Com port/ cable issue

I've got a cable running via gender changer from Roboteq to the DB15 on my laptop.
I normally run my complier off this port (DB15). I tried running the Roborun and it tells me Com1 is being used or unavailable. No other programs are running. I only use the PC for coding so they're not my strong suit. Any suggestions on what I could try to get the Roboteq communicating with this laptop? I thought about trying a DB9 to USB adapter but they're pricey and I don't see that option on the Roborun GUI anyway. Thanks.

<P style="MARGIN: 0px">First check if the COM1 port is available at all in your system. Use the System control panel and click on Device Manager. Click on Ports. You will see the list of the installed ports.
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<P style="MARGIN: 0px">If you have COM1 but Roborun says it is not available, there may be another program using it in the background. For example, the Palm Pilot synchonisation utility would do that.
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<P style="MARGIN: 0px">Also, if Roborun terminates improperly, it may still be running in the background and if you re launc Roborun, the new copy will not be able to use the port.
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<P style="MARGIN: 0px">The USB to serial adapters will work fine (at least most of them do). After installing one of these, you will need to tell Roborun to use the port number of that adapter.

I ended up getting a DB9 to USB adapter and not it's working great. What a bugger just to configure a USB device on a PC. Thanks for your help! This is encouraging.