SKU: Any Atlona Product
Subject: How to launch device manager on Windows computers (and change COM ports)
Steps:
Device Manager is a part of the Windows control panel that allows users to see what devices are connected to their computer. In order to ensure the correct comm (communication) port is being used on a PC when a USB to Serial/RS232 cable is being utilized, users may have to access the “Ports (COM & LPT) section of Device Manager to see what COM# their computer is using.
To access Device Manager in Win 7, Win 8 and Win 10 please follow the steps below:
Method 1 (quickest):
- Enter “Run” in your start menu:
- Type in “devmgmt.msc” into the “Open:” text box
This will then pull up the device manager application for you.
Method 2:
- Click “Start”
- Type “Device Manager”, click enter
This will open the Device Manager application.
Method 3: Click “Start” and double click on “My Computer”. From there, access the Control Panel. In the control panel, click on “View Devices and Printers” which will take you to a screen showing connected devices. After that, right click and select “Device Manager”
This will then open Device Manager for you.
To locate the COM ports section:
Once you are in Device Manager, locate the section called “Ports (COM & LPT)” : 
Clicking the arrow to the left of “Ports” will allow you to see all connected com devices:
To change comm ports:
- Double click on an available comm connection to reveal that ports properties:
- Click on “Port Settings” to reveal the port settings:
- Click on “Advanced” to change Comm port’s:
* Please note, while Windows may state that a comm port is currently in use, it is safe to override this comm port unless you specifically know you have another device that’s connected and is using that port number *