or LPTxx) will be shown behind the name of the Service.

In order to install a Service, select the appropriate Service and click "Install". In the dialogue box that then appears you will be asked on which port the Service should be installed, and whether encoded transfer and authentication
should be used for the connection. A test connection can be set up after selection of the options.

Please note: If the "Authentication" and/or "Encryption" options have been selected for a Service, the PIN code for this Service must be known before the first connection is made. This must be entered when the first connection is made.

In order to uninstall a Service select the appropriate Service. If the Service is already installed, the function of the "Install" button becomes "Uninstall". Remote Services can also be uninstalled under the "Remote Services" register card. All installed Services are shown there, regardless of whether the Service is within radio range or not.

Bluetooth devices within range are searched for with the "Search now" button. Otherwise, the Bluetooth Monitor always automatically searches for devices within range at defined intervals (see the "Settings" register card).

The Remote Services register card:

Shows all the remote Services currently installed. The properties of the remote Services can be queried and the Services can be uninstalled.

The Own Services register card:

Allows the installation of own Services. An example of such a Service would be the Direct Cable Connection, by which you allow others access to your computer. In order to set up a port for a direct PC connection click on  "Install". In the subsequent dialogue box you can then select a port number and the type of Service. For a Direct Cable Connection this should be "LAN over PPP".

See also "Direct Cable Connection between 2 computers with PICO Cards" for more detail on the procedure.

The Settings register card:

Allows the interval, between which Bluetooth devices are searched for, to be set. Settings can also be made about whether authorization and/or authentication and Encryption are required for your own services.

If authorization is used, each time a different device tries to access your own Service a query window appears to ask whether you want to accept this connection.

One's own PIN must be entered if authorization and/or Encryption is used. In order to be able to establish a connection the remote side must enter this PIN the first time it connects to one of your own services.

The Info register card:

Provides information on your PICO Card and allows the name of your PICO Card. This name is shown to remote Bluetooth devices when they search your PICO Card.

Use of a printer with PICO Plug via the PICO Card

Hints and Tips:

Epson printers often do not use standard Windows printer spoolers. The Epson spooler installed instead does not operate correctly with virtual interfaces, such as those installed for the PICO Card.

For this reason, after installation of the Epson driver, it is necessary to ensure that it uses the standard Windows printer spooler. In order to achieve this proceed as follows:
a) Start the Epson printer spooler configuration program.
   Normally via Start -> Programs -> Epson printer ->Spool Manager 4.
b) Double-click on the printer to be used for printing via the PICO Card.
c) In the dialogue box that now appears check  the "Print Manager" control
   box for this port. Close the dialogue box with OK.
   Close the Epson Spool Manager.

If an HP printer is installed on a virtual LPT via the HP Setup Program, then the HP Printer Monitor shall not be installed (be careful, this is the default setting !!!!). Otherwise there is a conflict between the printer monitor drivers from HP and the PICO Card drivers.

If such an HP monitor has already been installed on the system it shall be uninstalled. Unfortunately, the provided uninstall porgram does not completely remove the HP Print monitor. Some entries must be deleted from the Registry manually. This can be carried out with the program "Regedit.exe".


!!!! WARNING !!!!
Unintentional deletion of Registry entries can lead to instability of your system.

The keys to delete are
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD\HP*

If the radio connection breaks down while printing then the printer spooler of Windows 95/98/ME sometimes crashes. The virtual LPT interface is then only contacted again after a reboot. This is caused by a bug of the Windows printer spooler. In order to avoid this problem, the data format for the printer should be changed to "RAW" under "Properties" "Details" "Spool settings" (EMF is the standard setting). This problem has not been observed with the "RAW" setting.

If a printer is installed on a virtual LPT port, and the PICO Card is not installed when the system is started, then the connected printer is deactivated by the system. Currently, the only way to reactivate it is to reboot the system with the PICO Card inserted.


Direct Cable Connection between 2 computers with PICO Cards

The Direct Cable Connection is supplied with Windows 98. This program allows a PPP connection to be created between 2 PCs. If this program is not installed on your computer you must first install it from your Windows 98 CD.

There are two operating modes for the Direct Cable Connection: guest computer and host computer. A differently configured vCOM is required for each of these modes.

A) Configuration as host computer
   This allows other systems to access your computer.

1. First install a vCOM in the Bluetooth Monitor under the "Own Services"  register card.

2. Start the Direct Cable Connection
   Select the following settings (click the "Change" button after start):
a) Host computer
b) Select the "Serial Cable on COM X" as the communication Port, whereby X is
   the number of the vCOM that you installed in step 1. If the Port does not
   appear in the selection box click the "Install new Ports" button first.
c) Finish the configuration.
   After completing installation a window appears with the message
   "Status: Waiting to connect via Serial cable on COMx".
   Your computer can now be accessed from another computer via Bluetooth.

