Can't Install a second Serial Port

[dorimon81]

I tried installing a second serial port to the header on the motherboard. Windows recognizes the new hardware but my devices that I try to run on the port do not work. As a matter of fact, none of my devices work on that port.

I went out and spent 50 bucks on a USB to serial port converter and I want to bring it back because

#1. It was expensive
#2. It causes my computer to crash when I restart it

Do you guys have any suggestions?

[Steve978]

Did you install the proper software for the serial port? not just the windows xp drivers.

[dorimon81]

It didn't come with any drivers. The night after I bought the port, I went back to the store and I asked them for drivers and they said that it didn't need them.

If I did have to instal drivers, where could I download them?

[eab]

Welcome to the fourms!

Do a www.google.com search for the drivers. Also if you can't get the extra seail ports working look around for a different usb to seail converters. There are cheaper ones out there and the one I have for my palm dosn't crash my computer.

Go check in the device manger and see if there are any errors under the new searil port. Check what they are maybe that can give you some help.

[Steve978]

If your installing the serial on a motherboard header you might not have installed the proper motherboard drivers check to see if there are any on your manufacturers website.

[dorimon81]

There are no updates from the manufacturer.

What can I do?
Maybe I can download a generic serial port driver from somewhere.

Can anyone give me a direct link for this kind of driver download?
That would be greatly appreciated.

[DaveSauce]

check your BIOS to see if the second serial port, if any serial ports, have been enabled. I know that I disabled my serial and parallel ports because I dont use them.

[dorimon81]

They are both enabled. Like I said, everything seems to be detected, but the thing just doesn't want to work.

I hope it's not the motherboard!!!

[Steve978]

Could it be a problem with the peripheral your plugging into it? What are you plugging into it? and have you tried it on another computer.

[dorimon81]

I've tried 3 different devices. The port just doesn't want to work. I have tried it on another computer and it does work. I have no clue how to fix this problem.

HELPPPPPPPP

[stui_nz]

Have you checked that the IRQ for the COM port is not conflicting with another device?

[dorimon81]

Everything for the IRQ's is fine. My first COM port is on IRQ 04 and the second is on IRQ 03.

[repo man11]

Can you tell us what operating system, and what motherboard you are using?

[DaveSauce]

the coms may be on different IRQs, but are they ALONE on those IRQs? there could be another device, like a sound card or video card, that is conflicting with it....

[dorimon81]

No other device is conflicting with it. I go into the device manager and it doesn't say anything about a problem.

The motherboard is an emachines one. I'm not sure about the make and model but the chipset is VIA KM266 I think.

[repo man11]

Are you using Win98? Because this sure sounds like a 98 problem.

Often with 98, there can be an I/O conflict that will not show as a problem in Device Manager. But the device still doesn't work.

I recently had this problem with a 98 machine at work. The NIC had no apparent conflicts, and was listed as working properly in Device Manager. But I still couldn't get the computer on the network.

I swapped the NIC to another PCI slot, and it worked fine.

But XP isn't immune either, especially if the BIOS isn't optimal.

I have my cousin setup with a Chaintech Super 7 motherboard, running XP. If both serial ports and the printer port are enabled in the BIOS, it runs in to some sort of conflict, and won't boot. Since she uses none of these ports, I have them all disabled, and it boots fine. But they are enabled by default, so if you clear CMOS, and don't disable them, the machine won't boot until you disable at least one of the three.

Also, if your BIOS is set to assign an IRQ to USB, try disabling that. Obviously if your USB devices don't work that way, reenable it. But they will probably work fine without it, and that will free another IRQ.

Try disabling your printer port, and one of the two serial ports. Hopefully this wil free up enough resources to enable the remaining serial port.

[dorimon81]

My machine does boot and I am running XP. None of the ports are disabled. I can try disabling the Printer Port because I don't need it, but where would that get me? And why would I want to disable one more COM port if I need them both?

Also, I wanted to ask what I/O it should be on.

[repo man11]

Originally posted by dorimon81
My machine does boot and I am running XP. None of the ports are disabled. I can try disabling the Printer Port because I don't need it, but where would that get me? And why would I want to disable one more COM port if I need them both?

Also, I wanted to ask what I/O it should be on.

