In this article, we are going to discuss two ways to resolve the problem of the lack of COM ports on computers running the Windows 10 operating system. Windows 10 COM port issues plague many users whose computers have been designed without the inclusion of any serial interfaces. The absence of physical COM ports can hinder a user’s ability to make use of computing peripherals that transmit their data serially.
After installing Windows 10 one of my existing Windows 7 COM ports disappeared. I have an Elecraft K3 radio transceiver connected to the computer which runs the DX Lab suite of software. One of the programs is DX Commander which displays frequency and other items from the radio. The port the radio had been using was COM10. Aug 19, 2019 The problem is that the device does not show up in Device Manager. The device is set to be on COM10, but that port does not appear in device manager. COM10 was the port used in Windows 7. It seems to have disappeared in the move to Windows 10. I think what I need is to create a COM10 port, but I'm not sure of this.
The way to resolve this issue is through the use of Windows virtual serial ports. It can be very frustrating to query your Device Manager with the expectation of finding COM ports only to find that they are not present. We are going to show you two different methods you can use to add COM ports to Windows 10. One is a procedure that employs the native functionality built into the operating system and the other uses third-party software.
Contents
The Problem: Windows 10 COM ports missing
Locating virtual COM port in Windows 10 can be a problem for users. You navigate to your Device Manager with the expectation to see the virtual COM port drivers that were previously loaded on your machine and find they are not there. The serial port option might not be available due to the installation of a Windows 10 update. The update may have impacted the ability of the virtual serial port drivers for certain devices to load by default. This poses a significant issue when you are trying to use these devices.
First, we will investigate the use of Eltima Software’s Virtual Serial Port Driver to add Windows 10 virtual serial ports. We provide a step-by-step procedure which can help you eliminate issues related to COM ports on Windows 10 in as little as three clicks. Read on to learn more about how to use this efficient virtual COM port driver for Windows 10.
Add COM port Windows 10 with Virtual COM Port Driver
When the COM and LPT ports do not appear in your Windows 10 Device Manager your ability to perform your work is negatively impacted. There is a way to resolve this annoying problem in a manner that will prevent it from recurring. The solution is to install the aforementioned Virtual COM Port Driver from Eltima. This application allows the creation of an unlimited number of virtual serial port pairs. The virtual COM port pairs employ a virtual null-modem connection to enable communication with each other.
Users engaged in the practice of developing and testing serial applications and hardware will benefit from the configuration options that are possible through the use of Virtual Serial Port Driver. One example is the ability to allow two applications to share data via virtual serial ports. Connecting the apps with a pair of virtual COM ports lets the data written by one program be immediately made available to the other program. This can save significant time and effort when debugging and testing serial apps and devices.
- 01What is a serial port?
- 03Best Serial Port Logger software
Step-by-step guide to add virtual COM port Windows 10:
Following these steps with Virtual Serial Port Driver (VSPD) will enable you to easily create virtual serial ports on a Windows 10 machine: https://treeomega896.weebly.com/blog/pdf-to-pdf-ocr-converter.
- Download and install VSPD on your Windows 10 computer.
- Launch the application and navigate to the “Manage Ports” tab. Here you can select ports from the drop-down menu or manually enter custom port names.
- After selecting the port names, simply click the “Add Pair” button and you are done! You have now created virtual COM ports which will appear as if they were physical ports in both Serial Ports Explorer and your system’s Device Manager.
- If you desire to delete the pair of ports, simply select it in the Serial Ports Explorer. In the “Manage port” tab just select and click on “Delete pair” and they are gone.
Native method to mount virtual COM ports in Windows 10
There is a fix to the problem of mounting virtual COM ports in Windows 10 that does not require the use of a third-party app. These are the steps to follow to use the Windows 10 operating system fix:
- Go to the Device Manager and type “Device Manager” in the lower left corner of the screen. (See below) Device Manager
- Locate the USB to Serial Converter Settings. After plugging a USB device into your machine, expand the “Universal Serial Bus controllers” list in Device Manager. Click on the “USB Serial Converter” and open the USB Serial Converter properties.
