I noticed while configuring my Bluetooth devices that they were using quite high COM port numbers (COM8, COM9, COM10), and each time I installed a new device the COM port numbers would keep on rising.
Windows has a habit of assigning COM ports to connections which, even after the device is removed, still remain allocated to that device. As you connect new devices they get assigned the next free COM port number, and before you know it, you are using COM ports 30-40.
Although they are configured in Windows, they will not show up when viewing the hardware configuration in control panel. These COM ports can not be seen even after selecting ‘Show Hidden Devices’. The only time these COM Ports are visible is when the device is connected.

In order to get these extra COM ports to appear in Device Manager, perform the following steps:

1. Click Start -> Click Run
2. Type ‘cmd.exe’ in the textbox and click OK.
3. Type ‘set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1′ and hit ENTER.
4. Type ‘cd \windows\system32′ and hit ENTER.
5. Type ‘start devmgmt.msc’ and hit ENTER.
6. When the Device Manager opens, click View -> Show Hidden Devices.
7. Click on the + sign next to the Ports to see the full list of COM ports being used.
8. Highlight the port you wish to delete and then press delete. Accept when asked to do so and continue with any more that you wish to delete.

Thanks James!

This is a simple trick on how to access the web via your standard
Microsoft Calculator. When your browser(s) is/are messed up for some unexplainable reason or your computer has had Internet Explorer locked down by an IT Admin:

1. Open your MS Calculator. This is normally found in
   Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Calculator.
2. Open the help-window by pressing the F1 key.
3. left Click on the little yellow Question mark icon in the top left of the help window.
4. Click “Jump to URL”.
5. Enter URL address (e.g “http://www.jlsnet.co.uk/”) and click OK.

The webpage will appear in the Help window and you can browse ad usual and use the back and forward buttons to navigate likewise.

Thank you James.

Of course, not getting them in the first place would be a better option!

1. Right click on a file of that type
2. Go to the “Open with” menu, and select “Choose program”
3. If the program you want to use is in the list, click it. If it isn’t, click “Browse” and navigate to the program
4. Click the “Always use the selected program to open this  kind of file” check box
5. Click “OK”

That should change the program used for the specified file type to the one that you want.

I went to my computer, and compared what happened when I opened Notes to what was happening on the other PC. I use a shortcut that was already set up when I started using notes. I looked at the properties of the shortcut, and found that the “Start in:” box had a directory on the network supplied. In that directory, there was a “notes.ini” file.

I copied the address down and had the user enter it into the same place on their new shortcut. Notes then ran.

A few lessons:

• Networks can make programs more complicated to support
• If a program is running on one computer, but not another, see what the differences are between them.
• Even if your actual job isn’t IT support, if you know anything about IT, you’ll be asked to help in times of need.

Thanks for reading.

ctrl + ;