Hey everyone! I'm having some trouble understanding how COM ports work. I've been doing some research and I came across a statement that says COM ports change every time the PC reboots. Is that really the case? I want to know if there's a way to assign a USB adapter to always be recognized as the same COM port (like COM4) every time I reboot the PC, as long as it's still connected. Thanks for your help! Also, did you like my intro? I thought it was pretty good, lol.
5 Answers
In my experience, dealing with older software has shown that the virtual COM port sometimes changes after reboots, but usually it stabilizes after a few tries. Just play around with it and see what works for you.
Generally, COM ports should remain consistent across reboots. If you're using a USB to Serial Adapter, you might need to first connect it to each USB port on your system and set a specific COM port number in Device Manager. Once configured, it should retain that setting on subsequent reboots as long as you plug it into the same USB port.
It can depend on the adapter brand. For instance, some Prolific chipset USB adapters may assign a different COM number if you switch the physical USB port. However, if you stick to the same port, it should stay consistent.
Physical COM ports shouldn't change either. But with USB adapters, if you're having driver issues or using different USB ports, you might see different COM numbers assigned. Stick to a single port for more stability.
I’ve never had a COM port change after a reboot. However, USB printers can be unpredictable on Windows 10 – we often have issues with 'ghost' USB printers popping up on the factory floor.
That’s what I thought! I guess it’s true that not everything you read online is accurate, lol. Thanks for confirming!