Installing and Configuring Infrared Support - Page 2

The Image Transfer Tab

The next tab on the Wireless Link properties sheet is the Image Transfer tab. This tab controls the way that Windows 2000 interfaces with digital cameras. The primary option on this tab is a check box that lets you enable or disable the ability to use the infrared link to transfer images directly from a digital camera to your PC. Just as the File Transfer tab allowed you to control the location of inbound files, the Image Transfer tab allows you to set a location to which images will be downloaded. The default location is the My Pictures folder. The Image Transfer tab also contains an option that will make Windows automatically explore the specified location after an infrared transfer. This option lets you instantly view any images that you've transferred.

The Hardware Tab

The final tab on the Wireless Link properties sheet is the Hardware tab. This tab works similarly to the Device Manager, but it's dedicated to infrared devices. At the top of this tab, Windows displays your infrared hardware. Beneath the listing are the Troubleshooting and Properties buttons. Clicking the Troubleshooting button launches a generic wizard designed to troubleshoot a wide variety of Windows problems. Clicking the Properties button, on the other hand, displays the infrared hardware's properties sheet.

If you've ever used the Device Manager, then most of the options on this properties sheet should be familiar to you. For example, the Driver tab allows you to update the infrared port's device driver. Likewise, the Resource tab displays the system resources being consumed by the infrared hardware.

CrossLinks

To get an exclusive new technical article by Windows 2000 expert Brien Posey sent to your e-mail box every week, take a moment to sign up for the CrossNodes Windows Networking Tech Notes newsletter. To get a weekly update on the networking world, along with descriptions and links to all new Networking & Communications content on EarthWeb, sign up for the CrossNodes Networking Industry Update newsletter.

The Advanced tab of the properties sheet needs a little explanation. It lists the infrared transceivers present in your machine and lets you specify the transceiver type. I strongly recommend keeping the default values here. However, another option on this properties sheet allows you to specify the maximum connect rate. On my machine, this value was preset to 4,000,000 bps. This speed is way too fast for many infrared devices. If you have trouble establishing or holding on to an infrared connection, I recommend changing this setting to 19,200 bps.

Now that you've seen the basic configuration options, it's time to actually establish an infrared connection. I'll explain how to do this in Part 3. //

Brien M. Posey is an MCSE who works as a freelance writer. His past experience includes working as the director of information systems for a national chain of healthcare facilities and as a network engineer for the Department of Defense. Because of the extremely high volume of e-mail that Brien receives, it's impossible for him to respond to every message, although he does read them all.