Author Topic: how to unlock frozen COM port?  (Read 9396 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline AdminTopic starter

  • Administrator
  • Supreme Robot
  • *****
  • Posts: 11,703
  • Helpful? 173
    • Society of Robots
how to unlock frozen COM port?
« on: January 31, 2009, 08:28:56 PM »
Some program was using the COM port, reserved it, then when the program shut down (or crashed) it didn't unreserve it - but the computer still thinks the COM port is being used and won't let me use it for something else.

I could just restart my laptop, but there has to be a better way to fix this . . .

I see this problem occasionally on the SoR forum, so figured this would help many of us!
Logged

Offline pomprocker

  • Supreme Robot
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,431
  • Helpful? 16
  • Sorry miss, I was giving myself an oil-job.
    • Nerdcore - Programming, Electronics, Mechanics
Re: how to unlock frozen COM port?
« Reply #1 on: January 31, 2009, 10:07:02 PM »
Have you tried to disable/reenable it in Device manager?
Logged

Offline AdminTopic starter

  • Administrator
  • Supreme Robot
  • *****
  • Posts: 11,703
  • Helpful? 173
    • Society of Robots
Re: how to unlock frozen COM port?
« Reply #2 on: January 31, 2009, 10:30:25 PM »
That was the first thing I checked actually. But Device manager says nothing is plugged in to USB despite the fact I hear a 'beep' noise when I plug the device into USB.

'Scan for hardware changes' has no affect.
Logged

Offline pomprocker

  • Supreme Robot
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,431
  • Helpful? 16
  • Sorry miss, I was giving myself an oil-job.
    • Nerdcore - Programming, Electronics, Mechanics
Re: how to unlock frozen COM port?
« Reply #3 on: January 31, 2009, 11:43:26 PM »
Is this com port 1-4 or or a virtual com port
Logged

Offline AdminTopic starter

  • Administrator
  • Supreme Robot
  • *****
  • Posts: 11,703
  • Helpful? 173
    • Society of Robots
Re: how to unlock frozen COM port?
« Reply #4 on: January 31, 2009, 11:51:06 PM »
com port 1-4
Logged

Offline cosminprund

  • Robot Overlord
  • ****
  • Posts: 284
  • Helpful? 8
Re: how to unlock frozen COM port?
« Reply #5 on: February 02, 2009, 07:12:25 AM »
Did you look into Task Manager? Is the process that's locking up the COM port really gone? If it is not gone, end-process it.
Normally this should never happen, it would be a major bug in Windows (we're talking Windows, right?) - while Windows has bugs, I don't expect "major" bugs. During my play with serial ports I obviously locked my application many times, never had a problem with the port getting stuck!
Logged

Offline AdminTopic starter

  • Administrator
  • Supreme Robot
  • *****
  • Posts: 11,703
  • Helpful? 173
    • Society of Robots
Re: how to unlock frozen COM port?
« Reply #6 on: February 02, 2009, 08:11:41 AM »
Quote from: cosminprund on February 02, 2009, 07:12:25 AM
Did you look into Task Manager? Is the process that's locking up the COM port really gone? If it is not gone, end-process it.
Normally this should never happen, it would be a major bug in Windows (we're talking Windows, right?) - while Windows has bugs, I don't expect "major" bugs. During my play with serial ports I obviously locked my application many times, never had a problem with the port getting stuck!
Yeap, I killed the process, but still wouldn't work. I see this bug probably 2 or 3 times a year on my PC, and occasionally on other peoples PC's.
Logged

Offline Joesavage1

  • Robot Overlord
  • ****
  • Posts: 268
  • Helpful? 0
    • Dev-HQ - Learn C++, Visual Basic, HTML and More!
Re: how to unlock frozen COM port?
« Reply #7 on: February 02, 2009, 09:28:29 AM »
do ANY of the COM ports work?
Logged

Offline AdminTopic starter

  • Administrator
  • Supreme Robot
  • *****
  • Posts: 11,703
  • Helpful? 173
    • Society of Robots
Re: how to unlock frozen COM port?
« Reply #8 on: February 02, 2009, 09:34:35 AM »
Well I already restarted my PC yesterday so its all working fine now.

I didn't try to test all of my ports, I just know I was on port 2 and it refused to connect to that port with my Axon plugged in.
Logged

Offline Joesavage1

  • Robot Overlord
  • ****
  • Posts: 268
  • Helpful? 0
    • Dev-HQ - Learn C++, Visual Basic, HTML and More!
Re: how to unlock frozen COM port?
« Reply #9 on: February 02, 2009, 09:41:24 AM »
Ok, must be a Win XP problem although ive never had the problem myself.

Joe (BTW nice meeting you Admin, never spoke to you before =D)
Logged

Offline AdminTopic starter

  • Administrator
  • Supreme Robot
  • *****
  • Posts: 11,703
  • Helpful? 173
    • Society of Robots
Re: how to unlock frozen COM port?
« Reply #10 on: February 02, 2009, 10:06:30 AM »
sup. :P

(it could also be a driver problem)
Logged