Need drivers for multi-port serial adapter

[Buzzybob]

I have a Dell Inspiron 4100 lap top. This has one usb port which is broken.
There are problems with my mother board I was told so I also can not use a my
pcmcia adapter. I purchased a serial port to usb adapter but it will not
work. The computer shows the device but it's not working. Is there any way I
can get a driver for this device? I have no idea who made this as there is
nothing marked on the device and it came without any info. Thanks.

 

[BillW50]

In Buzzybob typed on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:36:01 -0700:

I have a Dell Inspiron 4100 lap top. This has one usb port which is
broken. There are problems with my mother board I was told so I also
can not use a my pcmcia adapter. I purchased a serial port to usb
adapter but it will not work. The computer shows the device but it's
not working. Is there any way I can get a driver for this device? I
have no idea who made this as there is nothing marked on the device
and it came without any info. Thanks.

Sure they require drivers to work. Although without a make or model you
are really looking for a needle in a haystack.

 

[smlunatick]

I have a Dell Inspiron 4100 lap top. This has one usb port which is broken.
There are problems with my mother board I was told so I also can not use a my
pcmcia adapter. I purchased a serial port to usb adapter but it will not
work. The computer shows the device but it's not working. Is there any way I
can get a driver for this device? I have no idea who made this as there is
nothing marked on the device and it came without any info. Thanks.

That is USB to Serial port. It lets you to connect serial devices
onto a USB port. It does not let you do the revise. Unless this
"adapter" has provided a driver, there will possibly never be a way to
connect USB devices via a serial port.

 

[Mark Adams]

I have a Dell Inspiron 4100 lap top. This has one usb port which is broken.
There are problems with my mother board I was told so I also can not use a my
pcmcia adapter.

About time for a new laptop, since the board is going south.

I purchased a serial port to usb adapter but it will not

work. The computer shows the device but it's not working. Is there any way I
can get a driver for this device? I have no idea who made this as there is
nothing marked on the device and it came without any info. Thanks.

Purchase another adapter in the original packaging with the maker's
identification and instructions.

 

[Paul]

I have a Dell Inspiron 4100 lap top. This has one usb port which is broken.
There are problems with my mother board I was told so I also can not use a my
pcmcia adapter. I purchased a serial port to usb adapter but it will not
work. The computer shows the device but it's not working. Is there any way I
can get a driver for this device? I have no idea who made this as there is
nothing marked on the device and it came without any info. Thanks.

So to paraphrase your question, you have a USB device, you have a
computer with one working USB port, you connect the device and
something isn't right ?

Start with this program from Microsoft. This is an archived copy.
Click one of the dated links, to download it.

http://web.archive.org/*/http://dow...f-a31d-436b-9281-92cdfeae4b45/UVCView.x86.exe

Run the UVCView.x86.exe. Examine the window for USB devices.
Now, plug in the "USB to serial port adapter". Do you see
a new entry appear on the display ? When you click on the
new item, are there gobs of text in the right hand pane
of the display ? Copy that text and post it.

This is a sample screenshot, of what the program output looks like.

http://www.die.de/blog/content/binary/usbview.png

The device in that example, has idVendor = 0x0ECD and
idProduct = 0xA100.

I go to this page, and look for that device.

http://www.linux-usb.org/usb.ids

0ecd Lite-On IT Corp.
a100 LDW-411SX DVD/CD Rewritable Drive

That tells me the plugged in device, was an optical drive
with USB interface.

That scheme is not foolproof, because someone decided
it would be nice if hardware could "lie" about its
identity. So only the most naive devices, look up
easily in the table. For others, you'd still be
completely in the dark, as to what is actually inside
the adapter.

Many types of USB devices, have built-in drivers in Windows.
In which case, no driver needs to be added to the computer.
As an example, USB webcams are split. Some are designed to
work without additional drivers. Others, need additional
drivers to get features not covered in the standard.

So the USB experience will be a mixed bag. Getting some
things to work, is pure misery. If buying USB peripherals,
it is best if they are accompanied by a driver CD, to avoid
going through all of this. Or at least an assurance that
they follow an accepted standard (so you know they'll work
in the OS, without additional software).

http://www.usb.org/developers/defined_class

HTH,
Paul

 

[Jose]

I have a Dell Inspiron 4100 lap top. This has one usb port which is broken.
There are problems with my mother board I was told so I also can not use a my
pcmcia adapter. I purchased a serial port to usb adapter but it will not
work. The computer shows the device but it's not working. Is there any way I
can get a driver for this device? I have no idea who made this as there is
nothing marked on the device and it came without any info. Thanks.

Maybe somebody wants to sell you a motherboard.

Haven't you seen the videos where a reporter will dislodge a power
cable to a disk drive, take it to various shoppes and they all come up
with a different and expensive solution when the problem is just a
loose cable that needs to be plugged back in? In the several videos I
saw (with many shoppes and the same system) only one plugged the cable
back in and said - have a nice day. I wish I remember where they
were.

What is the issue with your built in port that was diagnosed as
"broken". What does broken mean to you?

If you purchased an adapter of some kind, did it come in a package
with writing on it? What does the writing say?

Take a picture and post it on a free picture sharing WWW site like
www.photobucket.com and maybe somebody will recognize it.

In what manner does the computer "show the device" and what does "not
working" mean?

What are your system details?

Click Start, Run and in the box enter:

msinfo32

Click OK, and when the System Summary info appears, click Edit, Select
All, Copy and then paste
back here.

There will be some personal information (like System Name and User
Name), and whatever appears to
be private information to you, just delete from the pasted
information.

This will minimize back and forth Q&A and eliminate guesswork and
assumptions.