Serial port settings

[nedah]

I apologise if this is posted in the wrong forum but I could not decide which was best suited to my problem.
I have a portable computer which has only one standard serial port. It is designated Comm1 and Device Manager shows that it is using IRQ 4 and I/O 03F8 - 03FF. No conflicts reported. (Comm 2 is a generic IR port - unused)
Comm 1 has been used to connect the computer to various devices. Currently the port is used solely to connect the computer to a sewing machine but the Sewing Programme refuses to acknowledge that the connection exists.
The technical support team for the software programme say that the problem is due to the fact that their device will not share resources with another device but must have its own dedicated serial port.
Installing an additional serial port is not a feasible solution.
There are no other devices physically connected to the port and I have uninstalled all the programmes associated with the devices which previously used the port. Still no joy.
There is no modem nor anti-virus programme on the computer.
I have checked that the serial port is working OK and, using another computer, that the device is working OK.
Is there anything I can do to persuade the serial port to “forget” it has been used by other devices?

[Paleo Pete]

Only thing I can think of is boo tinto Safe Mode and remove the serial port from Device Manager then reboot and reinstall it. Maybe then it will be seen as a new and unused port...

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[Wayne Thomas]

I hope I am posting this in the right section. I had installed a new video card on my computer running windows 98. After installing the video card I noticed that my modem will not dial out. When I check properties under modem, from within control panel, it shows that my modem is listed under com port 2. When I check ports under device mgr. there are only two ports listed; they are com port 1 and LPT1. Something must have happened when I installed the video card that removed or disabled com port 2. I would appreciate it if some one could tell me how to reinstall or set up com port 2 for the modem. Thanks

[dontpanic]

Wayne,

Have you tested the modem diagnostics in the control panel?
Depending on those results, you may just need to reinstall your drivers

[Wayne Thomas]

dontpanic,

Yes, I have tried that two or three times and each time I try it, it will lockup the system and I have to reboot. Apparently, if it can't find the modem, it continues on looking to the point it locks up the system. I just thought that there may be an easy way to reenable com port 2 but I am beginning to think there isn't. I don't know whether reinstalling the drivers would reinstall the com port or not. I put this modem in about two month ago and it worked fine until after I installed the video card. I am doing this for a friend. I asked him for the driver to the modem and he said he did not have any idea where it was at so I guess until he finds it there is not a lot that I can do. But there again, I am not sure that reinstalling the driver will enable com port 2 or not. Thanks for the help anyway. My friend does not know anything about the technical part of computers and he advised he did not want to learn. Apparently he misplaced the driver for the modem not realizing the importance of it in case it was ever needed again. Oh well, I guess that's what you get for helping friends.

[Wayne Thomas]

I have solved my problem with the modem not dialing out. I went into the bios and noticed that my com port 2 was disabled. This apparently happened some how after I had installed a new video card. I enabled it and it is working fine now. Thanks for everyone's help. http://www.PCGuide.com/ubb/smile.gif