Re: "Ports (COM & LPT) missing in device manager in Windows Vista Ultimate. How do I
Thanks for your answer. I solved the Bluetooth/WiFi issue by turning on the switch on the left side of the computer that activates that. I didn't think that my computer contained such a switch and was most surprised when I checked carefully that I did in fact have one that somehow got turned off. I did not turn it off myself so how it happened is a mystery to me. At least, now it works.
I solved the printer problem by installing the printer again through the Device Manager itself and using the Dell 927 Photo Printer installation disk. I am now able to print again.
Your help was much appreciated since it got me headed in the right direction.
By the way, I contacted "FixIt" on the internet and by phone and spend a lot of time with them trying to fix these apparently simple problems with no success at all.
They advertised 15 free minutes but they spent that by asking me a lot of questions and having great difficulty hooking up to my computer. I told them in the beginning that all I wanted to do was restore my Device Manager to a proper working function so that the Ports (COM & LPT) would again appear in it. The technician spent a lot of time moving around in my computer and trying things that I was already aware of and nothing worked. Then, after that useless exercise, showed me a lot of viruses in my system (that I question) and suggested I pay $299.00 year to keep my computer working right. He then suggested removing the viruses alone for $24.95, but still would not guarantee that the device Manager would then work properly. We ended up exactly where we started. I cannot believe that a complete reformat of my hard drive and reinstallation of the original program, i.e. Windows Vista Ultimate, would not have rectified the problem had I decided to go that route. I cannot believe that any virus would survive a deep reformat of a disk. My suspicion is that this outfit was just trying to sell support plans for $299 or virus removal plans for viruses that may or may not have really been there for $24.95.
My computer is working fine now. I have run every virus/spyware eliminator I have (Ad Aware, Registry Mechanic, Windows Defender, CCleaner, Spy Bot Search & Destroy, and AVG AntiVirus. I found nothing on my computer at all. Knock on wood. Now it is working like a charm.
WJA
