6K Troubleshooting - Motion Planner/Communication Server

Owned by Jack Degrano
Last updated: Jun 27, 2024 by Eric Rojas (Unlicensed)
2 min read

Problem:
When using the Motion Planner Ethernet connection feature or the 6K Communication Server, a conflict may occur with dial-up networking properties used by Internet applications such as Microsoft Internet Explorer. Most often this problem will be seen on laptop computers which use dial-up connections for Internet and e-mail access, although some desktop PCs may exhibit the problem as well.

Symptom:
There are two symptoms that may be seen if the above- mentioned problem exists:

  1. When attempting to connect to a 6K controller via Ethernet, two dialog windows appear. The "Attempting to Connect" dialog appears but another dialog appears behind it. The hidden dialog comes from dial-up networking settings. The "Attempting to Connect" dialog then counts beyond 60 seconds in its attempt to connect.

  2. Dial-up networking was installed but is now removed and Ethernet will still not connect. No obscured dialog box is present behind the "Attempting to Connect" dialog. The "Attempting to Connect" dialog counts beyond 60 seconds.

Cause:
When dial-up networking is installed or a dial-up connection for Internet Explorer or other Internet applications is installed, it automatically configures the computer to autodial whenever a TCP/IP winsock is attempted.

Solution:
The following work-around options will affect the behavior of applications that need to use dial-up networking. You will need to reverse this process to re-enable the automatic dialing feature.

Option A
Under "Settings/Control Panel" choose "Internet". Clear the AutoDial check box or choose to connect through a local area network instead of a modem. Internet Explorer 4.0 no longer seems to support this feature. Once configured as auto-dial it is always enabled for auto-dial. If this does not work, see Option B.

Option B
Read "Warnings" listed below before proceeding with Option B. Run the Windows Registry Editor (Regedit) and change the EnableAutodial binary value to 00 00 00 00. This disables the auto-dial feature, allowing Motion Planner (or the Communication Server) to connect to the 6K without conflict.

Warnings:
Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious, system-wide problems that may require you to reinstall Windows to correct them. Microsoft cannot guarantee that any problems resulting from the use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use this tool at your own risk.

  1. Run Regedit. From the start menu choose "Start/Run" and type "Regedit". Hit OK.

  2. Backup the registry to assist recovery should the registry get corrupted. Use "Registry/Export Registry" and enter a filename for your backup copy.

  3. Search for EnableAutodial using "Edit/Find". In the "Find What" box enter "EnableAutodial". Make sure that "Look at Values" is checked.

  4. Note the current setting for EnableAutodial (probably 01 00 00 00) and the registry key. (A sample registry key might be HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings).

  5. Modify the data entry. Highlight the EnableAutodial value and use "Edit/Modify" then enter

"00 00 00 00".

  1. Repeat step #3 and #4 for each occurrence of EnableAutodial.