PySerial could not open port COM4: [Error 5] Access is denied - please help

Adam adam at no_thanks.com
Wed Jun 27 13:41:46 EDT 2012


"Paul" <nospam at needed.com> wrote in message 
news:jsfatv$djt$1 at dont-email.me...
> Adam wrote:
>> "Paul" <nospam at needed.com> wrote in message 
>> news:jseu9c$sp3$1 at dont-email.me...
>>> Adam wrote:
>>>> "John Nagle" <nagle at animats.com> wrote in message 
>>>> news:jse604$1cq$1 at dont-email.me...
>>>>> On 6/26/2012 9:12 PM, Adam wrote:
>>>>>> Host OS:    Ubuntu 10.04 LTS
>>>>>> Guest OS:    Windows XP Pro SP3
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I am able to open port COM4 with Terminal emulator.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> So, what can cause PySerial to generate the following error ...
>>>>>>
>>>>>> C:\Wattcher>python wattcher.py
>>>>>> Traceback (most recent call last):
>>>>>>    File "wattcher.py", line 56, in <module>
>>>>>>      ser.open()
>>>>>>    File "C:\Python25\Lib\site-packages\serial\serialwin32.py", line 
>>>>>> 56, in
>>>>>> open
>>>>>>      raise SerialException("could not open port %s: %s" % 
>>>>>> (self.portstr,
>>>>>> ctypes.WinError()))
>>>>>> serial.serialutil.SerialException: could not open port COM4: [Error 
>>>>>> 5]
>>>>>> Access is denied.
>>>>>     Are you trying to access serial ports from a virtual machine?
>>>>> Which virtual machine environment?  Xen?  VMware? QEmu?  VirtualBox?
>>>>> I wouldn't expect that to work in most of those.
>>>>>
>>>>>     What is "COM4", anyway?   Few machines today actually have four
>>>>> serial ports.  Is some device emulating a serial port?
>>>>>
>>>>> John Nagle
>>>>>
>>>> Thanks, and yes, I am using VirtualBox.  My laptop does not have a 
>>>> serial port so
>>>> I use a USB-to-serial converter, which is assigned COM4.
>>>>
>>> Doesn't VirtualBox allow "remapping" serial ports ? I thought you
>>> could have COM 4 in the host OS, and make it COM 1 or COM 2 in
>>> the guest. Something like that.
>>>
>>> http://virtuatopia.com/images/6/60/Virtualbox_serial_port_settings.jpg
>>>
>>> Also, Windows (as a host), is notorious for stealing control of
>>> COM ports. Even Windows software, when you run it, would report
>>> "COM 4 is busy". Then, you have to track down *why* it's busy.
>>> Is it that FAX software you installed ? The GPS software
>>> that talks to your GPS serial interface ?
>>>
>>> In theory, the "Handle" program is supposed to identify what
>>> is keeping a COM port busy, but I don't get the desired
>>> results from it very often. You need to know the naming
>>> convention for virtual COM ports (COM4 via USB to serial, is
>>> more virtual than physical). That's what makes it harder
>>> to track down.
>>>
>>> These are some names for COM ports, in Windows. The last two entries,
>>> are my USB to serial adapters. VCP1 functions as COM3.
>>> VCP0 functions as COM4. The VCP part is what would be
>>> listed in "Handle" from Sysinternals. The \device\serial
>>> format, is more likely to be used with true "native"
>>> motherboard serial ports.
>>>
>>>    \device\serial
>>>
>>>    ups.exe pid: 1072 NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM
