Detrmining Com Ports

How do I determine which USB ports are COM1, COM2, etc? I have two on the front and four on the back.

I get a message from one of my programs that COM 1 is busy and the program will use it when it becomes free. How do I determine what is using it?

HP 110-023W
Intel Pentium G2020T 2.5GHz
8 GB RAM
64-bit Win 10 Home

 

You don't. COM ports are not USB ports. While both are "serial" (as opposed to parallel) ports, COM ports are the old (very old) defunct style ports found in very old computers and look like this.

According to the specs and images for the HP 110-23W, your computer does not have COM ports (scroll down to the Back I/O ports section). Note, do not confuse this 9-pin COM port connector with the similar looking 15-pin VGA video connector. Your computer has a 15-pin VGA connector but no COM ports.

If you need further help for this error, you will need to be specific about the program giving the error and what you have connected to your system.

 

There seems to be some confusion. Window 7 has 256 COMM ports.
You need to check which COMM port is assigned to the program and then change it to an unused one in Device Manager.

 

Here are some images from Device Manager.

 

Plodr, I don't have any Serial/Parallel ports in DM either, neither do any show up in MSInfo32.

Eldon might have a 'board with real com ports, the OP might have virtual com ports installed due to having a USB device that emulates a serial device, like a GPS mouse, connected.

 

satrow, I don't have a motherboard with real com ports.
My smartphones & Bluetooth transceiver use (virtual) COM ports. Likewise, there are 3 LPT ports.
That's why I posted "There seems to be some confusion."

jimpeel, what program is trying to use a COM port?

 

Right, but those are not physical ports. The OP says he has 2 in the front and 4 in the back. Those would be USB ports, not COM ports. And BTW, it is COM not COMM.

I bet you are just not digging deep enough. You should have 256 too (and no, I don't have any modem or extra devices attached that use a COM port either).

Using Eldon's screen shots, double click on Communications Port (COM 1). That will open the properties page.
Click on Port Setting, then Advanced...
Then click the down arrow next to COM Port Number COM1 and you should see all 256. But again, those are not USB ports.

 

Obviously not. Windows doesn't have physical ports.

English is my second language.

 

I don't see your chips, Bill.

 

Chips?

 

Your bet?

 

On 8.1 I have none of the above. Wait - Had to check 'show hidden', They're here.

 

LGE CDMA shows as using but not connected. Com4 , 5 and 6. That's my phone.

 

Ah, chips, bet. I get it - finally.

I have to say, plodr, yours is quite a bit different than mine. ???

http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z181/Digerati_Bill/DevMgr.jpg

This is a PC with Ethernet networking only running W10 Pro 64-bit.

 

I daresay it would take little more than a reboot to populate my DevMan with ports and clutter Windows with extra drivers, extend my boot time etc., I'm not sure that plodr has the same BIOS/UEFI option on her machine(s).

 

Never had a printer but have connected the phone as an external storage device. Eldon mentioned something about Bluetooth speaker so maybe it's any external device asking for transfer to / from the pc that starts the com usage.

 

Bluetooth transceiver (USB-connected dongle). And yes, my smartphone, LG Leon, also use them for MyPhoneExplorer. USB-connected printer doesn't.

 

Yours and my properties show a similar component - fifo buffer.



Notice it says requires a 16550 compatible UART.
Universal Asynchronous Receiver/Transmitter. Haven't even thought of one in a long time. Guess some usb connected devices are using the old serial coms interface