- Enable the VCP Driver loading by opening the “Advanced” tab within the USB Serial Converter properties. Make sure the “Load VCP” option is enabled and then click OK to load the VCP.
- Re-connect the device. Unplug the USB device and re-connect it to your computer. At this time, Windows 10 should recognize the device and load the Virtual Com Port Driver.
How to assign a COM port to a USB device Windows 10?
There are multiple scenarios in which you may need to assign a COM port to a USB device on your Windows 10 computer. Some devices need to have a COM port identifier that falls within a certain range, say between COM1 and COM4. Windows may have assigned a different identifier to the port which you will be required to modify. It’s a relatively simple procedure to perform.
Here is how to assign a COM port to a USB device Windows 10:
- Open the Windows Device Manager.
- Click on the Ports (COM & LPT) to expand the selection. You will see the ports currently in use along with their designated port identifier.
- Right-click on the device whose designation you want to change and select Properties.
- Click on Port Settings and then click the Advanced button.
- Locate the COM Port Number at the lower left of the Advanced Settings window.
- Click the Com Port Number to change the currently assigned port identifier. Select the COM port identifier that you wish to assign to the USB device attached to the port.
- Click OK on all open Property windows.
Ricochet infinity downloads. Following these steps will enable you to change the COM port identifier for USB devices attached to your Windows 10 machine.
Conclusion
Virtual COM Port Driver is an advanced way to add virtual COM port pairs. There are many instances where this Windows 10 COM Port Driver software can be instrumental when working with serial devices and applications. Some of the uses of the software include testing and debugging in usage scenarios that include:
- Verifying the functionality of serial applications for intercepting data transmitted over the network;
- Troubleshooting serial applications which are using null-modem connections;
- Developing firmware for devices that are not physically located near your computer;
- Testing virtual serial port emulators such as GPS, fax, and other devices.
Virtual Serial Port Driver
Requirements: Windows (32-bit and 64-bit): XP(only Standard)/2003(only Standard)/2008/ Vista/7/8/10, Windows Server 2012, Windows Server 2016 , 5.5MB size
Version 9.0.575 (23rd May, 2019) Release notes
Category: Communication Application
Version 9.0.575 (23rd May, 2019) Release notes
Category: Communication Application
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Recently, I bought a Prolific USB-to-Serial adapter for flashing my Android smartphone that I had accidentally bricked. I found out the RXD, TXD and GND points on the mobile phone, connected them to the Prolific adapter, but the software refused to flash the mobile phone. The reason, that I figured out after many hours of hair pulling, was that the flashing software works only with COM 1, COM 2 and COM 3 while the Prolific USB-to-Serial adapter was selected automatically to use COM 11 in Windows. After changing the adapter port from COM 11 to COM 2, I was finally able to flash the mobile phone.
Some of the software are designed intentionally to work with a selected number of COM ports. In order to work with this type of software, you may have to change the COM port number for a connected device. Here is how you can change the COM port for any connected device in Windows:
- Connect the device for which you want to change the port to your PC. Let Windows detect the device. If the device is not PnP ready, then you may have to reboot the PC so that it is recognized.
- Press Win+R hotkey to open the Run dialog. In the Run dialog type devmgmt.msc and press Enter to open the Device Manager.
- In the Device Manager, you will be able to find the connected communication device under the Ports (COM & LPT). Select and right-click on the target device and choose Properties from the context-menu.
- In the Properties window, switch to the Port Settings tab and click on the Advanced button.
- In the Advanced Settings window that opens up, you can choose an available port number from the lower-left corner of the window. In the following screen shot, I have changed the port from COM 11 to COM 2.
- Click on the OK button to save the settings and close the open windows. You may have to remove and re-attach the device for the new settings to take effect.
Port Settings Device Manager
Conclusion: If an application is not working because your device is not using a particular COM port number, then you can change the port number very easily in Windows. This is specially useful for older devices and applications that make use of the fewer number of COM ports.