Serial Port

I just received a PICAXE28A Starter Kit with RS232 cable. Because (even) my Tower PC does not have a Serial Port, I am using a USB to RS232 Adaptor which I had.
According to Windows --> Control Panel --> Hardware, this adaptor works correctly on COM4, and is not shared (or in conflict). The only other COM port used is "3".
When I connect, say, an X-10 Event Controller, its program sequence is up- and down-loaded perfectly.
When I connect your PICAXE28 Projects Board, then both, the Programming Editor and the Programmer complain that there is no Serial Port, irrespective of whether the board is powered up or not.
What to do?

I assume that you have selected COM4 in the Options > Serial Port menu of the Programming Editor software itself?

<b><i>ylp88 </b> </i>

When you say, &quot;the Programming Editor and the Programmer complain&quot;; exactly what do you mean by &quot;complain&quot;, and what is the &quot;Programmer&quot; to which you refer ? What error message(s) are you receiving ?

Like, &quot;My car won't start&quot;, it requires more information to identify what the cause of the problem is.

When you go into View-&gt;Options, is the COM4 option greyed out or not ? If it is, try a refresh.

It is also possible that the USB-to-serial interface you have is not compatible with the requirements of the Programming Editor. Do you know the manufacturer and model, which chipset it uses ?