# Com port sharing **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 5, 2000, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/com-port-sharing/18629 "2000-05-05T02:17:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2000, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/com-port-sharing/18629/1 "2000-05-05T02:17:26Z")
Does anyone know how to share a com port with Novell 3.12 or Windows? ---
**Author:** ![CreoSote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f08c70/32.png) [@CreoSote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CreoSote)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2000, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/com-port-sharing/18629/2 "2000-05-05T02:22:58Z")
To what end? What is it you are trying to accomplish? If you are trying to say… Share internet connectivity, Win98 will allow you to do this with it’s built in utility. With WinNT it can act as a proxy to the same end. Please elaborate your question, and I (or someone) can try to elaborate an answer. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2000, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/com-port-sharing/18629/3 "2000-05-05T02:30:00Z")
I have an app that needs a com port. The PC has a mouse on one and a modem using the other. There are free com ports on another PC. It would be nice if the app could see a com port on another pc. It probably can’t be done, the app will look for IRQ 1 or 2, not a networked com port, but I thought I’s give it a shot. Yes, internet sharing on Win 98 SE is cool. ---
**Author:** ![soulsling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@soulsling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulsling)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2000, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/com-port-sharing/18629/4 "2000-05-05T02:36:59Z")
carn: what app? whats hooked up to your com ports now (what to what port?) and whats on your lpt2 port? no ps/2 mouse port? why not just assign the app a different irq? you usually have a few available anyway, 10 or 11 maybe. please elaborate just a little more… i’d like to help if i could. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2000, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/com-port-sharing/18629/5 "2000-05-05T02:40:21Z")
You can buy an add in ISA or PCI com port card for $ 10-30 that will allow IRQ assignments other than 3 and 4 to avoid conflits with existing ports. see [http://www.dalco.com](http://www.dalco.com) [http://www.cyberguys.com](http://www.cyberguys.com) [http://www.necx.com](http://www.necx.com) ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2000, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/com-port-sharing/18629/6 "2000-05-05T02:46:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > You can buy an add in ISA or PCI com port card for $ 10-30 that will allow IRQ assignments other than 3 and 4 to avoid conflits with existing ports. > > see > [http://www.dalco.com](http://www.dalco.com) > [http://www.cyberguys.com](http://www.cyberguys.com) > [http://www.necx.com](http://www.necx.com) > \*\* Now that’s an idea; I have a jumpered board around here somewhere that has four com ports, but no documentation. I guess I couls plug it in and see if smoke comes out the back. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2000, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/com-port-sharing/18629/7 "2000-05-05T02:52:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > carn: what app? whats hooked up to your com ports now (what to what port?) and whats on your lpt2 port? no ps/2 mouse port? > why not just assign the app a different irq? you usually have a few available anyway, 10 or 11 maybe. > please elaborate just a little more… > i’d like to help if i could. > \*\* The Wife has a digital camera. It uploads the pics through a com port. We’re using Win98 internet sharing, but she won’t let me pull her modem because it was a present from me. She won’t even let me disable the modem. I suspect she has no faith in the home network and wants to be able to IRC on the other phone line if need be. It is an AT board with no bus mouse. It is easier to do tech support at work than at home. 🙂 Thanks, Carn ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2000, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/com-port-sharing/18629/8 "2000-05-05T03:53:25Z")
Go spend ten dollars and get a ps2 mouse. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2000, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/com-port-sharing/18629/9 "2000-05-05T04:26:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > Go spend ten dollars and get a ps2 mouse. > \*\* It’s an AT motherboard, Dude. There is no ps/2 connector. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2000, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/com-port-sharing/18629/10 "2000-05-05T11:06:43Z")
There are also USB add in cards, if your running Win 98. Then your set for new devices out on the market too. ---
**Author:** ![JonF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@JonF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JonF)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2000, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/com-port-sharing/18629/11 "2000-05-05T11:31:35Z")
> [@](#): > > The Wife has a digital camera. It uploads the pics through a com port. If you can, spend around $100 and buy a thing that looks like a floppy disk and has a slot for the memory card from the camera. Running the appropriate driver will allow you to access the disky-like thing as if it were really a floppy disk. This will be **much** faster and more convenient and more robust than the serial link. Faster is the major thing; you are going to get tired of the serial connection very soon. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2000, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/com-port-sharing/18629/12 "2000-05-06T01:13:06Z")
\>\> It’s an AT motherboard, Dude. There is no ps/2 connector Many AT mainboards have PS/2 connectors, including mine. I think most of the later ones did. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2000, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/com-port-sharing/18629/13 "2000-05-06T03:30:31Z")
Really? I thought that there were AT motherboards and PS/2 motherboards. All the ATs I’ve seen had the dime sized keyboard connectors and no bus mouse. The PS/2s I’ve seen have two pencil sized connectors for keyboard and mouse. Are there expansion cards for PS/2 mice?