Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!emory!att!tellab5!wiseman
From: wiseman@tellab5.TELLABS.COM (Jeff Wiseman)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Bad Serial Port
Message-ID: <1945@tellab5.TELLABS.COM>
Date: 8 Jan 90 14:51:00 GMT
References: <5923@eos.UUCP>
Reply-To: wiseman@tellab5.UUCP (Jeff Wiseman)
Distribution: comp
Organization: Tellabs, Inc. Lisle IL
Lines: 28

In article <5923@eos.UUCP> dencisco@eos.UUCP (David Paul Encisco) writes:
>I wouldn't be concerned if this was the first serial port that blew on my
>Mac IIx, but unfortunately this is my forth blown serial port in two monthes
>on a year old machine. I practice safe Mac: never unplug anything while the

Does "Blown" mean "exhibits the symptoms described below"?

>The message I get when using Versaterm:"Sorry the communications port is in
>use by another program. You may continue off-line or try to use the
>communications port anyway." This is in fact false, I'm not using another
[stuff deleted]
>Has anyone else had similar problems with the serial port?

Dave,

I have an old (I think the original shareware release) of versaterm and I have
seen this same thing happen but there is nothing wrong with my port. I use two
or three types of terminal programs (all old, freeware variety). I have
discovered that if some of them are set up to leave DTR active (ie. hold onto
the line) and I quit the program and then start a different terminal program, I
can get the symptoms you describe. However, if I "...use the communications
port anyway..." it works fine. Also, if I power down my machine (an SE) and
then reboot, the problem goes away.

I do not know if this is your problem but I hope this information helps

-- 
Jeff Wiseman:	....uunet!tellab5!wiseman OR wiseman@TELLABS.COM