StarTech.com Native PCI Express Combo Card: 2x Serial 1x Parallel RS232 Adapter (PEX2S5531P) Review

This is a genuine StarTech I/O card and it works on my Windows 7 Tower PC. Be careful when purchasing an unnamed I/O card. Most of them do not come with support or drivers for modern operating systems. If it's not in the sealed StarTech retail box, send it back!

You're still spending over $1,000 on a computer these days, and boom, the 9-pin serial port is GONE! GONE, I'LL TELL YOU! RS232 Lovers UNITE! SAVE OUR COM PORTS! <— Sets up pickets as he marches to the Capitol. From time to time I take work home and need to review programs on embedded systems. It worked perfectly. The only issue I had, and hence the lost star, was that the installation process was extremely confusing. With the help of Windows, I've learned to keep pressing go and not wasting

As a result, the installation was successful on my Windows 7 computer. I had security keys to sign software that uses the LPT port for security checks. Since new computers don't have LPT ports, I had to add one. This works fine. No complaints. Good value for money.

I thought I would have to buy two expansion cards but this has made my life easier. I installed this in my Vostro 230 Slim Case and it works great. comes with drivers and the quality is higher than i expected. It comes with optional risers to match your slim tower design. All you need is a small wrench to remove the bolts holding the riser and install smaller ones.

Installed on Windows 10 with Intel Desktop Board LGA1155 DDR3 1600 ATX - BOXDZ77GA-70K. At first I couldn't get it to work, but after reading the reviews I found a reviewer who went to the Startech website and downloaded the drivers from there. You should also reboot when you see the assigned COM ports. Also make sure that the parallel port cable is installed with the red line opposite as shown in the picture. I haven't used ports yet, but will soon.

Parallel port not working on 2 boards in Linux. Tech support couldn't handle it. I felt like I had a lot more experience than technique, never felt good about it. A tricky driver installation that failed multiple times without permission on the parallel port finally gave up and used the ethernet print server for parallel, just no problem. Serial ports worked fine in Linux virtual environments too, but FORGET about parallel features!

I wrote this to assure Linux users of compatibility as there is no shortage of bug reports, fixes and source code archives on the web. This card is based on the MCS9901 chip and is easily picked up by Linux v 3.2.0 on a C216-based machine: [1.579554]0000:04:00.0:ttyS1 on I/O 0xd030 (irq=17) is ST16650V2 [1.643489] 0000:04: 00.1: ttyS2 at I/O 0xd020 (irq = 18) is ST16650V2[8.587035] parport_serial 0000:04:00.2: PCI INT C -> GSI 19 (level, low) -> IRQ 19[8.587183] parport0: PC style at…