The K56Flex to V.90 Upgrade Wizard queries the modem and, depending upon the result, presents you with various load options and then flash-loads the modem's firmware. Its primary purpose is to handle the transition period during which ISPs (Internet Service Providers) are updating their modems to the ITU V.90 specification. The Wizard loads the modem with a "transitional" firmware that tracks the V.90 status of the most recent connection made by the modem. When the Wizard runs subsequently, it queries the modem and tells you whether or not to load the final V.90 firmware.

The Wizard also provides the ability to back up your modem's existing firmware to a disk file and the means to restore that firmware should the need arise.

Table of Contents

• Overview and Installation Instructions
  
• Supported Platforms
  
• V90Wiz Files
  
• User Interface
  
• Technical Support Issues
  

The V.90 Wizard (V90WIZ) is intended for users of Windows-based computers who already own a Boca Research flash-loadable K56flex modem.

Supported Platforms

V90WIZ has been tested with and works nominally on the following system configurations:

• 80386 or better CPU with at least 4 Megabytes of memory (just the minimum required for the Operating System; V90Wiz's memory usage is trivial)
• Operating systems:
  • Microsoft Windows 3.1 and Windows 3.11
  • Windows for Workgroups 3.11
  • Windows 95 (including SR2)
  • Windows NT 3.51 and Windows NT 4.0
• Hard disk with at least 1.5 Megabyte of available storage
• Your modem may be either:
  • An external modem, or
  • An internal modem

V90Wiz Files

V90Wiz consists of the following files:

File	Description
V90WIZ.EXE	This program detects modems and loads firmware to the modem's flash RAM.
V90WIZ.INI	Configuration file. Describes files and modem ID strings and sets various options.
*.S37	The flash-load modules that reprogram the modem's flash RAM firmware. This will normally consist of two files, the Flash Loader module and the Firmware module.
INSTALL.TXT	This document, which contains specific information installing the V.90 Update Wizard.

V90Wiz is designed to be used more than once. The initial run backs up the current firmware and loads the transitional firmware. Subsequent runs check the status of the most recent modem connection and optionally load the V.90 firmware. You may wish to place a shortcut to V90Wiz in your STARTUP folder.

User Interface

V90Wiz is easy to use, even for the novice computer user. It acts as a "Wizard" in which each action is handled step-by-step and you need to make only one decision at a time. In most cases, the correct action is to simply click the [Next>>] button.

The "About" screen displays version number and additional information.

After downloading the appropriate V.90 Update Wizard (INTMDMS.EXE for internal modems; EXTFAX.EXE for external data/fax modems; or, EXTVOICE.EXE for external voice/data/fax modems), follow the procedure below.

NOTE: If you are updating an external modem, make sure it is connected properly and powered on before performing the procedure below.

WARNING: Do not interrupt the Update Wizard once it has started!

1. Click Start, then Run to self-extract one of the above files from the folder it was downloaded into.
2. Follow all on-screen directions.
3. Click Start again, then Run and specify C:\WIZARD\V90WIZ.EXE. Click OK.
4. At the V.90 Connection Status screen, read the information provided, and click Run Update Wizard.
5. Click Next twice. The Update Wizard will then detect your modem. Afterwards, click Next twice again.
6. The Update Wizard will then make a backup copy of the modem's existing firmware. This may take a minute or two. When the backup is complete, click OK.
7. You are then presented with the option of updating to the latest K56flex firmware or V.90. If your ISP is not yet supporting V.90, select the K56flex Update. Click Next twice. The update process may take a few minutes.
8. You will be notified when the update has completed successfully. Click Finish.

After successfully loading the transitional firmware, V90Wiz sets a flag in its INI file to indicate that it should run in "QuickCheck" mode. Thereafter, it presents this screen each time it starts up:

This QuickCheck mode is designed to let the Wizard run automatically, for instance by placing a shortcut to it in his Startup Folder. Depending on the option selected, V90Wiz can close itself automatically if it detects no change in status.

Technical Support Issues

The program says "Unrecognized Modem"
V90WIZ determined that a modem is on the COM port, but it did not recognize it as flash-loadable. If you can verify that it is a flash-loadable modem (i.e., by reading the Firmware Version ID text), then you may proceed with the load attempt.

You may open a "Modem Trace Window Utility" and run the modem detection. The ATI3 string will be displayed in the Action Log in the Modem Detection dialog box. Here the COM port I/O will be displayed in the COM Activity Log Window.

You can display a modem trace window in one of two ways:

• Click the About button on the Wizard's first page and then press and hold the CTRL key while clicking OK to end the dialog.
• Use Notepad (or another text editor) to modify the file V90WIZ.INI. In the [Options] section, edit (or add) the ShowTrace line:

[Options]

ShowTrace=1

The program says "No Modem Detected"
This means that the COM port opened without error, but the attached device did not respond to AT commands. This could mean that the external modem is not turned on, or the cables are not attached snugly. Check this and click Detect again.

The program says "You are not running the latest K56Flex firmware"
You may receive this message even if you do have the latest K56Flex firmware. In that case, you will be prompted to update your modem's firmware.