Error: Can't open port com3

I run windows 7 64 bit with picaxe editor v6. Until today i have been able to use and program my picaxe 18m2 project board without issues to experiment and test programs. I have now written a new one, and when i plug in the usb download cable and select com port 3 from the workspace explorer and try to download the code i receive the following message

Error: Can't open port COM3.

As far as i'm aware there have been no software changes so i am unsure why it is doing this. It shows up in device manager as a USB device. However when i go control panel -> view devices it shows the usb cable as a mouse which i am unsure why.

any help/guidance would be very much appreciated.

I have 2 picaxe project boards (both 18m2) the old one I can still download programs to, however the new one that i connect gives the error message that it can't work on com port 3.

Having serial cables appear as a mouse, pen or pointer device is unfortunately one of those things which happens with Windows. You can normally resolve the issue by unplugging the AXE027 from the PC's USB socket, re-booting, then connect the cable once Windows is back up and running.

dotc0m said:

I have 2 picaxe project boards (both 18m2) the old one I can still download programs to, however the new one that i connect gives the error message that it can't work on com port 3.

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Are you sure you it is still a "Cannot open port" error and not "Hardware not found" or similar ?

It would be unusual to get a "Cannot open port" error message for one PICAXE board but not the other, but could be possible if the cable connection were dropping out or being lost for some reason.

Are there any debugging or terminal screens still open when you get the error ?

Hi,
I had exactly the same problem, including the mouse.(Using Win 7 64 bit).
Each time I needed to program, I had to unplug the USB cable at the PC end, then plug it back in. Everything was fine then, for the rest of the session.
Win 10 has fixed this, thankfully.
Regards, Bear..

Yeah it is definitely a cannot open port error, i have tried unplugging and rebooting several times - yet i'm having the problem with the new project board and not the old one i wanted to replace.

I don't particularly want to upgrade to windows 10 on this computer, i might try installing the cable and drivers on my macbook pro or my girlfriends computer to see if that makes a difference.

dotc0m said:

I don't particularly want to upgrade to windows 10 on this computer, i might try installing the cable and drivers on my macbook pro or my girlfriends computer to see if that makes a difference.

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I'm using Win7/64 with both an AXE026 (Hardware serial port) and AXE027 (FTDI USB to serial cable) and have not had the problems that you refer to. I used to have the problem with Win7/32 on my old mother board (circa 2005).

I'm pretty sure you can change (edit) the com port number in device manager, under Device Properties> Advanced....

There is a registry setting you can change to prevent any serial data fooling Windows into thinking it is a mouse:

www.taltech.com/support/entry/windows_2000_nt_serial_mice_and_missing_com_port