Accumulating COM ports

Ladies and Gents,

I have a problem with Windows XP SP2 installing COM Ports. Everytime a new one is installed, Windows will accumulate it to the next number. Instead of installing the next available COM Port it'll install COM5 then 6, then 7, then, 8 etc. now i'm up to COM17. I checked the Device manager and it only shows COM1. I'm using a Bluetooth adapter (linksys USBBT100) and ActiveSync to communicate with my cell phone and sync via a virtual COM port that the linksys utility installs when i choose Bluetooth Serial port. Unfortunately ActiveSync apparently will only work on com ports 1-9. There are no COM ports installed in the Device Manager except COM1. Just wondering why XP is holding all previously installed COM ports and not releasing them. Is there a registry fix for this? please heeeeeelp! The Linksys Utility and ActiveSync program have been removed and reinstalled. can't figure it out. Is it a problem with Linksys? ActiveSync? or Windows? i'm thinking Windows. Thanks

Chris

 

I'm going purely from searches here with no first-hand but several items that may be of interest. It does seem that XP hasn't done a great job with this technology yet.

Take a look at http://www.braddolman.com/proximitysync/

And from a blog

Another device

 

Thanks for the suggestion. I found the solution...
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UNHIDING SYSTEM DEVICES...
@ECHO OFF
set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1
cd\windows\system
start devmgmt.msc
exit
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by doing this it unhides ALL the previously devices in device manager that are not in use. after i put that code in the CMD, all the devices that i have ever installed on my machine showed up. Point is, is that those COM ports also showed up as installed but not used. i removed all of them and then it worked.

Chris

 

Excellent news and thanks for posting back with your fix.