Disclosure: I'm a hardware guy that can fake my way through embedded programming (PIC's only) and some windows console programming but dealing with the com ports is over my head even after reading the help files. I'm controlling a Data Acquisition Unit (http://www.measurementcomputing.com/cbicatalog/cbiproduct_new.asp?dept_id=349&pf_id=1522) by the computer via a USB connection. The control portions of the program is already programmed by myself to run in C++ in a windows console and is 100% complete and functioning. The hardware connected to the DAQ sends a continuous string of data back to the com port which I can easily see useing hyperterminal. The data refresh rate on the com port is slightly greater than one line per second and I cannot adjust that. My test needs to run for about 16 hours which would create literally THOUSANDS of lines if I captured everything in hyperterminal. Not a good option. My program currently captures data from the DAQ once every 30 seconds and sends the data to a CSV file. My problem is that I would also like to take the latest info from the com port and send that infomation to the CSV file at the same 30 second capture event. Anyone have any sample code that I could modify? -- http://www.piclist.com hint: The PICList is archived three different ways. See http://www.piclist.com/#archives for details.