This error during a TinyTERM Plus install means that one or more files could not be overwritten. If you don’t need the NetUtils portion of TinyTERM, you can safely ignore the message.

If you do need NetUtils, copy the TinyTERM install directory to your local hard drive. Then reboot the PC in safe mode before running the install from the local copy. That will bypass any application preventing a file overwrite.

This error was resolved in TinyTERM Plus 4.60 by switching to an MSI installation.

CR 528

TinyTERM’s keyboard mapper allows you to remap the NumLock key. Version 4 also has a Force Num Lock on setting that will keep NumLock on for the TinyTERM window.

Doing both of these on a Windows NT, 2000, XP, 2003 or Vista system causes a particular issue. When you hit the remapped NumLock key, it repeats the mapped action three times.

Those operating systems read both the key press and the key release as separate events. TinyTERM also reads the key press as an event. So what actually happens is that the mapped action is triggered once for each event.

If the NumLock key is not mapped in TinyTERM, there is no problem with the Numlock signal being processed more than once. But altering TinyTERM’s behavior for this would damage other keyboard mapping functions.

CR 231

On operating systems with a root or administrator login, always use that login or one with equivalent rights to install TinyTERM or TERM. When the install requires a reboot, login as an administrator when the reboot is complete, also.

Otherwise, TinyTERM’s and TERM’s installs can’t access the files and registry settings they need. Errors during install or when running the emulator will happen if this isn’t done.

This error happens during install of TinyTERM version 4 on Windows 95. It means that Internet Explorer version 4 or higher is not installed. For normal desktop usage, this error can be ignored.

TinyTERM accomplishes web-to-host connections using an ActiveX control. That control requires Internet Explorer 4 at a minimum. If an earlier version of Internet Explorer is installed, TinyTERM will not be able to open in the browser. However, it will still function as a standalone application.

TinyTERM versions prior to 3.0 and TERM versions prior to 7.0 store connection information in files with the .con extension. TinyTERM 3 and TERM 7 use the .tap extension, and TinyTERM version 4 uses the .tpx extension. Century Software, Inc., provided utilities to convert between the various formats, so you don’t have to set the connections up all over again.

For updating .con files to .tap files, TinyTERM 3 and TERM 7 include a convtap.exe program. To use it, run it at a command prompt, using the name of the .con file as an argument. For example, to convert the file sample.con to sample.tap, the command would be:

convtap.exe sample.con

To convert a .tap file to a .tpx file, use the script TAPtoTPX.cs included in TinyTERM 4. (You can also download a copy.) See the file C:\Program Files\Century\TinyTERM\TAPtoTPX.wri for documentation of this script.

Both TinyTERM versions 3.x and 4.x store keyboard mappings in the file keyboard.dat. The format of the two files is nearly identical, in fact. The only difference is in the section heading. For example, a keyboard scheme named “My Keyboard” would be set apart in version 3 like so:

[My Keyboard.kbd]

In version 4, it would be set apart like so:

[My Keyboard.keyboard]

So to copy a keyboard scheme from version 3 to version 4, you can simply copy the entire section of keyboard.dat, changing .kbd to .keyboard in the process.

There is one option common to all file transfer methods and protocols: ASCII or binary mode. Each has a specific use. Using the wrong mode can corrupt files during transfer, even when everything else is correct.

ASCII file transfer mode is intended for plain text only. Files transferred in ASCII will have carriage returns and line feeds adjusted for the receiving system. If both systems are running the same OS, such as two Linux systems communicating, nothing special happens. But DOS and UNIX, for example, handle text files in slightly different ways. ASCII mode makes the necessary changes automatically.

Binary mode, on the other hand, makes no changes at all. The file is transferred in a raw data format. This makes binary the required mode for image files, programs and the like. If you have any doubt, use binary mode for the file transfer.

There’s an irreverent but in-depth discussion of the two available at htmlgoodies.com. It’s specific to FTP, but the advice about ASCII and binary modes applies across the board.

This error is caused by a bug in TinyTERM 4.11. The only solution is to use a different version of TinyTERM.

If you highlight text in TinyTERM for Windows, and it disappears when you do, this indicates a corrupt configuration file. Delete the .tap or .tpx file you’re using. The next time you start TinyTERM, it will give a “file not found” error. Accept the defaults, and configure your connection again. Highlighted text will still be visible after that.

In some cases you may not hear beeps that should be generated by the host system. This is especially common on systems without sound cards.

TERM and TinyTERM automatically play the system default sound — a beep on systems without sound cards, the default sound otherwise — when they receive a ^G character, ASCII value 7. But on desktop systems that are fast enough, that beep may be played through the speaker as a faint, very fast click.

To test for this, go to a command prompt while you’re logged in and enter the following command. It may need to be changed slightly for your individual system:

echo “\007\007\007 \007\007\007”

This should play six beeps in a row, which will usually string together as a normal beep rather than a click. If you hear nothing then, check your PC’s sound settings. The default sound may be turned off.

There is one known incompatibility, the Toshiba Satellite Pro 6000 running Windows XP. TinyTERM plays no sounds in this environment.

CR 376

Do not use the Windows Add/Remove Programs utility to uninstall version 3.3. It can erase your hard drive! Follow the manual uninstall instructions instead.

Actually, version 3.3 dated August 1999 or later can use Add/Remove Programs without a problem. So can the April 1997 release. But automatically uninstalling versions in between those can be disastrous.