COM port problem

[mengedal]

Hi,
It may be the wrong place for this question, but you Brink seem to know your way around Vista (a very scarce resource these days ).

My problem is that (running Vista Home Premium) I seem to have lost my COM1 port (and all other COM / LPT ports with it). I use Palm T5 and need the COM1 port for synching this device. The Palm cradle is plugged into a USB connection straight into the computer (not the USB hub ports).

But I get the error "The selected port, COM1, is not available at this time. Hotsynch manager will open the port when it become available."

I dont have any modems etc running, and when I look in Device manager, there is no line like "Communication ports", COM and Printer ports or something like it.

Curiously, I have my old HP Laser jet 4 running smoothly - so there must be some printer port somewhere .

If you have any kind of idea on how to resolve this problem, I would be very thankful - not synching the palm for weeks-on-end is bad in the long run .

Perhaps just buying a BlueTooth dongle would actually be a solution ?
Kind regards,
Morten

 

[xguntherc]

brink can probably help you there, but I will say that I have a Bluetooth Dongle, and I indeed like it very much.. it works for all my needs, including using it to sync to my phone and use the joystick on my Sony Ericsson as a remote.. I can use it to control the mouse on screen with my phone from my bed..

Get a Dongle to sync all ur stuff to it, including your Palm..

 

[johngalt]

mengedal - Go into Device Manager and then go to View and enable Show hidden devices

 

[dmex]

Check your BIOS and make sure the COM and PRT ports are enabled.

 

[johngalt]

Good idea also - although this should *not* have changed, in theory, a BIOS update (and since my mobo can do it from inside Windows I am sure others can too) might have reverted a setting back to default....

 

[Stickywulf]

Palm Tungsten T5 connects cradle via USB. You need to configure the Palm HotSync Manager to synchronise through a USB connection and not through COM1.

Once you have installed the PALM software there will be an icon for Hotsync Manger in the notification tray at the bottom right of the screen (near the clock).
Click on the Hotsync Manager icon and then click on "Local USB"

Now that you have configured the PALM software to connect through USB, press the HotSync button on the PALM to synchronise your PALM computer.

 

[mengedal]

Hi guys´n girls,
StickyW was quite right. I didn´t even have to do anything - one day I just got so annoyed that I pressed the HotSynch button on the Palm cradle ... and - woops!! - the darn thing started synch´ing .

All problems solved - so far - and thanks for all the good pieces of advice.

KR,
Morten