You only have to carry out this configuration once. Afterwards, you can start the Direct Cable Connection directly in the configuration as host computer.

Please note:
There must be shared drives or directories on your computer. A guest computer can only access these. The file and printer sharing must be actived. This can be done  under
"Control Panel -> Network  -> Configuration".
When sharing is activated you can provide access to individual directories or drives in Windows Explorer. In order to do this, call up the context menu with a "right mouse-click" on the directory to be shared and select "Properties".

Your computer must have a computer name that must be entered into the guest computer when then connection is set up. The computer name can be viewed and changed under "Control Panel -> Network -> Identification".

For a remote Bluetooth device the Services that you now export are only visible when the Direct Cable Connection is started. After ending the Direct Cable Connection the Service becomes invisible again. It is, therefore, necessary
that the Direct Cable Connection is active for setting up the guest computer!

B) Configuration as a guest computer
This allows you to access another computer. This description assumes that there is a host computer within range and that it has been configured as described under A and is waiting for a connection.

1. Install the computer that you want to access in the Bluetooth Monitor as a
   "Remote Service" (in Environment).

2. Start the Direct Cable Connection.
Select the following settings (click the "Change" button after start):
a) Guest computer
b) Select the "Serial Cable on COM X" as the Port to use, whereby X is the number
   of the vCOM that you installed in step 1.
   If the Port does not appear in the selection box click on
   "Install new Ports" first.
c) Carry out the other configuration steps.

After completion of the installation, the Direct Cable Connection starts and provides you with access to the host computer.

Note 1:
You only need to carry out this configuration once for each PICO Card used in the host computer. Please note that with the configuration of the vCOM you have created a connection for a particular PICO Card and not for a particular computer. This means, on the one hand, that when you use the same PICO Card in a different computer that has been configured as a host, you can retain the configuration you have carried out. On the other hand, you must carry out another configuration if a different PICO Card is used in the host computer.

Note 2:
In principle, the settings explained here apply to all Bluetooth devices that support the particular Lan profile. You can thus use another Bluetooth device as both host computer or guest computer. Bluetooth devices such as LAN
access points can also be used as the host computer. You can then also access a local network and the Internet with such devices, if these options have been authorised by your network administrator. An example of how such a configuration can be constructed by means of a PICO Plug and a Windows NT computer configured as an access point is described below.


A Direct Cable Connection between a computer with a PICO Card and a Windows NT computer with a PICO Plug

This configuration can be very useful if you use a stationary Windows NT computer at your workplace and a laptop with Windows 98. In order to carry out the settings described you must have administrator rights on the Windows NT computer.

First you must install and configure the "Remote Access Service" (RAS) on the Windows NT computer. You set this up for the Serial Port at which the PICO Plug is installed. In order to achieve an acceptable transfer rate you should configure the Port for a transfer rate of 115 kBit/second. After starting the RAS  Service this configuration basically behaves like a host computer with a Direct Cable Connection.

The steps on the guest computer for setting up the Direct Cable Connection are the same as for a Direct Cable Connection with 2 PC Cards. However, Windows installs the Direct Cable Connection with a rate of 19200 bits/second as standard. In order to be able to create a connection you must change this before you try to connect
for the first time.

This can be done in the device manager in the modem branch. Select the modem entry "Serial Cable on COM X", whereby X corresponds to the configured vCom number. Then click on "Properties" and select the "Modem" register card in the dialogue box. Change the "Maximum Speed" setting to 115200.


Problems

Effect: No access to the PICO Card

When other PCMCIA Cards are used, and with frequent removal and re-insertion of these Cards, the Windows PCMCIA Manager can occasionally have problems correctly configuring the currently available hardware. Under certain circumstances this can lead to incorrect accessing of the PICO Card. If, for example, you want to use the Bluetooth Monitor and this does not start giving you an Error Message that it is unaible to connect to the PICO Card, it is probably because of this problem.

In such a case remove the PICO Card from the system (even if the PCMCIA Manager announces that the device cannot be removed) and start your computer again without the PICO Card. Insert the PICO Card again after a successful restart. In most cases this will fix the problem.

Effect: a Direct Cable Connection cannot be built up.

First make sure, by using the Bluetooth Monitor, that the device you are trying to communicate with is actually within range and that you have selected the right vCOM for the Direct Cable Connection. If this is the case you should restart your computer, as the Direct Cable Connection often no longer tries to establish a connection again after an unsuccessful attempt. Instead, it immediately gives you an error message.