EazyLink

Owned by Vic Gerhardi
Last updated: Apr 09, 2024 by patters
8 min read

Eazylink for the Z88

   

This application needs 16K of either EPROM or Flash space.

Note: Eazylink may be used

All Eazylink ROMs are backwards compatible with PC Link II. These may be used instead of the PC Link ROM.

 

This is a Windows 98 program.

 

 

 

Not available for download

 

 

PC Link II to Eazylink upgrade

If you already have PC Link II consisting of the following items you can purchase the Eazylink upgrade to save duplicating the hardware required.

  • Serial cable from the PC to the Z88 (make sure you have correct connector on the cable for your computer. It is either a 9 or 25 way male on the computer.)
  • PC Link ROM/EPROM (Please retun for upgrade)
  • and PC Link II software. (Supplied in PC Link II but not really needed for Eazylink)

Eazylink is a file transfer program that can send files to and from the Z88 and a PC that is running Windows NT, 2000, 98, ME, XP or Windows 7 Pro with real serial ports (although there may have been an issue with the USB Adapter being used beforehand). It is fast, easy to use and copes with multiple files.

Key points

  • It works with a USB to Serial Converter – so even if your PC does not have a serial port, you just need one of those.
  • It retains the 12 character filenames that the Z88 uses
  • It is faster than PC Link II
  • It runs on Windows xp and Windows 7 in an xp environment
  • v5.1 can Save and Fetch files directly from the Flash file area. - NOTE this is available at extra cost *.

The package comes with

    • a serial cable to link the Z88 to the PC computer (9/25 pin adapter supplied),
    • the Eazylink ROM to plug into the Z88
    • and PC program CD disk.

Overview

You can select the following to backup your Z88 (using Wild cards if required):

  • Select RAM Device (Multiple RAM devices are selected one at a time).
  • Select Directories at a defined path
  • Select Files at a defined path
  • Select a File (or several Files)

You can - Delete, Rename, Send and Receive files, Create and Remove directories in those devices.

View in Eazylink

  • Save or Fetch files directly to the Flash card with this Eazylink upgrade.
  • Avoid using RAM space just as a bridge between the two. 
  • The file areas look like RAM and are labeled :EPR.1, :EPR.2 and :EPR.3 depending which slot is used. 
  • The software on the PC remains unaltered.

These updates attract an extra cost. Users may return their Flash cards with their remittance and postage (currently £36 inc VAT). 
NOTE: Files on an INTELFlash Card can only be written to when the card is in slot 3. OZ 4.2 or 3 only runs in Slot 1. If the card is used in slot 1 or 2, the files will be 'read-only.' 

Eazylink lh window

View in Eazylink

The PC display will just show the Flash File Area as :EPR.x

When using these updates the view in Eazylink will display any formatted file areas and their contents on the Flash card.

By marking the files, they can be transferred to the PC just as if they were in  RAM.

If Eazylink displays its version number in the left-hand bottom corner, it can read / write to the flash file area directly.

USB - RS-232 Adapters for Computers with no serial port

Click here to search on Google. For example Amazon are advertising them for only £2.99 inc VAT and postage (25/08/2011).

Eazylink needs a USB to full handshake UART Device. If you get a USB to basic UART Device, it will not work.

There are a number of ways that Eazylink can translate files whilst the file is being transferred from the Z88. These are:-

  • Auto CR to CR/LF for DOS and Windows
  • ISO LATIN 1 and IBM codepage 865 (Scandinavian)
  • with a User defined Translation Table

A text file viewer is included to enable a quick look at files from the Backup Device.

Also included is the ability to view PipeDream files in "PipeView," a shareware Windows program from Dennis Gröning and a utility which loads or view files straight into the PC PipeDream DOS program.

Eazylink stores all the Z88 files on the PC in a simple database

Two windows are displayed. One is the Source and the other is the Destination Device.

A mirror image of your Z88's file and directory structure is created allowing files to fetched from the database when required.

Additional mirror images may be copied, by using different database filenames, allowing different backup versions or backups from different Z88s to be retained.

Restoring of files from the Backup Device re-installs original Z88 Date stamps on up-loaded files. Directories are automatically created by the EazyLink ROM on the Z88 in the RAM filing system. 12 character file names are now supported (unlike PC Link II which only supported the DOS format of 8.3).

