ok, i sprung for a digital camera and i can’t make it work.
i think something is wrong with my comm port.
i can get it to work fine on my mom’s computer.
but my hateful box says it can’t find the camera.
does anyone know how to test a comm port, and if it’s bad, about how expensive and difficult is it to replace?
Not enough details to work on, and I’m not exactly an expert… but if I were to test a com port myself, I’d just plug something in that worked before, like my mouse…
Check the port in you device manager. Right click on “My Computer”, click properties, click the device manager tab, click the plus next to ports, make sure the port isn’t disabled, the driver is installed properly and there are no memory conflicts.
You may have to go into the BIOS at startup to make sure the serial port is enabled. That would be my first guess.
My first impulse is to agree with Feelgood. On computers I use, I routinely turn off com ports I’m not actively using, because they each use an IRQ, and thus can conflict with other devices, such as modems.
Becasue of odd (stupid?) design, Com 1 and Com 3 share an IRQ, as do Com 2 and Com 4. So, if you have a mouse on Com 1, Com 2 enabled but not used, and your modem on Com 4, the modem wil not work properly, if at all. Hopefully, you have a modem that can be configured to use a custom Com port, so that it will not conflict. In many cases, though, it’s difficult at best to use more than two serial devices (devices that use Com ports) on a computer without specialized hardware.
Good luck.
A committee is a lifeform with six or more legs and no brain.
What operating system are you using? If it’s Win95 or Win98, go to Control Panel -> System -> Device Manager and see if the serial port you are trying to use is enabled. Click on the icon for the serial port, click on Resources and it may tell you if there is a conflict or not.
I might add that serial ports are very slow and not very suitable for digital cameras. I don’t know what digital camera you have, but it probably uses SmartMedia or Compact Flash cards for storage. You can get a reader for this card which connects to your parallel or serial port. Or if you have a laptop, get an adapter for the PC card slot, which is even cheaper.
thanks for you advice everyone. you are all very helpful…i’m still visiting my mom and haven’t had a chance to try everything you suggested.
i’ll let you know if i need more help
Listen, now that we live in a world with bus technologies out the wazoo, you can sneer at our forefathers.
But an thou hearken back to ye olde days, you’ll recall that there were only eight possible interrupts in an original IBM PC 8086 or 8088. That didn’t leave a lot of room for different devices. The solution of creating two virtual ports with the same interrupts, but different IO addresses (02F8 for COM1 and 02E8 for COM3) was actually a very innovative response to basic technological limitation.
Melanie:
You might want to try a different device on the comport you’re trying to use. See if the other device works. If the other device works on that comport but the camera doesn’t, then it’s probably a software (drivers) issue. If neither device works, it’s likely the comport as you suspect.
These directions assume Win9x and a PC.
If you’re comfortable fiddling a bit, go the the control panel (Start->Settings->Control Panel->System->Device Manager->Ports) and look at the comports. See if they appear to be working properly. If they appear to be working, make sure nothing else is trying to use it (no other device configured to use that, like an old modem you’ve since removed, etc.) Also, make sure that the comport you’re using doesn’t conflict with an existing device, like an internal modem.
If the comports just don’t appear to exist, when you reboot the computer you should see a message saying ‘press DEL to change settings’ or something similar. Press the key it tells you to. Go through the options, looking for comports, then make sure the settings are the defaults
Com 1 - IRQ 4 - IO 3F8
Com 2 - IRQ 3 - IO 2F8
Com 3 - IRQ 4 - IO 3E8
Com 4 - IRQ 3 - IO 2E8
If the settings don’t match this, or the comports are listed as disabled somehow, you may want to write down the current settings and try changing them. If it doesn’t work, you can always restore from your notes.
And, if that doesn’t work, we’ll need more info to diagnose it.
ok, i borrowed a mouse that fits that port.
the mouse doesn’t work.
so, it is the port.
i went into the control panel and it appears everything is turned on…
i’m going to try the startup thing whitenight suggested.
The chances that its the Comm port are slim.
When youput the mouse on it, be sure to run the ‘add new hardware wizard’ to find it, if necessary.
The chances that its the Comm port are slim.
When youput the mouse on it, be sure to run the ‘add new hardware wizard’ to find it, if necessary.
What they are saying is that if you have an internal modem, you probably won’t be able to get the mouse or the camera going on the extra port. I hope you have the right port, too, cuz there are serial, parl & game ports.
I am guessing since she said that she borrowed a mouse that fits the serial port then her regular mouse is a PS/2. While this uses an interupt, it does not, IIRC, use a comm port. It could still be a conflict with the modem.
If you have a newer computer, get the reader that connects via USB. That sucker is fast. Printer port is much faster than serial, but I hate the pass-through stuff. USB is even faster. Down loading 50 pics via serial from my camera takes about 50 minutes, via USB, it takes less than a minute. Great time saver.
Jeffery
i bought this computer about 6 months ago at a pawn shop.
when i bought it, the modem and sound card were fried.
i still haven’t bothered replacing the sound card.
that’s why in my OP i thought the port may be dead too…i still think it may be the port.
if it is the port, then it is more expensive to fix than the computer is worth
oh, well, there is a floppy disk adapter i can get to load the pictures. i saw a couple on e-bay going for 50 bucks
i’ve been loading the pix into my mom’s computer and e-mailing them to mine…but that’s a hassle.
sigh thanks for your help folks
Check in the BIOS and see if the second serial port is turned off. Most machines come with the hardware hooked up for the port, but the port is turned off in the BIOS to save an IRQ since most machines these days are IRQ challenged.
Keith
You want brilliance BEFORE I’ve had my coffee!!!
As everyone has said, check the BIOS. If that doesn’t change anything with the mouse, you could need to install drivers for the mouse (there are some that do not work with the microsoft mouse drivers). Other than that, you can add a new port cheaply and easily. You can find an ISA com card for about $5 at most any used computer store - though you may have to go rooting around in the bargain bin to find it. Really though I’d be surprised to find out the port itself is actually damaged…
Or you could like copy the System Info to someone via email …