I need to use 2 com ports in the com1 to com4 range, and only com1 is in
use, by my serial port. Device manager shows that com2, com3, and com4 are
all in use, but they're not, unless my internal modem is using one of them.
Even so, I should still have 2 available ports. I can't figure out what is
using the other 2 com ports. How can I free them up?
--
Thanks.
Sammie Windows XP Home

"Sammie" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:%(E-Mail Removed)...
>I need to use 2 com ports in the com1 to com4 range, and only com1 is in
> use, by my serial port. Device manager shows that com2, com3, and com4
> are
> all in use, but they're not, unless my internal modem is using one of
> them.
> Even so, I should still have 2 available ports. I can't figure out what
> is
> using the other 2 com ports. How can I free them up?
> --
>

The internal modem is most usually set up as COM3. If you have any
bluetooth devices paired with your PC these invariably pinch a couple of COM
ports each. It should be possible to decide what COM port you want each
device to use (except the modem) from the Device Manager.

I suspect you have COM1 as serial port and internal modem as COM2 and
the IRQs are set to COM1 and 3 on IRQ4 with COM2 and 4 being set to
IRQ3. IF your app won't share IRQ then you are out of luck unless you
disable the Serial port OR the Modem to free up the IRQ.

Sammie wrote:

> I need to use 2 com ports in the com1 to com4 range, and only com1 is in
> use, by my serial port. Device manager shows that com2, com3, and com4 are
> all in use, but they're not, unless my internal modem is using one of them.
> Even so, I should still have 2 available ports. I can't figure out what is
> using the other 2 com ports. How can I free them up?

On Mar 24, 4:37*pm, "Sammie" <shelley...@comcast.net> wrote:
> I need to use 2 com ports in the com1 to com4 range, and only com1 is in
> use, by my serial port. *Device manager shows that com2, com3, and com4 are
> all in use, but they're not, unless my internal modem is using one of them..
> Even so, I should still have 2 available ports. *I can't figure out whatis
> using the other 2 com ports. *How can I free them up?
> --
> Thanks.
> Sammie * Windows XP Home

You should note that several motherboard do come with more than one
COM port. It is just that several "assemblers" do not add the
remaining physical COM port hardware into the PC. You should access
the BIOS and turn off the "un-used" COM ports that you do not want to
use off the motherboard.