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[KW4CQ]

I'm in need of a few more com ports since Device Manager is only showing Com1 and Com6 available.  Com6 is being used by my transceiver for a control program.  It shows as Silicon Labs CP210x USB to UART Bridge (Com6).  Clicking on View and Show Hidden Devices reveals no other ports.  I was under the impression that when installing the Silicon Labs software to add additional com ports (besides Com1) that I would get at least Com5 and possibly or ports.
PC here is a Dell dual core running Windows 10 Home Edition, 64 bit operating system.
Can someone help me get some additional ports installed?  Thanks for  your help and any suggestion you may be able to offer.
73, Bob KW4CQ

[K0XM]

Hi Bob,
A little more info will be needed. What exactly are you trying to do? You can add additonal PHYSICAL ports by installing either a USB card, or a serial port card to the pc. Virtual ports you have a choice of com0com, or Virtual Serial Port emulator (VSPE).

What are you looking for and how many

[G4AON]

I use a DeLock 61860 USB to 8 x RS232 external adapter.

See :
https://www.delock.com/produkt/61860/merkmale.html?g=997

There are other similar USB to RS232 solutions, including PC cards and USB to single USB cables.

73 Dave

[K7AAT]

Is the program you are attempting to use that uses Silicon Labs driver actually running when you check Ports in Device Manager?  In my experience no Ports show up in Device Manager until they are being used ....

[AI4EM]

Bob,

I added hardware serial ports to a Windows 10 PC with an add-on PCI card
and another Windows 10 PC with a USB to Serial adapter (I got both of these from StarTech (www.startech.com).  One of the issues with USB to Serial adapters can be re-assignment of the COM ports, but there are products that have COM retention so the port number remain consistent.

This is the link to the 4-port USB to Serial Adapter I added to my current Windows 10 PC for my shack:

https://www.startech.com/en-us/cards-adapters/icusb2324i

Depending on your needs, you'll be able to find a solution to add more hardware serial ports to your PC.  I recommend planning ahead so you have some spare ports for future needs.

73,
Anthony
AI4EM

[GRUMPY2021]

This covers a variety of scenarios.  Not sure what you're trying to do:

https://www.minitool.com/news/com-port-missing-device-manager.html

[KW4CQ]

Thank you for all the suggestions everyone.  I have a lot to read and digest here.  The links you all have provided hold promise.  Thanks again,
73 Bob Kw4CQ

[LA9XNA]

You should also be aware that some software do not close down a serial port properly and might block a COM number when shut down.
This can cause problems on older software that only will operate on certain port numbers.