KnowledgeBase Archive

An Archive of Early Microsoft KnowledgeBase Articles

View on GitHub

Q83585: Windows Err Msg: Unable to Initialize Ports (Control Panel)

Article: Q83585
Product(s): Microsoft Windows 95.x Retail Product
Version(s): 3.0,3.0a,3.1,3.11
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): 
Last Modified: 04-FEB-2002

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Windows versions 3.0, 3.0a, 3.1, 3.11 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SYMPTOMS
========

When you try to access the 386 Enhanced icon in the Control Panel, the following
error may appear:

  Unable to initialize ports

After this message is displayed, the 386 Enhanced window can be accessed;
however, no ports appear in the Device Contention box.

CAUSE
=====

This problem can be caused by either of the following:

- There are no Base I/O address values in the BIOS table for any of the COM or
  parallel ports in the BIOS table.

  -or-

- There is no DEVICE=*VCD statement in the [386Enh] section of the SYSTEM.INI.

NOTE: VCD is the virtual communications device driver that virtualizes the COM
ports. It arbitrates COM port usage between virtual machines.

MORE INFORMATION
================

To check the Base I/O address values, proceed as follows:

1. Type

  debug

2. At the hyphen (-) prompt, type

  d40:0

  For example:

  debug -d40:0

  After you type debug d40:00, the following HEX string appears:

  0040:0000 F8 03 F8 02 00 00 00 00-78 03 00 00 00 00 00 0

  The values displayed may vary from machine to machine (the values listed above
  are the most common values).

  The error message occurs if all the values after 0040:0000 are zeros.

3. To exit DEBUG, at the hyphen (-) prompt, type

  Q

Additional query words: 3.0 3.0a 3.1

======================================================================
Keywords          :  
Technology        : kbWin3xSearch kbZNotKeyword3 kbWin300 kbWin300a kbWin310 kbWin311
Version           : :3.0,3.0a,3.1,3.11

=============================================================================

THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.