#TN025

 #Summary

I get an error message which says' Serial Port COM1 No 8250 present' .

 #Problem  

No serial port is available

There a number of laptops being produced without printer/serial ports.
If you are using a dongle on the printer port (and have a printer port),
its safe to assume that you have a serial port, but have done one of the following
(or the supplier has):

1. You have selected seaPro to use another serial port other than the one 
    installed (this is usually Com port 1)

2. You have disabled the serial port or assigned it for another purpose such as infra red or
    modem - the serial port might also be either disabled, missing or not working.

#Solution  

Check if you actually  have a serial port installed:

From the windows start button select control panel and then System. Select the
Device manager tab and then click on Ports - you should then see which serial 
ports are available, check properties to see if they are working.

If you do not see a serial com port, you will need to check your BIOS settings.
Refer to your computer manual/supplier.
If you find that you do not have a serial port, then you will need to add a serial port

Options

If your computer has a USB port (most modern ones do)
Purchase a serial adaptor (USB is NOT a conventional serial com port !)
Expect to pay about £50-£60 for this.

If your computer does not have  a printer port you computer supply may have a special adaptor that
supports both printer and serial port

This is the easiest and cheapest solution

No USB port
1. Add a PCMCIA serial card - these tend to be more expensive and difficult to locate
than USB converters.

2. Use your computer docking station if this contains a serial port.