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How
to determine your COM Port Configuration
It
is best to have the documentation (manual) for your PC or
the services of a system administrator to analyze your PC
to determine how the COM ports are configured. Often the
vendor of the PC can advise on how the ports were set up
before sale. Failing those things, experimentation is required.
Windows
95 and Windows 98 Systems
On
Windows 95 and Windows 98,
you may run the program called Microsoft Diagnostics (MSD.EXE)
from an MS-DOS
prompt. In MS-DOS, type MSD and press <Enter>.
From the screen that comes up you can learn two valuable
facts: whether you have a Bus-type mouse or a Serial-type
mouse, and how many COM ports you have.
If
the Mouse box label indicates a Serial Mouse, then the
mouse is using one of the COM ports and an external socket.
Mice generally are configured to use COM1, but in some
cases they are assigned to COM2. The number over the COM
ports box indicates how many COM ports have been detected.
If the number 3 appears, the PC has 3 serial ports installed
and available.
or
You may right-click on My Computer, and choose
Properties from the menu. Click on the Device
Driver tab of the System Properties window.
Click on the Ports (COM & LPT) selection to
see what COM ports exist. This information is only as
accurate as Windows Setup "sees", and may leave
out certain devices, such as the IR (infrared) port on
a laptop.
Windows NT Systems
On
Windows NT, select Start > Settings > Control
Panel > Ports. All currently installed ports will
be displayed.
If
you have a serial mouse on COM1, and know you have an internal
modem, you most likely have the modem configured on COM2.
You may check this by launching one of the communications
programs used with the modem and check its "settings" or
"configuration". The COM port in use will be indicated.
If
the number of devices "in use" match the number
of serial sockets on the back of the PC, there is no COM
port left available for other devices and you will have
to make an external port available.
Return
to Managing COM Ports
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