Documentation Number 3PCIOSD1x-3903m Manual
Appendix F
F-1
B&B Electronics Mfg Co – 707 Dayton Rd - PO Box 1040 - Ottawa IL 61350 - Ph 815-433-5100 - Fax 815-433-5104
B&B Electronics Ltd – Westlink Comm. Pk. – Oranmore, Galway, Ireland – Ph +353 91-792444 – Fax +353 91-792445
Appendix F: Renaming COM Ports - Win 95/98/ME
Renaming PCI COM Ports Using
the PnP COM Rename Utility
CAUTION
: You must be using Windows 95/98 or ME. This utility is
not designed for NT or other Windows versions.
This program edits the registry directly, it will only change entries
related to B&B PCI or USB Serial Ports. Improper use of this
program can cause conflicts with other COM Ports installed on your
computer.
Renaming COM ports will only affect software that accesses COM
ports through Windows, not software that accesses ports from DOS
or at the hardware level.
This program should only be used after all serial ports have been
installed.
Windows 95/98 and ME automatically assigns COM port numbers
starting at COM5 when the port is not at the standard base
addresses for COM1 to COM4.
If your software refuses to access COM ports above COM4, and you
have unused COM numbers that you want to be able use with your
B&B PCI Serial Card, this utility can be used to rename some or all
of the ports to the unused COM numbers.
First, check the ports list shown in the Device Manager, then check
any Modem or FAX device to make sure that the port number isn't
being used for a FAX/Modem or Network Redirector.
If you have built-in ports you want to disable from the BIOS in order
to use your PCI card at that COM number, first remove the port with
the Device Manager. Then re-boot to the BIOS, disable the port with
hardware settings, Exit with a "Save Settings", then re-start
Windows Next, verify the port number is not present. Then use the
Rename utility to rename the PCI card ports as needed.
To Remove a Port: Choose Settings, Control Panel, System, Device
Manager, then select the port to highlight it. Click Remove below the
window. To remove all B&B PCI ports, select the B&B Serial
Adapter. This clears registry entries for the card and ports.
Install the PCI/USB COM Port Utilities
(1) To use the PnP COM Rename utility, insert the PCI/USB COM
Port Utility Disk and run Setup.exe. This will install COMTest
and PnP COM Rename under Programs, B&B Electronics.
F-2
Appendix F
Documentation Number 3PCIOSD1x-3903m Manual
B&B Electronics Mfg Co – 707 Dayton Rd - PO Box 1040 - Ottawa IL 61350 - Ph 815-433-5100 - Fax 815-433-5104
B&B Electronics Ltd – Westlink Comm. Pk. – Oranmore, Galway, Ireland – Ph +353 91-792444 – Fax +353 91-792445
(2) The Rename utility will not be installed if you are running
Windows 2000 or NT.
Using PnP COM Rename
(1) Shut down all programs that are accessing any Com ports.
(2) Start the PnP COM Rename Utility from the Programs menu
under B&B Electronics.
(3) Read the Cautionary Warnings. It is possible to rename a PCI or
USB serial port to a number already in use which will cause
problems. If any problems occur after renaming, you may need
to re-start the system and rerun the Rename utility to correct the
situation or remove the serial card in the Device Manager. Then
Refresh the Device Manager to detect the card and re-install the
drivers. Determine which renamed COM port caused the
problem, and do not use that name for a renamed port.
(4) Accept the conditions of use by clicking Yes or click No to exit.
(5) Select the currently named COM port number you want to
change in the left window, then the new number in the right
window. Then click Finish. Repeat for other ports as needed.
(6) If the PCI card was previously installed and not removed in the
Device Manager, you may find several B&B COM ports with the
same number. The last instance of the same number is usually
the most recent installation. Only the active ports can be
renamed with the program to show the new name under the
Device Manager. Inactive port numbers will not show any
change after renaming. Ideally, unused entries should be
