"COM port in use"- Solved!
![Vern Graner](https://forums.parallax.com/uploads/userpics/677/nQRFE6PEXW4Q4.png)
So I had a snag today when I opened my Basic Stamp Editor on my Windows XP laptop...
The Basic Stamp Editor, the Rogue Robotics uMP3 configurator, heck even Hyperterm declared the COM port was "in use"... (wtf?)![confused.gif](http://forums.parallax.com/images/smilies/confused.gif)
After much research, rebooting, googling etc. (about 3 hours of dev time lost!) I discovered that a video driver (called x10drivers.exe) I had dloaded from X10.com for my USB video capture module had installed a system-level service called X10 Device Network Service! (wtf^2?!).
Now why a "video driver" would install system-level service that runs CONSTANTLY for a device I only plug in on occasion..? Well, I really can't say how I feel about that!![mad.gif](http://forums.parallax.com/images/smilies/mad.gif)
Anyway, this service not only ran "automaticly" every time I started the machine, but it had taken over the COM port as well. Once I disabled this service, everything returned to normal. Of course it's COB so I won't get to do any programming today, but I wanted to take a second to share this information in case someone else does a search on this problem, they won't have to spend the entire afternoon tracking it down.![smile.gif](http://forums.parallax.com/images/smilies/smile.gif)
Vern
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The Basic Stamp Editor, the Rogue Robotics uMP3 configurator, heck even Hyperterm declared the COM port was "in use"... (wtf?)
![confused.gif](http://forums.parallax.com/images/smilies/confused.gif)
After much research, rebooting, googling etc. (about 3 hours of dev time lost!) I discovered that a video driver (called x10drivers.exe) I had dloaded from X10.com for my USB video capture module had installed a system-level service called X10 Device Network Service! (wtf^2?!).
Now why a "video driver" would install system-level service that runs CONSTANTLY for a device I only plug in on occasion..? Well, I really can't say how I feel about that!
![mad.gif](http://forums.parallax.com/images/smilies/mad.gif)
Anyway, this service not only ran "automaticly" every time I started the machine, but it had taken over the COM port as well. Once I disabled this service, everything returned to normal. Of course it's COB so I won't get to do any programming today, but I wanted to take a second to share this information in case someone else does a search on this problem, they won't have to spend the entire afternoon tracking it down.
![smile.gif](http://forums.parallax.com/images/smilies/smile.gif)
Vern
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Vern Graner CNE/CNA/SSE | "If the network is down, then you're Senior Systems Engineer | obviously incompetent so why are we Texas Information Services | paying you? Of course,if the network http://www.txis.com | is up, then we obviously don't need Austin Office 512 328-8947 | you, so why are we paying you?" ©VLG