Good afternoon folks.

Some months ago, lusting after a laptop with a complete keyboard, that is,
one with a full number pad, six-pack and all, I bought an HP7010, an
altogether delightful machine with every conceivable bell and whistle. If a
bit on the heavy side, a compromise between laptop and desktop, it does
everything I want, everything, that is but provide me with a serial port for
my braille display. Fortunately, the Jaws jfw.ini file provides for editing
the number of the com port used for braille displays, I able to change it to
com6.

As John mentioned, you must go into the control pannel, to hardware under
system, then to the device manager to find out what com port number your
converter has been assigned. While, in principle, John is correct about
being able to reset the port number, with my machine, at least, chucked full
of peripherals, every port but com2 was busy, including com4. Of course, if
com4 is busy, then com2 cannot be used without causing a potential conflict,
hence the assignment by the xp operating system of port number from 5 to 8,
depending upon which u s b connector you plug your converter into. The
nine-pin serial side of the cable should have circuitry inside that allows
the operating system to recognize its existence. The device, whether one
from Radio Shack or somewhere else, should have a cd with the drivers, xp
not likely to know much about the device.

In any event, if your laptop shows com 1 to be free but come3 used, do not
select 1. Likewise, if com2 is shown free but 4 is not, do not select com2.
It is not accidental that the com port number that is likely to show up when
searched for is above 4. Unfortunately, with the A R C program for the
TS2000, you have only com ports 1 to 4 to choose from, nothing higher. I
learned, to my dismay, that, despite my lovely new heavy laptop, I could not
talk to my TS2000 with it.

Good luck.



Jerry, v e 3 q s o

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