Those Pesky USB Com Ports

You may find that the Toaster PC will reassign the USB serial ports if you have done anything to disturb them. This will allow you to change the assignments.

Com1 and Com2 are real hardware ports reserved on the motherboard. Our "virtual ports" start at Com3, even if Com2 isn't present on the motherboard in use.

So... an eight port setup should have Com3 through Com10

Sometimes (usually if the machine was fired up without the two four-port USB adaptors.. two four-port = 8, get it?) the computer will assign a further eight ports... 11 through 18. Oy!

It then becomes necessary to force Com11 through Com18 to be 3 through 10. The computer will complain that 3 to 10 are "in use", that's why it assigned 11 through 18, but what does it know?

How to reassign USB COM Ports:

  1. right click My Computer (ie RC-TMxxx)
  2. choose Manage
  3. select Device Manager and maximize the window
  4. select Ports (COM & LPT) - expand this tree
  5. right click on USB Serial Port (COMXX) you want to change
  6. select Properties
  7. select Port Settings Tab
  8. select Advanced
  9. change COM Port Number to desired Port
  10. Ignore warnings that this port is in use.

HOME