COM port issues - help please

[996jimbo]

I'm having some 'fun' setting up a bluetooth connection for my phone / laptop. After speaking to the nice man at Belkin it appears some issues may be to do with the fact that I am being offered COM port 35 (presumably as 1 to 34 are already captured). Apparently some software can't cope with COM port numbers beyond a certain range.

Mr Belkin suggested I look for a 'com disable tool' from Microsoft, to free up redundant COM ports. I did a quick search on their web site and got hundreds of hits.

Can any of you computer genii on this site therefore please point me at what I am looking for?

Also, has anyone heard of PC MightyMax? Is it any good? Can it be trusted? It's a programme that is supposed to tidy up Windows stuff like redunadant shortcuts or invalid registry entries.

Thanks.

 

[Andyni]

What OS are you running on the laptop?

 

[fuzzer]

I'm having some 'fun' setting up a bluetooth connection for my phone / laptop. After speaking to the nice man at Belkin it appears some issues may be to do with the fact that I am being offered COM port 35 (presumably as 1 to 34 are already captured). Apparently some software can't cope with COM port numbers beyond a certain range.

Mr Belkin suggested I look for a 'com disable tool' from Microsoft, to free up redundant COM ports. I did a quick search on their web site and got hundreds of hits.

Can any of you computer genii on this site therefore please point me at what I am looking for?

Also, has anyone heard of PC MightyMax? Is it any good? Can it be trusted? It's a programme that is supposed to tidy up Windows stuff like redunadant shortcuts or invalid registry entries.

Thanks.

what phone and what are you trying to do ?

 

[Andyni]

If you are running XP then please read and follow the information below.

To switch to a lower COM Port number in Windows XP

1. Right-click on the "My Computer" icon on the Desktop and select Properties.

2. In the window that opens, click on the Hardware Tab and then click on the Device Manager button.

3. From the menu at the top of the window, select View - Show Hidden Devices.

4. Expand the node marked Ports (COM & LPT) and examine the current COM port assignments. One should be listed for your BlueTooth device.

5. Double-click on the port you want to change. This brings up the Properties dialog.

6. Select the Port Settings Tab and then click on the Advanced button. This brings up the Advanced Settings dialog.

7. Set the COM Port Number to the desired setting. From example change from COM21 to COM6. (If the port that you want to select is marked as "In Use", you must free that port - see below)


To release COM ports that Windows XP has reserved from previous installations of COM port drivers that are no longer in use please follow below.

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command Prompt.
2. At a command prompt, type the following command , and then press ENTER:

set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1
3. Type the following command at command prompt, and then press ENTER:

start devmgmt.msc
4. Click View > Show hidden devices. This will display devices that are not connected to your computer but Windows XP still reserves space for them.
5. Go to Ports (COM & LPT) and expand that section.
6. Remove all devices in the list of ports that are grayed out but have a specific COM port number assigned to them. (You can do this by right clicking on the grayed out device and choosing Uninstall and then OK in the dialog box that appears).
7. When you are finished troubleshooting, close the Device Manager.
8. Type exit in the Command Prompt

 

[996jimbo]

OS is Windows XP.

Phone is Nokia 6310i running version 03.50 and I am trying to set it up so's when I am on site can use it to send & receive emails. I have done it in the past using Nokia PC suite and a different bluetooth dongle. Nokia PC suite will not recognise that bluetooth is available with this dongle and it may be to do with the number of the COM port, or that it is not compatible with this new dongle.

I am not desparate to use PC suite but nevertheless am annoyed that it won't work.

EDIT: posted this before Andyni response above which I will now read and digest, thanks...

 

[fuzzer]

OS is Windows XP.

Phone is Nokia 6310i running version 03.50 and I am trying to set it up so's when I am on site can use it to send & receive emails. I have done it in the past using Nokia PC suite and a different bluetooth dongle. Nokia PC suite will not recognise that bluetooth is available with this dongle and it may be to do with the number of the COM port, or that it is not compatible with this new dongle.

I am not desparate to use PC suite but nevertheless am annoyed that it won't work.

EDIT: posted this before Andyni response above which I will now read and digest, thanks...

i never got my 6310i to work with a bluetooth dongle with the symptoms you describe , i kinda thought you were trying to do that.

what dongle did you use before?

 

[996jimbo]

i never got my 6310i to work with a bluetooth dongle with the symptoms you describe , i kinda thought you were trying to do that.

what dongle did you use before?

New dongle is a Belkin F8T012. Old one was a Windigo Konnect, both of which are WIDDCOM hardware. Phone is a 6230i NOT the 6310i that I said previously (numbers, numbers, numbers).

Andyni - just before I go ahead - deffo OK that I delete the greyed out COM ports in the device manager? They are for:

4nr - MAT USB-to-serial Bridge
12nr - Standard Serial over Bluetooth link
1nr - USB-Serial Controller

Just concerned that one may be currently redundant but somehow needed by something temporarily connected. What's the worst that could happen?

 

[Andyni]

New dongle is a Belkin F8T012. Old one was a Windigo Konnect, both of which are WIDDCOM hardware. Phone is a 6230i NOT the 6310i that I said previously (numbers, numbers, numbers).

Andyni - just before I go ahead - deffo OK that I delete the greyed out COM ports in the device manager? They are for:

4nr - MAT USB-to-serial Bridge
12nr - Standard Serial over Bluetooth link
1nr - USB-Serial Controller

Just concerned that one may be currently redundant but somehow needed by something temporarily connected. What's the worst that could happen?

If you delete a port that is required by the system XP will automatically reinstall the com port when the system is restarted.

 

[996jimbo]

If you delete a port that is required by the system XP will automatically reinstall the com port when the system is restarted.

Is the same true for devices ie Bluetooth radio - Bluetooth Enumerator (about 8 shown pale blue)?

I've just uninstalled the Belkin software and am looking to clean everything up before re-installing.

 

[996jimbo]

I never said thanks to Andyni for this. I've just been searching for these instructions this evening as I have a few problems deleting a driver and remembered this helped in the past.

 

[Antharro]

Be aware that there have been issues with Nokias in the past where they will NOT communicate via Bluetooth unless it is a Nokia Bluetooth dongle. I never managed to get my E65 to talk to the Nokia software with my MSI dongle. Thankfully it came with a USB cable...

 

[HughJarse]

ID also be wondering why you have 35 comports tied up?

 

[Antharro]

ID also be wondering why you have 35 comports tied up?

Bluetooth does that sometimes. I've had COM ports up to the 30-somethings in the past.

 

[HughJarse]

Yes but you can change it in the registry.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\COM Name *****

The "COMDB" value is a binary field that seems to be a bitmap of installed ports. If you have COM1 and COM2, the first byte will be 0x03. Add COM3, 4, 5 and 6 and the first byte will be 0x3F. Go up to COM8 and you'll see 0xFF,
0x01. And so on.
Each bit represents each COM port, and it rises by one value.
COM1 = byte0 bit0
COM2= bit1...
COM8 = bit7
COM9 = byte1

So if you want you can go in and change it.