Century Software, Inc., has received a report that printing to the Zebra GX420t label printer via USB fails from TinyTERM. The application either crashes or its display becomes unreadable. This happens regardless of the printer settings in TinyTERM or the Zebra printer driver version.

On Windows Vista, the printer driver can be bypassed, which allows TinyTERM to print properly and continue functioning. The same setting fails on Windows XP. Century Software has been unable to duplicate this issue.

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When running TinyTERM version 4.63 or higher, you may get an error message that reads, “This copy of TinyTERM is not licensed to run on Microsoft server operating systems.” It is most common on Windows Vista and later Windows versions.

This message indicates that either the product is not licensed to run in a terminal server environments. TinyTERM Plus uses concurrent licensing in Microsoft terminal server environments such as Windows 2008 Server. TinyTERM is not licensed for such environments at all, but only for standalone PCs.

If you believe you have received this message in error, such as when using TinyTERM on a standalone copy of Windows 7, please contact Century Software technical support at support@centurysoftware.com or 801-268-3088. Please have your activation key and your Windows version available. We will work with you to get this issue resolved.

When running TinyTERM version 4.63 or higher, you may see a “License Count Exceeded” error dialog. This happens when you open more windows than your product is licensed for. For example, a three-user TinyTERM Plus license will only allow three windows to open. The fourth will see this error.

This is by design. In terminal server environments such as Microsoft Windows 2008 Server, TinyTERM Plus is licensed concurrently. Only the licensed number of TinyTERM instances may be run at one time.

You may get this message in error on standalone PCs. If this is happening, and you believe it should not be, please contact technical support at support@centurysoftware.com or 801-268-3088. Please have your 25-character activation key available, and let us know which version of Windows you are using. We will resolve this issue for you.

When you enter a license into TinyTERM 4.6, it may accepts the activation key but not run. Instead, the next time TinyTERM starts, it will ask for the license again.

TinyTERM 4.6 actually has several minor version releases: 4.60, 4.61, 4.62, etc. And the activation keys all follow the same 25-character format. For example:

ADHSX-FH2C7-VVFF7-CHLRA-5EZRP

When this happens, the license doesn’t match the individual release installed. For example, TinyTERM 4.63 will appear to accept a TinyTERM 4.62 license, but can’t actually use it.

To fix this, install the correct version of TinyTERM for your license. To get that version, login to the Customer Portal. A list of your registered licenses will be displayed. Click the download button next to the license to get the matching TinyTERM install file.

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When using Century LPD on Windows 7 or Vista, print jobs won’t come through by default. A Windows XP system on the same network  won’t have any problems.

This is due to increased firewall security in newer versions of Windows. To allow LPD print jobs, you’ll need to add both CenLPD.exe and CenLPDstatus.exe to the list of exceptions in the Windows firewall, as well as to any third-party firewall software you may have running. Both applications should be allowed full network access.

For TinyTERM Plus 4.60 or 4.61, you will also need to go to Start | All Programs | Startup. Right-click on the CenLPDstatus icon there and select Properties. In the properties for the shortcut, enable the “Run as Administrator” option. TinyTERM Plus versions 4.62 and higher don’t require this step.

On Windows Vista and Windows 7, attempting to delete a .tpx file as described here appears to work. But when TinyTERM starts again, the deleted connection settings are still there.

Those versions of Windows back up important files in case of accidental deletion. This includes TinyTERM’s .tpx files. The backup copies are kept in a special directory:

C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files\Century

where <username> is the login name of the user who deleted the files.

To delete the files, delete both the main and backup copies. The next time TinyTERM starts, the connection settings will be back at default.

The duplex mode in TinyTERM has several settings. Each is useful for different servers and devices, as well as troubleshooting. The different modes are:

FULL
Everything on the screen comes from the server. Even what you type is sent to the server, then displayed back to TinyTERM. This is the default setting because it’s usually required.

HALF
What you type displays on the screen locally. If every character you type displays twice, this option is probably set. Some older servers require this, but it’s generally not used any more.

MNEMONIC
Non-printable characters are replaced by text describing them, such as <CR> for a carriage return. Useful for troubleshooting display issues.

CONTROL
Similar to mnemonic, but instead of text, control characters are shown with the caret-character combination. For example, a carriage return will display as ^M.

DUMP
All characters display as two-digit hexadecimal numbers, separated by spaces. So the word hello will display as
68 65 6c 6c 6f

This error means the serial port you’ve selected in TinyTERM isn’t usable on your PC. There are a few possible causes:

1. The serial port doesn’t exist. Older versions of TinyTERM offer ports COM1 through COM6, whether or not the ports are actually installed on the PC. Verify that the port number you’ve selected in TinyTERM has a matching physical port on the PC.
2. Another program is using the serial port you’ve chosen. This is common for software such as fax programs. The other program will monitor the COM port, even if it’s not currently in use. This prevents TinyTERM from connecting to it. Shut down or reconfigure any other software that uses serial ports to bypass this problem.
3. The serial port selected has a driver or hardware problem. Check with a trusted computer technician if this is the case.

If TinyTERM 4.6 is installed it on a PC that had an older version of TinyTERM, adding the license may cause the program to close with no errors. This happens when the previous license file, CenLic32.dll, was not removed before installing the new version.

To fix the problem, uninstall TinyTERM, then delete the directory C:\Program Files\Century. Restart the PC, then reinstall TinyTERM 4.6. It will accept the license after that.

In TinyTERM 4.63, select rlogin as the connection type. Add a username to the Login tab, then connect. TinyTERM closes with no errors. The debug monitor shows a disconnect, then nothing.

This is due to a bug in TinyTERM’s communications file cencom.dll. A replacement file is available for download.

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