Using the Commands with the Source and Destination windows, files may be reorganised into different directories within the Backup Device itself. This powerful facility allows the Z88 user to organise files without using the Z88 for the first time. Combined with the Viewer, old files may be deleted or moved to different directories, clearing more space for new files to be created.

In any of these devices, all devices and directories are displayed and managed using the familiar File Explorer Interface of Windows.

EazyLink has been provided with comprehensive on-line help (both as functional reference and context-sensitive help topics).

Now that Windows 7 and 64 bit computers are around, please make sure that you purchase a quality product, one that supports a full handshake UART and has the correct drivers for your Operating System.

First, you need to find out which chip set the adapter is using. Let's say it uses an FTDI FT230X. Look this up on Google and then on their website -http://www.ftdichip.com/FT-X.htm we find that this is a USB to basic UART. This is not what you need. If on the other hand it was a FT231X - a USB to full handshake UART, this device would be suitable.

 

USB Serial Adapter

 

Here is the correspondance with Bob Calvert (19/12/2004) about this issue.

The only potential problem is how to connect the Z88 to the laptop - there doesn't appear to be a serial connector in sight!, but there are lots of USB ports. I have checked with several shops here and it is possible to get a serial to USB adaptor. So...could I ask if you have come across this problem already? Will a serial to USB adaptor work? I'm inclined to try it and see but would appreciate your advice.

Reply - USB Serial Adapter should work, but I have not received any first-hand reports. As long as Windows thinks it is a serial port you should be OK. You will have to try it and see. Let me know the result.

Just a quick email to let you know the Z88 to PC transfer works via the serial to USB adaptor. The trick is to ensure you know which coms port the PC decides to allocate! We are very pleased we can continue to use our Z88! Thanks for your help. 

Prolific logo 
PL-2303 Software and Drivers Click here
Drivers supplied on the disk (zipped) 2M! Click here    

If you already have PC Link II consisting of the following items you can purchase the Eazylink upgrade to save duplicating the hardware required.

  • Serial cable from the PC to the Z88 (make sure you have correct connector on the cable for your computer. It is either a 9 or 25 way male on the computer.)
  • PC Link ROM/EPROM (Please retun for upgrade)
  • and PC Link II software. (Supplied in PC Link II but not really needed for Eazylink)

Other Features

Use any free serial COM port that Windows can see, unlike PC Link which can only use COM.1.

Eazylink sets the time and date on the Z88 to the same as the PC.

Eazylink will stop sending files to and from the Z88 when the battery on the Z88 is low.

EazyLink also contains a file transfer log facility which remembers every file transferred.

A report can be requested that lists all the files in the Backup Device. The report may be sorted in ascending/descending order choosing one of the sorting criteria;

filename,
file size,
date transferred
and the Z88 file date stamp.

This report can then be printed and used as a hardcopy record of what files have been backed up for future reference.

An added bonus is that you also get the:-

PC Link II Software

with its own file translation programs.

These are

  • WordStar to PipeDream and
  • Lotus 1-2-3 to PipeDream,

so you can keep your page layouts. Even if you want to use Desk-Top Publishing programs, layouts can still be retained by importing a WordStar file into the program you use.

EazyLink ROM

The EazyLink ROM emulates 100% and performs 25% faster than the original PC Link ROM. Further, with the PC-LINK II emulation, you get transparent linefeed conversion and ISO LATIN I/DOS codepage translation during transfer!

In other words, you're still able to run the old PC-LINK II DOS program and PC PipeDream when using the EazyLink ROM in the Z88.

Existing users of PC Link II can upgrade to EazyLink cost effectively.

 

MAC Users and EazyLink

 

Although the Eazylink program does not run on the MAC, MAC users can enjoy the

  • faster transfer speed and the
  • automatic creation of directories

when files are transferred to the Z88. All you need is to upgrade your MAC Link ROM to EazyLink V5.0.4.

FAQ

Recently I had to reinstall Windows (and of course everything else) ... and now EazyLink will install but won't run, complaining that it has an "incorrect" version of MSJet35.dll.

I have however now solved my problem, by downloading Microsoft's Jet Service Pack 3 from their website, which upgraded my copy of MSJet35 to version 3.51.3328.0 - and for some reason EazyLink is now happy.

 

EasyLink Server Documentation

This can be read here (applies for all releases of the popdown): File Transfer Protocol

 

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