Just an update.

This morning I was doing some more testing, and found out something : when
just using "copy" a files (terminating) ctrl-Z is not send. For that the
"/b" switch needs to be included. ("type" does send it though).

While that works for COMMAND.COM (on DOS and XP) (the "copy com1 file"
command terminates - without including the ctrl-Z in the file) XPs CMD still
does not want to play ball. It stubbornly keeps stuck in both the "copy"
and the "type" commands (and need to be task-managered outof it).

@Herbert

Using, as you suggested, a small DEBUG program on XP echoing received COM
bytes to stdout until a terminating character (ctrl-Z) is received works.

A caveat though: using CMD exiting such a COM style program on XP resets,
for some reason, the datawidth to 5. That ofcourse means that shrinking
the program by excluding the comports initialisation (allowing it to use
whatever speed its currently set to isn't possible - unless the "mode com1"
command is available and used in between.

Talking about (subtile) changes throwing a wrench in something that shoud
have been simple ... :-)

Regards,
Rudy Wieser