The most likely reason for the port not working is a resource conflict. The idea is to free up as many resources as possible, to enable Windows to resolve any hidden conflicts.

If you are able to get the second serial port working by disabling the first, this would help to confirm that a resource conflict is the underlying problem. Of course you'll want to reenable it when you are done.

I would also try the latest Via drivers if you haven't already.

[dorimon81]

I've tried disabling the first, but the second one doesn't work. When I try to search for drivers at the VIA site, there are none to download. Can someone suggest a link to download drivers for a VIA KM266 chipset?

Also, how would I go about resovling a hidden conflict?

[repo man11]

Here is a link to get the Via drivers, http://www.viaarena.com/?PageID=300

After going through the BIOS and freeing up any possible IRQ's, I would uninstall the non working serial port in Device Manager, and then reboot and let it reinstall. Hopefully that will allow Windows to resolve any possible conflicts that may be causing the problem.

[dorimon81]

It still doesn't work. I don't know what the problem can be. I've tried so many things now. The COM2 port just doesn't work. When I try to disable the COM1 port and only enable the COM2, it still doesn't work and I know that it's not the hardware because I've tried more than 1 port and on more than one computer. The only thing that I'm thinking that it could be is the motherboard, but can that be possible?

[stui_nz]

Could you open device manager -> select 'view' and choose 'resources by type'.

Open up the IRQ tree.

Now you can make sure your COM ports aren't sharing IRQ's with another device. You might also try swapping the IRQ's and I/O addresses for your two COM ports, and see if the problem is reversed.

[Supchaka]

Is there a modem in the machine? If so, what port is it on? You asked what resource, should be IRQ3 02f8-02ff for COM2 If there is a modem, its most lekely on some funky emachine com5 or whatnot, but could still be conflicting. Just pullin at some straws here for ya :)

[dorimon81]

I tried what stui_nz said, but it still doesn't work. The computer does have a modem, but it's on COM3 and it's not sharing an IRQ. I'm totally stumped for this one.

[dorimon81]

Do you guys have any more ideas?
Post them if you can because I'm really working hard on this thing to get it to work.

[Supchaka]

Well, if you're bored you can humor me, pull out the modem and see what it does :)

Have you tried going through the add hardware wizard? Manually add a com2 with the resources listed.

[dorimon81]

I pull out the modem and nothing happens. I try installing the driver manually and nothing happens. The farthest I'm getting is to the point where the COM2 is opening up and it supposedly "DOES DETECT" a device on it, but when I try to use the device, it doesn't worl. The weird thing is that when the any metal part of the actual port itself touches another part of my case, it doesn't even detect the device on the port.

Can I maybe try downloading some generic ports from some web site?
Does anybody have a link for generic serial port drivers?
If anybody does, it would be greatly apprecitated.

Thanks

[repo man11]

You may have a hardware problem with the motherboard. If you have a voltmeter, you might want to check to see if you have any dead pins in the port that isn't working. Compare it with the one that does work.

If you don't have a voltmeter, basic ones are inexpensive, so this might be a good time to get one.

[dorimon81]

Now this is starting to get crazy.
When I click on the "Ports Information" in Sisoft Sandra, my Palm Pilot, which is connected to the COM2 port that doesn't work turns on. I'm thinking to myself, how can this be?

Do you guys have any suggestion? I'm thinking that one of the pins on the motherboard is not making proper a propper connection with my device.

[JoT]

I don't exactly see why you're converting USB to Serial, what's the point? If you lack a USB port, why not just buy a USB2 card with 4 USB ports on it?

[dorimon81]

I'm not out of USB ports. The only reason I bought the USB to serial converter is because I couldn't get the original COM2 port to work. I just spent a lot of money on it and it crashes my computer so I am trying to get the original COM2 serial port to work so I can return the converter.

[dorimon81]

How would I be able to fix the incorrect voltages going to each pin from the motherboard? I have observed that only come of the pins are carrying the same voltage as the COM1 port that is working. I know this becase of my Palm Pilot being connected to it. Whenever I boot up the computer and my Palm is connected to the COM2, the Palm turn on but doesn't sync with windows. Could it be a loose connection at the back of the motherboard that I could just solder back together?