I apologize for not getting back to this subject sooner. I still haven't taken the time to follow your procedure, but I will very soon.
I have been using my USB by re-assigning it to COM1 through my device manager. However, each time I power up my computer, it automatically assigns this port to an internal bluetooth device. I have to "uninstall" the bluetooth in order to use the USB for COM1. It's a pain when I forget to do so, as the DirectSoft boot-up goes awry and I end up practically doing a line dance to get back to the project.
I will work on setting my system for COM4 this week.
Thanks,
John B