OK, this may sound silly, but can you report either
good or bad experiences with a SPECIFIC MAKE AND MODEL
of USB-to-serial converter ? We have many reports
of units that don't work properly, and a few that do
(but not necessarily for everyone). A few specific
questions:
- what is the make and model of the converter ?
- did the driver install without dire warnings from
Windoze about "uncertified driver" and the like ?
- you are using it with Windoze XP, which SP (service pack) ?
- does your laptop sometimes crash after you "resume" ?
- has the helpful MS site explained (after a crash) that
you need to update the driver, and directed you to a
site with only non-arabic characters (Japanese, Korean,
Chinese, or somesuch) ?
- have you got scary messages like "thread stuck in kernel" ?
- does it work reliably with SN10 PC-Link (log, database) ?
- does it work reliably with SN10 "software load" ?

This should help us collate some recommendations...
Thanks in advance !
Best Regards, Dave "YO"