Can I Reassign My USB to Serial Converter to COM 4 or Less on Windows XP?

AI Thread Summary
To reassign a Prolific USB Serial Converter from COM 6 to COM 4 or lower on a Windows XP system, users can modify the registry or manually change the port settings through Device Manager. The registry modification requires caution and can be found in resources linked in the discussion. If multiple COM ports (1 to 5) are reported as in use, identifying the applications or devices utilizing these ports can be done by accessing Device Manager, expanding the Ports section, and refreshing the view after connecting the USB-serial converter. Additionally, upgrading to Windows XP Service Pack 3 may resolve some port assignment issues.
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I have a Prolific USB Serial Convertor which has been assigned COM 6. When connected to a device that allows 6 serial ports it works fine. I'm now trying to communicate with a device that only allows up to COM 4, how do I reassign the USB converter to COM 4 or less?
I'm running WINDOWS XP 2002 on a DELL laptop.
 
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If you're like me and you had COM ports being enumerated starting in the double digits, the following can be used to reset the enumeration (WARNING: requires registry modification):
http://www.bisque.com/sc/forums/p/446/430.aspx

Or you can just manually do it, as per the post above me.
 
Thanks guys I now have an additional problem, the ports 1 to 5 are all described as being used, how do I identify what is using the port so that I can decide which one to change?
 
If you open up the Device Manager (accessible through the Control Panel), expand the Ports section (click on the '+' sign), and then plug in your USB-serial converter, you should be able to see it get auto-detected (you may have to hit refresh).
 
Have you upgrade windows xp to service pack 3 ?. It may be solve your problem.
 
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