Re: [NTLK] Newbie NCU/NBU (on a PC) Question

From: Ben Smith (bensmith_at_mailhost.net)
Date: Wed Aug 29 2001 - 11:54:21 EDT


At 11:37 29/08/01, Laurent wrote:
>Subject: Re: [NTLK] Newbie NCU/NBU (on a PC) Question
>From: "Laurent Daudelin" <laurent_daudelin_at_fanniemae.com>
>
>
>on 29/08/01 10:26, Ben Smith at bensmith_at_mailhost.net wrote:
>
> > I have recently acquired a MP2000 (thanks David if you're still here) and
> > am trying to connect it to my PC laptop via serial connection (sorry, no
> > access to a Mac). I have downloaded both NCU and NBU and, in anticipation
> > of problems, slowdown.exe too. I can now happily install packages using
> > either program (no need to use slowdown.exe), but get a 'communications
> > error -1' when trying to backup to the PC. This happens regardless of
> > whether my 16mb flash card is inserted and also regardless of the settings
> > on slowdown.exe, although on the slower settings I sometimes get to see a
> > 'creating backup file' message for a few seconds. The FAQ talks about 'Get
> > Info' on a Mac for this error, but has no info on what this error means on
> > a PC. BTW: I'm running NT4 with 512Mb Ram on a P3.
> >
> > As the Newt came stacked with packages (some registered) I'm reluctant to
> > blow the whole lot away and thought I might give SBM a go to see if there
> > were any corrupted files. However, there is already an expired copy on the
> > Newt and I'm reluctant to pay out to register something I've never used...
> >
> > Any ideas or tips please? Despite owning a few Newts I've never got round
> > to making a PC cable from the Mac ones I got with them, so the MP2000 (and
> > its included PC cable) are my first attempt at this... :(
>
>So, the error mostly happens even before you see "Creating new backup file"?
>What serial speed are you using? Are you sure that this matches what you
>select on your Newton. Did you ask the previous owner if he was able to
>backup reliably?
>
>-Laurent.

I'm connecting at 9600 baud (on the Newt and the PC) using both the package
that came with NBU (Serial 9600 Baud) and what appears to be the built in
offering.

Without slowdown.exe:

     Dialog on PC says 'Preparing to backup'
     Dialog changes to 'Disconnecting'
     Error message pops up on the PC - 'The connection was stopped because
of a communication error. (-1)'
     Dock on the Newt pops up 'The connection was stopped because your PC
disconnected'.

With slowdown.exe at around two thrids of the way to the right settings for
both sliders:

     Dialog on PC says 'Preparing to backup'
     Dialog changes to say 'Making Ben Smith.NBK' with 'Backing up Ben
Smith.NBK' underneath
     Bottom line changes to 'Backing up system information'
     Progress bar stutters for around 20 seconds
     Dialog changes to 'Disconnecting'
     Error message pops up on the PC - 'The connection was stopped because
of a communication error. (-1)'
     Dock on the Newt pops up 'The connection was stopped because your PC
disconnected'.

     NB. I did this process a couple of times to check the words on the
dialogs, and on one occaision it made
     it past this stage and listed a whole bunch of other packages, but
after a further 45 seconds it disconnected.
     A second time (with slowdown at halfway) it made it as far as backing
up packages and then disconnected,
     and the newt reset....

I'm going to contact the original owner, but I know he used it
daily. Since he's also given me a couple of Ethernet cards I assume he was
using Macs to sync.

Ben

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