    ROBOCOMM 4.2

    TROUBLESHOOTING QUESTION AND ANSWER
    Answers to frequently asked questions about Robocomm:

            Q  I am having trouble using Robocomm on a Wildcat system.
               It seems that my uploads or downloads are not working
               properly.

            A  Check to make sure that you have the correct "BBS Type"
               selected on the Directory-BBS screen for the system.
               Also, make sure that you have the correct prompt set
               imported.  Robocomm 4.2 defaults to Wildcat 3.5x support
               when you add a new Wildcat system.  You will need to
               import the WC30-32.WPF file if you are setting up a
               Wildcat version before 3.5.

            Q  Whenever Robocomm tries to download a GIF file from a
               BBS, it shells out to DOS and I see "Bad command or file
               name" on the screen.  The file transfer doesn't work
               properly.

            A  By default, Robocomm will override the configured
               download file protocol and execute the GIFDOWN.BAT file
               if it exists in the Robocomm directory.   To defeat this
               behavior, erase the GIFDOWN.BAT file in your Robocomm
               directory.

            Q  When I start Robocomm, I get an "Open Error" error
               message.

            A  Robocomm is not able to open a file because no more file
               handles are being made available by DOS.  To remedy this
               situation, increase the FILES value in your CONFIG.SYS
               file, then re-boot and restart Robocomm.  FILES=39 is the
               suggested value, but you may need a higher number,
               depending on your system configuration and operating
               environment.

               Another possibility is that you've included your Robocomm
               directory in your PATH statement and you're starting
               Robocomm from outside the Robocomm subdirectory.    You
               must start Robocomm from within its own directory.

            Q  After Robocomm opens the mail door it just sits there at
               the mail door's command prompt.

            A  You have not imported the proper prompt definition file.
               Robocomm comes supplied with prompt files for Qmail 4.0
               (DEFAULT.PPF) MarkMail, RoseMail and CAM-Mail.  Make sure
               that you use the "Import" command on the prompt
               definition screen to pull  in the correct prompt
               settings.

            Q  I have a high speed, error correcting modem, yet I'm
               seeing errors during downloads, dropped characters when
               Robocomm's processing an agenda or failed Ymodem-G
               transfers.

            A  Three things:

                 If you are using a disk cache program, make sure that
                 any DELAYED or STAGED write operations are disabled
                 while Robocomm is on-line.  Not all computer systems
                 can handle writing to disk and reading characters from
                 the comm port at the same time.  The PREAGEN and
                 POSTAGEN batch files are excellent places to turn your
                 delayed writes on and off.

                 Make sure your have RTS/CTS handshaking turned on and
                 try setting your baud rate at 19200, not 38400.
                 Depending on your system's configuration and speed,
                 your system probably cannot operate reliably at 38400
                 while running Robocomm.

                 If you don't already have one, a 16550 UART (which
                 buffers i/o through the comm port) is probably the best
                 investment in computing hardware you can make.  They're
                 inexpensive and easy to install in most systems.

            Q  I get a hang up verification error every time Robo tries
               to hang up at the end of an agenda.  What's up?

            A  Robocomm attempts to verify that no carrier exists after
               hanging up the modem.  Two possible causes for this
               problem exist.  The most common is that your modem is not
               properly configured to report the actual status of
               Carrier Detect.  See the DATA-CARRIER-DETECT subheading
               under MODEM INITIALIZATION string for details on
               correcting this problem.  If you still have problems, and
               you are sure that your modem is configured properly, then
               try using another modem cable.  Some cheap cables do not
               properly connect the needed pins for the CD signal.  As a
               last resort, change the "Ignore Modem CD" switch on
               Configure-General screen to "YES".  This will disable
               Robocomm's CD checking procedures.

            Q  While on-line with a BBS, the connection was broken and
               Robocomm just sat there, without realizing that it had
               been hung up on.  What happened?

            A  Your modem is not reporting the actual status of Carrier
               Detect.  There is no way for Robocomm to know it has been
               hung up on, if CD is being forced "TRUE" by your modem.
               See the previous answer or the "Modem Configuration"
               section of this User's Guide for details.

            Q  Robocomm doesn't do what it is supposed to while on-line.
               I thought you said this thing works!?!

            A  Robocomm performs very reliably when calling PCBoard and
               Wildcat systems that use standard  prompt definitions.
               However, some Sysops change the prompts on their systems.
               Try logging on manually (using Robocomm's terminal or
               another comm program) and check to see if the prompts on
               the system match those specified on the Directory-BBS
               Systems-Prompts screen for that BBS.  If not, you will
               need to create a customized prompt definition for that
               BBS by editing the default prompts.  Check the BBS for a
               "Robocomm Prompt Definition File" first though.  Maybe
               someone has created a file for that BBS that you can
               simply import into the system directory with one easy
               command.

               Sometimes, extremely bad line noise can cause problems.
               It may save you time to try the problematic agenda item a
               second time before investing the time to check out the
               prompts.

            Q  Robocomm hangs my system for unknown reasons. I have to
               re-boot!

            A  If you are using the /OP1 or /OU1 parameter in your ROBO
               environment variable, discontinue its use and try again.
               Also, check the amount of free memory displayed in the F2
               Status window.  Try and optimize your computer setup to
               get that number as high as possible.

            Q  Robocomm is not processing the NEWFILES.DAT new files
               listing from the QWK packets that it downloads.

            A  Either there is insufficient memory to run the extraction
               utility, or your extraction utilities are specified
               improperly or they are not on your current search path.
               Are you sure your account in the mail door is set up to
               send you a new files scan?  Finally, if you are using an
               external protocol, make sure there is no environment
               variable set that is causing downloaded files to go
               somewhere other than where they are supposed to.

            Q  I'd rather that Robocomm didn't process new files from
               the Qmail packets.  Is there any way to stop it?

            A  Specify NONE as the archive and ZIP extraction commands.

            Q  I'm using a monochrome monitor and I'm having trouble
               reading some of Robocomm's screens.

            A  Try starting Robocomm with the /M command line switch,
               which will force monochrome mode on systems that fool
               Robocomm into thinking they have a color monitor.

            Q  I would like to set all of the Robocomm configuration
                 settings back to their defaults.  How do I do it?

            A  Erase the file ROBOCOMM.MEM and restart Robocomm.

                                   * EOF *
