WinXP still detects devices on COM1 even with /fastdetect option

[daytony32]

Like others, I have a serial device connected to COM1 of my WinXP PC.
Windows comes up and decides there is a Microsoft Serial Mouse or some
Ball Point (or something like that) device so COM1 is not available for
use.

Once these devices have been detected by Windows, I _can_ go into the
Device Manager and Disable them, but that's very time-consuming for
production (Serial Mouse is detected and installed quickly, but it
might take many boots before Windows detects the ball point device).

I have tried the following "/fastdetect" switches in BOOT.INI and
neither worked:
... /fastdetect ...
... /fastdtect=COM1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 ...
In each case, I un-installed the device I didn't want, rebooted, and
Windows detected the device again the next time it came up, despite the
"/fastdetect" option.

Is there another way to keep Windows from detecting devices on my
serial COM ports?

- Tony H.

 

[Bob I]

I'm puzzled, do you actually have the device installed?

 

[daytony32]

I _do_ have _a_ device connected to COM1, and it transmits serial data
constantly while it is powered on, but it is not an off-the-shelf
device (it's an I/O board designed in house). Because of the serial
traffic, Windows thinks that the device is a serial mouse (or other
similar device).

I wrote some software that needs to communicate with this device over
COM1, but it can't open COM1 to do so when Windows claims that port in
the name of some serial mouse.

I am looking for a Windows solution, not a hardware solution.

Thanks.

 

[daytony32]

From what I've read while researching this, the "/noserialmice" option
was renamed to "/fastdetect" somewhere around when Win2k came out.

I tried it on my WinXP PC anyway (you never know), but it did not work
either.
Thanks anyway.

- Tony H.

 

[Uwe Sieber]

Try /noserialmice

Uwe

 

[Uwe Sieber]

was renamed to "/fastdetect" somewhere around when Win2k came out.

I tried it on my WinXP PC anyway (you never know), but it did not work
either.

Oops. Many sources list "/noserialmice" as availlable under XP too
whithout any further comment. At Microsoft/Sysinternals I've seen
now that it doesn't work with W2K or XP. It's all plug'n play here...
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/information/bootini.mspx


A possible workaround might be the Microsoft tool devcon:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=311272

You could use it to disable any serial or bus mouse at startup. It
accepts wildcards, so it should be no problem to find the right
ID strings.


Greetings from Germany

Uwe

 

[daytony32]

Are you suggesting running a devcon script every time Windows starts
up? I guess I could do that. But there might be timing issues (e.g.
Will Windows have finished detecting and installing any serial PnP
devices before my script runs?)

I was hoping to find a way of preventing Windows from trying to detect
PnP devices on COM ports in the first place, but nobody seems to know
how to do such a thing. This isn't the first time I've wanted what
just isn't possible. ) I'm definitely no expert so I don't always
know the best way to approach problems like this.

Thanks for your suggestions!
- Tony H.

 

[Uwe Sieber]

Are you suggesting running a devcon script every time Windows starts
up?

Yes, better than having a blocked COM1...

I guess I could do that. But there might be timing issues (e.g.
Will Windows have finished detecting and installing any serial PnP
devices before my script runs?)

In case there are timing issues, use the Task Scheduler. But when
the user logs on (even automatically) the plug an play stuff should
be finished.

I was hoping to find a way of preventing Windows from trying to detect
PnP devices on COM ports in the first place, but nobody seems to know
how to do such a thing. This isn't the first time I've wanted what
just isn't possible. ) I'm definitely no expert so I don't always
know the best way to approach problems like this.

May it's possible by deleting some INF files in %windir%\inf, but that
would require some research.


Uwe

 

[daytony32]

I appreciate the help. Thanks again!
- Tony H.

 

[daytony32]

Just for the sake of closure, the following devcon command disabled all
of my unwanted serial mouse-type devices installed at the time the
command was issued:

devcon disable SERIAL_MOUSE

This disabled the following types of devices on my PC:
"microsoft serial ballpoint"
"microsoft serial mouse"

This will NOT, however, prevent Windows from auto-installing such
devices on other COM ports when serial traffic is detected on them at
bootup - the command would have to be run again as needed. I never got
around to using Windows task scheduler to accomplish this (as suggested
earlier), but it looked like the device actually gets installed ~15
seconds after Windows was up and running (according to the task tray
pop-up bubble).

- Tony H.