I refuse to give up on the CP290! It work for a decade for me and I love it. Besides, there is no reason why it shouldn't be able to communicate with a serial port. I mean, who would think that between changes in Windows operating systems, the RS232 port somehow got redesigned?
Anyway, the CP290 running on that funky DOS software program worked fine all the way up to Windows 98; now the way XP handles com ports evidently is not the same way as DOS did (why, I don't know other than Microsoft sucks), but I am hoping that, as Charles S. suggest, getting a serial-to-USB adaptor will solve this stupid problem. I know XP can do some funky things with the com ports. I have a printer that worked perfectly with my old computer via the parallel connection, but when it was installed on the new computer running XP Pro, you would think there was not connection at all between the printer and LPT1. But hook it up via a USB port and bingo -- working now like a charm.
We have a CP 290 unit at the theatre where I work and it is still running via the serial port on a Windows ME OS and even on that it is a little funky -- when you first run the software, it will say it is not connected, try again -- you need to say yes and it will usually connect to the port. Occasionally you need to say yes more than once....has something to do with the faster timeouts. I will let you know if the serial port to USB adaptor magically does the trick. Computers = voodoo.