com ports

davew · 14 Jul 2009 at 00:13

i'm trying to use some car diagnostic software on my dell laptop ,i'm supposed to change the com port number but under device manager there are none listed ?
forgot to ad i'm using i'm using windows xp.

samuria · 14 Jul 2009 at 01:25

Have you checked the bios to ensure they are enabled as so few things use them now they are often disabled to save resources and conflict. Failing that they could be conflicting with some other port on a IRQ and not showing up you may be able to change this in the bios

m4cc45 · 14 Jul 2009 at 07:05

Firstly I would go into the BIOS on startup and see if they are enabled there - I'd guess if they aren't showing in device manager this would be why.

If they are enabled and you still cant see them it may be worth investing in a USB to Serial adapter - only a couple of quid on a well known auction site.

M.

smogsy · 14 Jul 2009 at 07:36

firstly what connection type is the device? USB? Serial?

i setup & manage over 500 com ports at work im sure i help if you can give me some more details.

davew · 14 Jul 2009 at 08:35

smogsy said:
firstly what connection type is the device? USB? Serial?

i setup & manage over 500 com ports at work im sure i help if you can give me some more details.

its a usb cable that connects to a cars diagnostic socket the instructions say, "go to ports and check the usb serial port is set to com 1,2,3 or 4

smogsy · 14 Jul 2009 at 17:30

ok
Have you tried scanning for hardware changes? its in control panel

if its not in device manager 99.9% of the time its not installed (drivers) was there a disk at all?

davew · 14 Jul 2009 at 20:39

sorted now managed to find some drivers for the usb lead and it's working fine, thanks.