com ports missing (windows 7)!

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scubal
Posts: 48
Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2011 10:28

com ports missing (windows 7)!

Post by scubal »

Ok
So this is not explicitly a DL problem - but as of today all the com ports from my windows 7 laptop have disappeared :(
Means I cant use downloader.
Last dive I downloaded was 31-12-2014 - and today 27-2-2015 there are NO com ports.
Anyone seen anything like this? I have restarted several times and scanned the hardware for changes but no com ports show up in the device manager. If I manually add com10 device manager removes it as it says its not there (com10 was what I used for downloader).
Any ideas?
divinglog
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Re: com ports missing (windows 7)!

Post by divinglog »

The COM ports show up only when the dive computer is connected and switched on. So maybe the interface cable is broken. Which dive computer do you have?
scubal
Posts: 48
Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2011 10:28

Re: com ports missing (windows 7)!

Post by scubal »

Its a shearwater petrel (v1) so uses bluetooth.
There are no ports available to choose - bluetooth or otherwise - when I try to do the import and the computer is in sync mode.
It shows up as a bluetooth device elsewhere
scubal
Posts: 48
Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2011 10:28

Re: com ports missing (windows 7)!

Post by scubal »

Ok
So I've fixed it. Thought I would share the fix with everyone in case anyone else ends up at this thread with the same problem! I still don't know why the ports disappeared over the last two months - but here's what I did:

a) On the PC go into Bluetooth devices and hit 'add a device'. Put the shearwater into log download mode so that its BT is on. Tell the PC to discover new devices and select the Petrel. Seems you have to be an admin on the PC for this? Tell the PC you want to enter your own pairing code and use '0000'. Windows will then install the drivers. this can take some time. (BT2.JPG)

b) First time I did this windows seemed to install the WRONG serial driver. Checking the properties of the Bluetooth device after installation showed '(Standard Serial over Bluetooth Link (COM10)' in Device functions tab. Again the Dive Log upload failed using this port. Could be because I had done so much messing around with it?

c) I deleted the Bluetooth device and re-added. This time the correct port appeared in three places - 1) Services tab on BT device properties (BT5.JPG), 2) Hardware Tab on BT device properties and Ports in device Manager.

After this the upload in Diving log works OK (against Port 7 Bluetooth). And the BT ports show up in device manager even when the Shearwater is not turned on (ie once they are created they stay there).
Don't know why the ports disappeared - but at least I know how to get them back :)
Attachments
Services tab
Services tab
BT5.JPG (31.01 KiB) Viewed 4959 times
Bluetooth device added
Bluetooth device added
BT2.JPG (32.4 KiB) Viewed 4959 times
Incorrect Hardware device functions - wrong port?
Incorrect Hardware device functions - wrong port?
BT3.JPG (39.08 KiB) Viewed 4959 times
divinglog
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Posts: 5768
Joined: Sat Feb 08, 2003 21:02
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Re: com ports missing (windows 7)!

Post by divinglog »

Great to hear that you got it working and thank you very much for your detailed instructions for other users!
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