>>>       98: File  (---)   \Device\VCP0
>>>    hypertrm.exe pid: 3404 ComputerName\UserID     (claims to use COM3)
>>>       E0: File  (---)   \Device\VCP1
>>>
>>> You can download "Handle" and play with it here.
>>>
>>> http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896655
>>>
>>> Note that, in my Handle results, at the time I was running
>>> the Windows provided ups.exe to talk to my external UPS
>>> (uninterruptible power supply). So that's what that
>>> reference is. The "hypertrm" one, is me using the
>>> built-in Windows terminal software, to talk to COM3,
>>> to keep the port artificially busy for the purposes
>>> of testing.
>>>
>>> If things were working well in your case, you *might*
>>> see something of this form. If not, you'd instead
>>> see the name of the process that has "stolen" the
>>> com port.
>>>
>>>    virtualbox.exe pid: 1234 ComputerName\UserID
>>>       E0: File  (---)  \Device\VCP0
>>>
>>> HTH,
>>>    Paul
>>
>>
>> Thanks (Guru Paul), I've been using the USB-to-serial converter 
>> successfully without
>> enabling/remapping via VBox Settings=>Serial Ports (which are both "not" 
>> enabled).
>> I can see the serial port COM4 under Device Manager though.  So, maybe 
>> enabling is
>> necessary when the host has "native" serial ports, which my laptop does 
>> not have.
>>
>> From the output generated by Handle.exe, here's the section for TeraTerm 
>> ...
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> ttermpro.exe pid: 596 VBOX_WINXPPRO\adam        (claims to use COM4)
>>     C: File  (RW-)   D:\downloads\Tera Term Pro\ttpro313
>>    2C: Section       \BaseNamedObjects\ttset_memfilemap
>>    44: File  (RW-) 
>> C:\WINDOWS.0\WinSxS\x86_Microsoft.Windows.Common-Controls_6595b64144ccf1df_6.0.2600.6028_x-ww_61e65202
>>    54: File  (RW-) 
>> C:\WINDOWS.0\WinSxS\x86_Microsoft.VC80.CRT_1fc8b3b9a1e18e3b_8.0.50727.6195_x-ww_44262b86
>>    70: Section 
>> \BaseNamedObjects\_ISWINTERNAL_EPT32_SHEX_K32_0_1c9aa25ea688500_7c80_S-1-5-21-1801674531-1078145449-1957994488-1004
>>    78: File  (RWD) 
>> C:\DOCUME~1\adam\LOCALS~1\Temp\IswTmp\Logs\ISWSHEX.swl
>>    AC: Section 
>> \BaseNamedObjects\_ISWINTERNAL_EPT32_SHEX_A32_0_1c98aa70f70ec00_77dd_S-1-5-21-1801674531-1078145449-1957994488-1004
>>   100: Section 
>> \BaseNamedObjects\CiceroSharedMemDefaultS-1-5-21-1801674531-1078145449-1957994488-1004
>>   108: File  (RW-)   D:\downloads\Tera Term Pro\ttpro313\httplog.log
>>   120: Section 
>> \BaseNamedObjects\CTF.TimListCache.FMPDefaultS-1-5-21-1801674531-1078145449-1957994488-1004SFM.DefaultS-1-5-21-1801674531-1078145449-1957994488-1004
>>   128: Section       \BaseNamedObjects\ShimSharedMemory
>>   138: Section       \BaseNamedObjects\MSCTF.Shared.SFM.IAB
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> For Handle to give a positive result, the TeraTerm program would need to
> currently have the serial port open. If you haven't started a terminal 
> session,
> it might not be listed.
>
> Handle has some kind of filter function, and you can try searching for the 
> name
> of the port that way.
>
> I don't see anything in that snipping, which looks like a serial port.
>
>    Paul


