What’s wrong with my connection?

Posted on August 28, 2008 by wjimenez275

There are times when you setup your equipment, just like you always do, and your writer just won’t talk to your laptop. What’s wrong with the connection? It could be several things. If you’re using a USB-Serial adapter, unplug it from the USB port and plug it back in. If your laptop volume is up, you should be able to hear a couple of beeps. If you don’t, go into Device Manager (in Windows XP you would use one of these methods – – Click Start, click Run, and then type “devmgmt.msc” (without the quotation marks).- Right-click My Computer, click Manage, and then click Device Manager.- Right-click My Computer, click Properties, click the Hardware tab, and then click Device Manager.) (in Windows Vista you would click Start  | Control Panel | System and Maintenance | System | Device Manager (Device Manager is located under “Tasks” in the left hand column of the “System” menu). Double click on the Ports (Com & LPT) line. This should open the Ports item and list the available Com ports. See if your USB device is listed and note what Com port it was assigned. Check your CAT software settings to make sure your realtime option is set to the same Com Port. If there is no USB Serial device listed under the Ports list, unplug the adapter and plug it in again to see if it shows up. If it’s listed, but has a yellow exclamation mark on it, there’s a driver problem and may need to be reinstalled. Occasionally with USB adapters, it could switch port numbers on you. If the Com Port is the same and it’s still not connecting, it could be your cable. Try a different writer cable to see if that’s the culprit. Over time, with the cables being wound and unwound, folded and unfolded, the wires inside get week and could break, preventing a connection from occurring. If none of these fixes the issue, it could be your writer that’s causing the problem and at that point, it would be best to take it in and get it serviced. – AskBillFirst

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Hello world!

Posted on August 24, 2008 by wjimenez275

Yes, this blog is geared towards Court Reporters. However, it’s not limited to Court Reporters. It will be about technology, but not in a techie way. I’ll include information about laptops, printers, accessories, scanners, etc. I’ll include articles that cover different Windows tips and tricks. I’ll include items that pertain to your use of technology on your job. I won’t talk about CAT programs, but I will discuss litigation support programs. I’ll lead you to free, or inexpensive downloads that will help maintain your computer or support your day-to-day activity. Every now-and-again, I’ll change the pace a little and include something that’s not techie, just fun. If you have anything you’d like clarification on, just say so. The benefit of of a blog is that it promotes communication. Let me know how I’m doing. I’m also going to be sending out a monthly newsletter that will have more diverse information and links. If that is something you’d like to receive, just post your name and email address and I’ll make sure to include you on the mailing list. Thank you. Bill Jimenez

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