Argg. MPlab frustration solved

So, I've had a working setup (Dell laptop running XP, MPLAB, ATEN usb->RS232, Inchworm+) for a while. I needed to re-image my laptop since it had gotten slow and fragmented (same install for over 3 years).

When I re-install MPLAB, all I could get was the error

ICD0019: Communications: Failed to open port: (Windows::GetLastError() = 0x2, 'The system cannot find the file specified.')
ICD0021: Unable to connect with MPLAB ICD 2

Loopback test on the inchworm worked, and it didn't matter what com port, setting, etc.. I selected, I always got this error. I tried mplab 7.60, 8.02. I tried different USB drivers. I tried all the settings.

After screwing around for several hours, I finally loaded the bluetooth drivers. Everything started working. Apparently there are 9 COM ports used by the bluetooth card built into the laptop, and they were all interferring with the USB to RS232 adapter.

I figured since I had googled this error and hadn't found anything useful, I'd at least write it up here for posterity sake.

Wonder why a bluetooth card would reserve 9 COM addresses? Which USB / RS232 adapter do you use. Finding ones that work with the Inchworm always interests me.

I don't know what the bluetooth is doing. The installer loads at least 6 different drivers (remote camera, file transfer, HID, Information exchanger, blah , blah, blah). I'm going to tear the little idiot mini-pci out as soon as I shutdown tonight.

The USB adapter is the ATEN UC232A. I've used this for a lot of serial consoles, and it's always worked. The signaling seems to be complete when you look at it through a breakout box.