> I've looked all over, and can't find the answer on my own, so 
> I'm asking the smartest bunch of people I know.
> I'm using Windows XP, and can't use one of the serial ports.  
> I'm trying to install a drawing tablet that uses the serial 
> port, but now matter what I try (Hyper Terminal, Tera Term, 
> PortMon, other programs that use the serial port), nothing 
> can use it.  The error message I get says that something else 
> is using the telephony device.  Is there any way I can tell 
> what process is using the serial port?  I've tried Googling.  
> About the closest thing I've found is a Microsoft utility 
> called PortMon, but even that can't attach to the serial port 
> and won't/can't tell me what is using it.
> I don't know if the serial port has ever worked properly on this PC.
> I've checked BIOS settings for the port.  Is there any 
> possibility that Norton Internet Security is doing something?
> 
> Thanks,
> John Pfaff


Check under device manager to see if you even have a serial port.  Disable
the port, reboot and see if anything complains.  Or delete it and let
Windows fix it up.

Could be an application like Nero, Quicktime etc trying to connect to the
net to 'check for upgrades' or whatever the hell it is that they do.
Occasionally you get a dumb one that tries to fire up the dial-up
connection.  I had this happen a few weeks ago.  The dial-up connection
dialog remained hidden, so it was bit hard to figure out.  (This person used
dial-up to connect to the net, so that aws broken.)

I used MSCONFIG to disable anything under StartUp that I didn't like.

Tony

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