Do serial port adapters need drivers?

[rudeguy]

Need a little help. My work computer has xp and I need to use a serial port to rs232 adapter. Device manager sees it but it's got the exclamation mark. IT thinks serial doesn't need an adapter and is been over 5 years since I've dealt with xp, so I'm blanking out.

Does serial need a driver or should I look for another solution?

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Quick search says that you should have a driver for the chipset (of the serial port).

(just what I read online)

 

[rudeguy]

And that adds another wrinkle: they don't install all drivers on our boxen. I don't have sound because they don't install those drivers. I also see a few other things missing drivers.

I have admin privileges so I can install whatever needs to be installed. I just have no idea on this because I haven't used xp or serial since forever ago.

 

[Cerb]

Does serial need a driver or should I look for another solution?

Yes, it needs driver. You should get it with the chipset driver, if it's integrated (Windows has a driver for old Intel-compatible ones, but won't know what to do with it until you install the chipset driver). An add-on, or non-Intel (did old VIA chipsets need different serial drivers, FI? No idea), needs its own.

FI, I have a 2nd serial port with a Moschip-based card; it's at least 8 years old, if not 10, but they have driver support up to Win8.

 

[imagoon]

Yeah it needs a driver. The good ones seem to have eternal support also. FTDI and the ilk make usb-rs232 adapters that a) work and b) support bsd-linux-windows 2000 to Windows 8

 

[mfenn]

I have a few of these Plugable USB to RS232 adapters. They have drivers for pretty much every version of Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. Plus, how can you not support a company that puts the output of lsusb right there on the product page?

 

[rudeguy]

I can find all kinds of usb to rs232 drivers but no serial to rs232.

Lil help?

 

[imagoon]

I can find all kinds of usb to rs232 drivers but no serial to rs232.

Lil help?

RS232 is a physical/electrical serial standard... saying "serial to rs232" is like saying "I need to convert electricity to Alternating Current." IE electricity is well electricity and AC is a type / implementation of it.

What are you trying to do again?

Most computers that have 9 pin D sub serial connectors are using RS232 as the signalling method.

 

[sm625]

You probably need a usb to serial adapter. There a dozens of models and most of them use an FTDI chip.

 

[rudeguy]

RS232 is a physical/electrical serial standard... saying "serial to rs232" is like saying "I need to convert electricity to Alternating Current." IE electricity is well electricity and AC is a type / implementation of it.

What are you trying to do again?

Most computers that have 9 pin D sub serial connectors are using RS232 as the signalling method.

I'm using this cable:

 

[rudeguy]

I did find the updated chipset drivers and that cleared the error in device manager

I got a bit busy today and didn't get a chance to tinker with this much. Heck..I didn't even get a chance to try out the audio!

Oh well..maybe Monday

 

[imagoon]

So which box attaches to the RJ45 end? Windows does not need a driver normally for system board RS232 ports. It may for one that is attached to a PCI(e) card. What are you attaching the female DSUB to?

That basically looks like someone elses version of a Cisco wrap cable.

 

[rudeguy]

So which box attaches to the RJ45 end? Windows does not need a driver normally for system board RS232 ports. It may for one that is attached to a PCI(e) card. What are you attaching the female DSUB to?

That basically looks like someone elses version of a Cisco wrap cable.

Its very similar.

Dsub to my computer. No cards, it's on the mobo. RJ45 attached to the terminals I work on.

I ended up getting it to work after I updated the chipset drivers. So the technical answer is that it was a driver issue but also that serial does not need drivers.

Also the IT guy is a jerk for not installing all the drivers at setup.

 

[imagoon]

Its very similar.

Dsub to my computer. No cards, it's on the mobo. RJ45 attached to the terminals I work on.

I ended up getting it to work after I updated the chipset drivers. So the technical answer is that it was a driver issue but also that serial does not need drivers.

Also the IT guy is a jerk for not installing all the drivers at setup.

Yeah not installing the device drivers border on pure lazy... What is up with that?