Okay, this time I am sure that serial port COM4 is open and
receiving data via telnet.exe (also listed below).

>From the output generated by Handle.exe, here's the sections for TeraTerm & 
Telnet ..
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ttermpro.exe pid: 3808 VBOX_WINXPPRO\adam        (claims to use COM4)
    C: File  (RW-)   D:\downloads\Tera Term Pro\ttpro313
   2C: Section       \BaseNamedObjects\ttset_memfilemap
   44: File  (RW-) 
C:\WINDOWS.0\WinSxS\x86_Microsoft.Windows.Common-Controls_6595b64144ccf1df_6.0.2600.6028_x-ww_61e65202
   54: File  (RW-) 
C:\WINDOWS.0\WinSxS\x86_Microsoft.VC80.CRT_1fc8b3b9a1e18e3b_8.0.50727.6195_x-ww_44262b86
   70: Section 
\BaseNamedObjects\_ISWINTERNAL_EPT32_SHEX_K32_0_1c9aa25ea688500_7c80_S-1-5-21-1801674531-1078145449-1957994488-1004
   78: File  (RWD)   C:\DOCUME~1\adam\LOCALS~1\Temp\IswTmp\Logs\ISWSHEX.swl
   AC: Section 
\BaseNamedObjects\_ISWINTERNAL_EPT32_SHEX_A32_0_1c98aa70f70ec00_77dd_S-1-5-21-1801674531-1078145449-1957994488-1004
  100: Section 
\BaseNamedObjects\CiceroSharedMemDefaultS-1-5-21-1801674531-1078145449-1957994488-1004
  108: File  (RW-)   D:\downloads\Tera Term Pro\ttpro313\httplog.log
  120: Section 
\BaseNamedObjects\CTF.TimListCache.FMPDefaultS-1-5-21-1801674531-1078145449-1957994488-1004SFM.DefaultS-1-5-21-1801674531-1078145449-1957994488-1004
  128: Section       \BaseNamedObjects\ShimSharedMemory
  138: Section       \BaseNamedObjects\MSCTF.Shared.SFM.IN
  150: Section       \BaseNamedObjects\MSCTF.Shared.SFM.IIM
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
telnet.exe pid: 2408 VBOX_WINXPPRO\adam
   D8: File  (RW-)   D:\Handle
  6EC: Section       \BaseNamedObjects\ShimSharedMemory
  6F4: Section 
\BaseNamedObjects\CTF.TimListCache.FMPDefaultS-1-5-21-1801674531-1078145449-1957994488-1004SFM.DefaultS-1-5-21-1801674531-1078145449-1957994488-1004
  710: Section 
\BaseNamedObjects\CiceroSharedMemDefaultS-1-5-21-1801674531-1078145449-1957994488-1004
  740: Section 
\BaseNamedObjects\_ISWINTERNAL_EPT32_SHEX_A32_0_1c98aa70f70ec00_77dd_S-1-5-21-1801674531-1078145449-1957994488-1004
  774: File  (RWD)   C:\DOCUME~1\adam\LOCALS~1\Temp\IswTmp\Logs\ISWSHEX.swl
  77C: Section 
\BaseNamedObjects\_ISWINTERNAL_EPT32_SHEX_K32_0_1c9aa25ea688500_7c80_S-1-5-21-1801674531-1078145449-1957994488-1004
  798: File  (RW-) 
C:\WINDOWS.0\WinSxS\x86_Microsoft.VC80.CRT_1fc8b3b9a1e18e3b_8.0.50727.6195_x-ww_44262b86
  79C: File  (RW-) 
C:\WINDOWS.0\WinSxS\x86_Microsoft.Windows.Common-Controls_6595b64144ccf1df_6.0.2600.6028_x-ww_61e65202
------------------------------------------------------------------------------


usage: handle [[-a [-l]] [-u] | [-c <handle> [-y]] | [-s]] [-p 
<process>|<pid>] [name]
  -a      Dump all handle information.
  -l      Just show pagefile-backed section handles.
  -c      Closes the specified handle (interpreted as a hexadecimal number).
          You must specify the process by its PID.
          WARNING: Closing handles can cause application or system 
instability.
  -y      Don't prompt for close handle confirmation.
  -s      Print count of each type of handle open.
  -u      Show the owning user name when searching for handles.
  -p      Dump handles belonging to process (partial name accepted).
  name    Search for handles to objects with <name> (fragment accepted).

No arguments will dump all file references.


Handle type summary:
  Desktop         : 56
  Directory       : 165
  Event           : 3470
  File            : 1463
  IoCompletion    : 142
  Job             : 1
  Key             : 1540
  KeyedEvent      : 49
  Mutant          : 632
  Port            : 566
  Process         : 221
  Section         : 373
  Semaphore       : 1327
  SymbolicLink    : 2
  Thread          : 1009
  Timer           : 46
  Token           : 93
  WaitablePort    : 3
  WindowStation   : 99
  WmiGuid         : 98
Total handles: 11355


This is a tough one.





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