Com Ports

[Fay]

My Canon EOS is asking for COM port 4.
When I go into Device Manager - Hardware- Com Ports. COM 4 is not visible.
Please can anyone tell me how to find this port & assign it to the camera?


Thanks

Fay

[Rocket Pooch]

Hi Fay,

When you plug the EOS into a USB port the USB port allocated the COM port, you have probably plugged it into a different usb port from before.

Chris

[Rick]

Yeah. Windows is irritating like that. It helps to remember which USB socket you used when you set things up, and then use the same one every time. The alternative is to repeat the set-up for every possible socket, but some drivers (*cough* Garmin *cough*) don't seem to want to know about more than one socket...

[Fay]

Rick,

I have always used the same USB port,the problem is, when you need to connect a new item.

I am ok when using the SX camera.

If I use the Canon EOS I use the same 2 ports on the side of the laptop. The webcam, which usually takes up the last back 2 ports, I have to take the LX cable out, to free a port for the shoestring guider, which is no good if the guide stars are a bit scarce & I need a longer exposure time.

  I have got this serial bus adaptor, but if I put the Shoestring in there, it is not recognised. I also have a USB mouse, which will need a port. I want to put the Shoestring & mouse in the bus adaptor.
In device manager, it list a few ports, but I need to know which port each item is using & how to assign items to spare one's. 

DSLR Focus, the program for the Canon, keeps saying that Com port 4 is not available & I am thinking that the Shoestring has taken it, but without being able to see if it has, I am not sure what to do.

Sorry this is long winded, hope you can understand it, I know you are an expert!


Fay

[Mike]

Try deleting the device from the Device Manager in the Control Panel. Then reboot and reinstall the software. That usually works.

[Fay]

Thanks Mike, yes, I was thinking that is what I will have to do. I thought I would reinstall with the Canon & webcam plugged in, so they have the ports they want.



FAy

[Rick]

DSLR Focus, the program for the Canon, keeps saying that Com port 4 is not available & I am thinking that the Shoestring has taken it, but without being able to see if it has, I am not sure what to do.

Ugh! Definitely sounds like delete-and-re-install time. I hadn't realised Windows' USB handling was quite that bad though. The whole point of USB is that it shouldn't matter which particular socket you use, nor how many different devices you connect at various times...

[Mike]

Since getting my Mac it has really driven home to me how crap Windows is, especially when it comes to managing devices. For all of the devices I plugged into my PC, i.e. scanners, printers, Midi Keyboards, Webcams, Firewire Mixing Desk, etc. for every one you had to install a set of drivers and then do a reboot afterwards. With the Mac, you plug the device in, and it works - No driver installs, no reboots, it is incredible. I have plugged in over 20 different USB or FIrewire devices into the Mac so far and have yet to install a driver.

My Firewire Mixing Desk, although it had XP drivers and was "Designed for XP" was constantly not working or not being recognised inside my sequencing software whenever the device was turned on, only after a reboot would it appear in the device list. WIth the Mac I turn it on and instantly it appears in the device list and can be used. The same with a Midi Keyboard that I have, in Windows I had to make sure it was turned on before I started the sequencing software otherwise it wouldn't work. In the Mac if I forget it doesn't matter because when I turn it on after the sequencer has started it pops into the device list immediately.

With the Mac you can turn things on and off, plug them in and out, even in the middle of using it in a piece of software and it handles it all without any issues. You would have thought Microsoft would have got it right by now after all these incarnations of Windows they have been spewing out over the years.

Incredibly, Windows Vista doesn't work very well on my laptop or home PC, and yet when I run it in VMWare on the Mac, it is a lot more stable and even runs FASTER on the Mac than it does on the PC, despite the PC's specs being higher than the Macs.

If it wasn't for the fact that MaximDL doesn't work in OSX I would have abandoned Windows altogether I think. The latest Linux distro of Ubuntu is also a far better option than Vista too.

OK rant over. 

[JohnP]

Fay - from my experience using 2 webcams & my eos on the laptop if you have a working solution dont touch it. I remember when I first tried getting all my kit to work together I had to mess around with ports & what I put where etc. Eventually, I got it all to work & now I make sure everything gets plugged into the right port... ask Tony he knows I have everything labelled. I also found that it's important in what order you plug things in especially as I have what are essentially 2 LX Philips Webcams using same drivers but one working with Serial control LX & the other with Parallel Port - If I don't plug the right one in first it really screws things up...

I would almost suggest deleting everything & starting again... one device at a time....

John

[Fay]

Oh gosh. I am glad Mike stopped there, before he had a heart attack.

Mike, that was very interesting, I'm glad you got that all off your chest, I was not aware that it was a common problem with Windows. I have a piece of paper, in my equipment case, with the port  positions written down. It is a right scenario, as you all say, you don;t want to mess everything up, I would not be technical enough to sort it out if it went all wrong, plus I am of fragile mind & might have a breakdown!!!!

I will do the Shoestring & see how I get on. I may try it in the Bus adaptor, that would permanently free up one of the main ports. I wish I could see a list of what used which port, but it does not appear you can do that.

All was ok before I wanted to guide with the Canon, as I had enough ports.

Thanks everyone 

[Rocket Pooch]

my windows allways work ok?  maybe i'm in the minority?

[Ian]

I reckon so. The only thing I have that might move around is a usb-serial adaptor and if it goes in the top usb port its com10, in the bottom it's com8. p.i.t.a.

I'd go with John's advice. Plug stuff in the same way, every time. Is K3CCDTools still locking up on you? It might be related...

[Fay]

I have not used it enough, recently, to test it. I do plug everything in the same ports, as well. I cannpt get that USB serial adaptor to work ok. I don't like to mess about too much in case it ruins everything for next time I go out.

Please can you have a quick look at my Maxim query, as it would cure my K3 freezing up problem if I use Maxim, with the correct settings for the equipment.

Thanks.


Fay

[Ian]

I can't help with Maxim I'm afraid. Not tried guiding with it yet. But you could bring your laptop to the committee meeting on Thursday. Then we can all stand around, scratch our chins, um and ahh, and hope that it suddenly starts working again.

[Rick]

Have you managed to get that camera working again yet, Fay?

P.S. Freeserve's decided to be very picky about accepting emails today.

[Fay]

Rick, I am having a nightmare with signing on & getting mails lately, desktop or laptop, I always get error codes 718 & 691, I think it is. It usually takes about 8 trys to get in!

I rang up the help line & go straight thru to India, & never seem to get the problem sorted out.   

No, my camera problem in on the laptop. Mac has said he will pop over on Monday, he is a bit of a whizz as well, so I will see how he gets on thanks for your help.



Fay