[Novalug] OT : Hardware : Thinkpad needs serial port

[Matt Bidwell]

Beartooth wrote:
> 
>     I'm trying to put together a rig to let a passenger in my car watch 
> proprietary topo maps (Garmin, Delorme, and Maptech) in real time, by 
> connecting a GPS to a laptop. And to keep watching (and show the 
> driver!) even when the car is parked.
> 
>     I've been trying to -- for ten years -- under linux, and can't. Wine 
> or CXO can run the software, but not handle a connection with a GPS.
> 
>     I finally gave up. I like my IBM-refurbished T30 Thinkpad; so I 
> bought a second refurbished Thinkpad from IBM for the purpose -- a T42. 
> It comes, as the T30 did, with XP installed.
> 
>     Using the second hard drive on my PC, *and* a *serial* *port*, with 
> Garmin's special cables, the software runs, and connects to my GPSs, 
> just fine under XP.
> 
>     But it turns out the T42, which just came, has no serial port.
> 
>     Someone had asked on Garmin's support site about serial -to-USB 
> adapters. Garmin reported maybe 80% success with them.
> 
>     I dug one up, and tried it with two different GPSs. The Garmin 
> software (which I was just starting to install on the T42) asked whether 
> to check for any need of firmware; I told it to, and to auto-determine 
> what port the GPS was on.
> 
>     It failed. Couldn't find either GPS.
> 
>     So Garmin's own software can't connect to Garmin's own hardware with 
> the new machine.
> 
>     The T30, which does have a serial port, came with XP. But I wiped 
> that the first day. It now runs F8 -- and these refurbs do not come with 
> XP install media.
> 
>     Is there a way to install XP to the T30 from either the T42 or the 
> XP hard drive on my PC?? Or to have a serial port put on the T42??
> 
>     Or had I better just send the T42 back??
Ah the t42.... I don't know if a usb to serial adapter needs it on,
but serial is turned off in the bios.  You might try turning it on
and using an adapter. These adapters should work.

Matt