[peter_4059 (Peter)]

I also tracked down a couple of web pages that go into what to do to clear up the com ports.

This one explains how to show the hidden devices:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315539

and this one talks about how to uninstall them:

http://www.ifamilysoftware.com/news33.html

I assume this it the way it is meant to be done?