XP upgrade, can't find COM ports

[Guest]

I upgraded from ME to XP Home Edition and I'm having problems reinstalling my
modem driver. XP isn't seeing any of the COM ports, so I can't choose one to
install the modem. I tried adding a COM port, but that didn't work either.
What am I doing wrong?

 

[Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]]

I upgraded from ME to XP Home Edition and I'm having problems
reinstalling my modem driver. XP isn't seeing any of the COM ports,
so I can't choose one to install the modem. I tried adding a COM
port, but that didn't work either. What am I doing wrong?

You probably need updated drivers from your hardware manufacturer - might
also want to update your BIOS version. Contact the hw mfr.

 

[R. McCarty]

Modems have contention issues with the on-board Motherboard
serial ports. Most MB's have two serial ports that default to COM1
and COM2.
Modems have their own dedicated serial port, so the modem will
try to multiplex itself to avoid the on-board ports. COM1 & COM3
are shared and COM2 & COM4 are shared IRQ lines, but with
different Addresses.
Best solution is disable (via BIOS setup) the on-board ports, then
delete or uninstall the phantoms from the Ports category in DevMgr.
Remove the modem and then re-enumerate it. Without pre-existing
COM ports it should be free to set itself up using probably COM3.