FTDI and COM port descriptions

Ron Czapala

If you are like me, you have many devices using FTDI chips e.g. Parallax USB2SER, USB to Serial RS232 adapter, Propeller USB Protoboard, USB oscilloscope, etc etc.
The Windows XP System "Tray Safely Remove Hardware" tool usually shows them all as "USB Serial converter" but does not uniquely define them.

If you are comfortable using the Registry Editor, you can modify the DeviceDesc key for each FTDI device to give them unique names which appear in the Safely Remove Hardware tool.

These keys are found under:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\USB\Vid_0403&Pid_6001

For example, the following reg file shows my Oscilloscope and Propeller Demo Board keys

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
 
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\USB\Vid_0403&Pid_6001\5&97be1ee&0&2]
"DeviceDesc"="USB Oscilloscope"
 
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\USB\Vid_0403&Pid_6001\A2002Yej]
"DeviceDesc"="Propeller Demo Board"

It is also difficult to keep track of COM ports, so I wrote a HTML application which lists port information pulled from the registry. The devices do not have to be attached to appear in the list.

You may find this stuff useful if you run Windows XP

The attached zip file contains the HTML application (EnumPorts.hta).

USE THIS INFORMATION/HTA FILE AT YOUR OWN RISK
I have no idea whether any of this works under VISTA or Windows 7

electrosys

Fine helping software, I just needed something like this, I have FTDI, Silicon Labs CP210x USB
to UART bridge, Prolific USB-to-Serial and othder Com parts on board, so it's really helping me.
Thank you very much for your work.

Franklin

Works in 7.

Ron Czapala

Franklin,
Thanks! Good to know.
Do both the EnumPorts.hta and the registry DeviceDesc changes work?

Franklin

It won't let me write to the desc. value but I don't plan to change those anyway.

Ron Czapala

Franklin,
This link may be the answer to updating the registry (if you want to do so):

http://windows7themes.net/windows-7-registry-changes.html

localroger

Another approach, which might make more sense if you have a *lot* of FTDI devices, is that I recall reading that FTDI have a hack posted at their site which changes the behavior so that the COM port and ID become dependent on the particular USB port you're plugged into instead of the FTDI serial #. (Sorry I don't have a link and haven't tried it myself, but saw it awhile back here on ye olde forums, maybe the new search thingie can find it)

sylvie369

It comes up okay on Vista Home Premium, though I get an error when I click the button to bring it up in IE. But I see the table of ports, and the Print button works fine.