Changing Serial Port Numbers

Use this procedure to change serial port numbers in Windows XP. You can renumber ports individually or collectively.

Note: In some instances, Windows XP will recognize port numbers above COM9 only if they are prefixed with "\\.\". For example, to access COM10, use \\.\COM10. For the sake of consistency, this convention may also be used for COM1-COM9, if desired. Most communications applications handle this automatically; consult your application's documentation to see how it handles port numbers.

Procedure

1. From the Start menu, choose Control Panel > System > Hardware > Device Manager.

   Note: If you have set the Windows XP Start menu to the "classic" mode, choose Settings > Control Panel > System > Hardware > Device Manager.

2. Choose the (+) plus sign next to Multi-port serial adapters to expand the list of adapters. 

3. Choose the Digi adapter to configure. 

4. From the Action menu, choose Properties.

5. Choose the Advanced tab > choose a port to renumber > Properties.

6. Choose the COM Numbers tab.

   Note: If you want the selected port and all remaining ports to be successively renumbered, check the Renumber remaining COM ports box before proceeding.

7. Use the down arrow to scroll for a new serial port number.

   Note: You can not select a port that is marked "in use." 

8. If you are individually renumbering ports, repeat this process for each individual serial port you wish to renumber. 

9. After renumbering the ports, choose Ok and exit the configuration utility. Windows XP will not need to be rebooted.