Microsoft KB Archive/132201

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Windows 95/98: Checking and Modifying a COM Port

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Q132201

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The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Windows 95
 * Microsoft Windows 98

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SUMMARY
This article describes how to check and modify a serial communications (COM) port setting in Windows 95/98.

MORE INFORMATION
To check COM port settings, do the following:


 * 1) Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
 * 2) Double-click the System icon.
 * 3) On the Device Manager tab, double-click Ports (COM & LPT).
 * 4) Double-click the communications port, COMx (where x is the number assigned to that port) you want to check. This opens the Communications Port Properties window.

Determining if a Device Conflict Exists
If two hardware devices are assigned to the same resource setting, a conflict exists and your hardware may not work properly. Interrupt Requests (IRQ) or Direct Memory Access (DMA) settings are two examples of such device resources.

To determine if there is a device resource conflict, look at the Device status window on the General tab of the Communication Port Properties Window. If no device resource conflicts exist, the status window should contain the following message:

This device is working properly.

If resource conflicts exist on the system, the Device status window should contain the following message:

This device is not present, not working properly, or does not have all the drivers installed. See your hardware documentation.

Next, click the Resources tab and check the Conflicting Device List to determine what, if any, hardware is causing a conflict.

Checking Port Settings
To check the port settings for a COM port, click the Port Settings tab in the Communication Port Properties window. This tab shows the following settings for the COM port:


 * Bits per second (baud rate)
 * Data bits
 * Parity
 * Stop bits
 * Flow control

Modifying a COM Port Setting
If you want to modify COM port settings, do the following:


 * 1) Click the arrow next to the setting you want to change.
 * 2) Click the new setting.
 * 3) Click OK.

For additional information about communications port settings in Windows 95/98, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

"Q123992 Basic Configurations for COM Ports in Windows 95" Additional query words: kbhowto 1995 communication comm com-port setup how-to configurations modems interference

Keywords : kbenv kbhw kbsetup kbimu

Issue type : kbhowto

Technology : kbWin95search kbWin98search kbWin95 kbWin98