How do I delete the unused COM ports in Windows 7?
I work with a device that connects through COM port via Bluetooth. Everytime I remove and reconnect the device, a new COM port gets created. The first time I connected it, it showed up at COM port# 3, and now I'm upto COM port# 28. I looked under Device
Manager to delete the unused COM ports but none of them show up. I even tried clicking on "Show Hidden Devices" under device manager but still nothing shows up. How do I delete the unused COM ports?
Hi Smittychat, Thanks for your response.
I Clicked on "Printer Server Properties" and clicked on Ports tab and I could see all the Ports, but unfortunately, when I try to delete any port, it won't let me. I get this message "The selected Port cannot be deleted. The request cannot be supported".
I've also tried "Hidden Devices" under Devices manager, but none of the COM Ports show up there.
Please advise.
In control panel, printers folder,
Right click on Printer
Select Properties not Server Properties
Click on Ports Tab
Do you See COM listings?
Select and click Delete
The trick was to open the Command Prompt as administrator and start the Device Manager from the same command prompt.
1. Right-click “Command Prompt” in Accessories and choose “Run as Administrator”
2. Enter “set devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices=1″ – without the quotes obviously
3. Enter “start devmgmt.msc”
4. In the box that opens, select “Show hidden devices” in the ‘view’ menu.
Now if you expand the section on COM ports, all the COM ports that have ever
been created will be displayed, the non present ones being in grey. You can
uninstall away anything that you don’t want (right click, select uninstall).
