Is there any way to get the pronto to work with com 4 or is there USB cable available? I have a new laptop, Toshiba m45-s331 and have been told by support that it is a bad idea to change the registry to move what they use at com1. any ideas?

I assume you're using a "classic" pronto (1000 or 2000) and not one of the next generation remotes. If so, it's likely that Tonto (a third party substitute for Pronto Edit) will work with Com 4. It's much better at communication, and is very similar in programming. It can be downloaded here: [Link: giantlaser.com].

I also think that tech support was giving you alot of bull. Sometimes these folks tell you it's a bad idea just so you won't try something, run into problems, and then call them back. Still, Tonto may be the best approach.

I'll give it a try. thank you

There are USB to serial adapters as well that you can purchase. The Keyspan model is what we recomend as its software is flexible enough to allow you to change the serial port and slow down the baud rate. Other models may or may not work as well but the Keyspan unit does and is fairly cheap.

The important part is that the com port the Pronto is on is the first available port. So if you assign it to com 2, you can't have an active but unused com 1 as the software doesn't seem to look further. Easiest thing: make sure whatever you do is assigned com 1.