Windows 11, can't receive serial data using Data Streaming

Question

Windows 11, can't receive serial data using Data Streaming

Lars Møller 0

When I am using the Data Streaming option, I can't receive serial data from my com port.
When I am using the program Tera Term there is no problem.
The data I want to receive is coming from a HP34401A multimeter put in "Talk Only" mode in which the data is continuously transmitted as for a printer.

2 answers

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Answer 1

If you are unable to receive serial data using the Data Streaming option in Excel while it works fine in Tera Term, there are a few things you might want to check:

COM Port Configuration: Ensure that the COM port settings in Data Streamer match those used in Tera Term. This includes baud rate, data bits, parity, stop bits, and flow control settings.
Data Streamer Setup: Verify that the Data Streamer add-in is correctly set up to receive data. Make sure that the Data In worksheet is properly configured to display incoming data.
Driver Installation: Ensure that the drivers for the HP34401A multimeter are correctly installed in your Windows 11 environment. If the drivers are not installed, the device may not function properly with Data Streamer.
Excel Permissions: Check if Excel has the necessary permissions to access the COM port. Sometimes, applications may require elevated permissions to access hardware resources.
Testing with Other Software: Since Tera Term works fine, you might want to compare the settings used in Tera Term with those in Data Streamer to identify any discrepancies.
Windows Update: Ensure that your Windows 11 system is up to date, as updates may include important fixes for device compatibility.

If the issue persists after checking these points, consider looking into the documentation for Data Streamer or reaching out to support for further assistance.

References:

What Is Data Streamer and What Does it Do?

Answer 2

Phoebe-N 7,030 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hello @Lars Møller

Welcome to the Q&A Community!

Thank you for contacting us regarding the difficulty in receiving serial data through Excel’s Data Streamer while using your HP34401A multimeter in “Talk Only” mode. Since the device works correctly with Tera Term, this indicates that the Windows operating system and COM port drivers are functioning as expected. To narrow down the scope and identify the best solution, please review and respond to the following questions:

Does the issue occur only in Excel or in other applications as well?
Have you tested Excel in Safe Mode to rule out conflicts with other add-ins?
Then, turn off Safe Mode and disable all other Excel add-ins temporarily and check if the problem persists. This will help us determine whether any add-in conflicts are contributing to the issue.

Please also check this official article which relates to Data Streamer in Excel Advanced settings for Excel's Data Streamer add-in - Microsoft Support

For additional expert input, I recommend posting your detailed question on Stack Overflow under the [excel] and [serial-port] tags. This will allow Excel specialists with extensive experience in Data Streamer to provide advanced guidance.

Please note that although I suggest posting on Stack Overflow for community input, please ensure you carefully review and validate any instructions provided by other users before applying them to your environment. Community responses may vary in accuracy and suitability for your specific configuration.

Let me know how it goes or if you have any further concerns.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

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Phoebe-N 7,030 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-11-11T12:54:08+00:00
Hi @Lars Møller

I hope you are doing well. I am following up to check the progress on the issue you reported. Could you please confirm whether all other Excel add-ins have been disabled? This step helps rule out any potential conflicts.

Additionally, please ensure that the features shown in the previous screenshot are selected. If disabling add-ins does not resolve the problem, the next step is to repair your Office installation. You can follow the instructions in the Microsoft Support article titled Repair an Office application.

If the issue persists after repairing Office, kindly reinstall the COM port driver. Guidance for this process is available in the Microsoft Support article Update drivers through Device Manager in Windows.

If none of these steps resolve the issue, even after posting on Stack Overflow for community input, please create a support ticket for deeper investigation. When submitting the ticket, include the following:

A screenshot of your Excel Data Streamer settings

The RS-232 configuration on your HP34401A

Any error messages or unusual behavior observed

Please confirm once you have completed these steps or let us know if you need assistance with any of them. I am happy to assist you further.
Lars Møller 0 Reputation points

2025-11-12T09:23:35.19+00:00

Hi Phoepe,

Tank you for your answer.

I the meantime I tried to stream data from a Hart Scientific 1529 Chub-E4. This is done without problems, so the Data Streamer is OK.

The HP34401A is configured as follows: 9600 baud, Parity: none and 8 bits.

Could it be because The Chub-E4 includes an "LF" where the HP includes both an "CR" and a "NL"?

By the way, I can not change the Data orientation from "Newest last" to "Newest first" in the data streamer Workbook settings, The only option is "Newest first,Newest last" but this do not change Orientation.
Phoebe-N 7,030 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-11-12T12:51:40.26+00:00

Hi @Lars Møller

Thank you for sharing the update and confirming the HP34401A configuration. It is very helpful to know that streaming data from the Hart Scientific 1529 Chub-E4 works without any issues, which confirms that Excel’s Data Streamer is functioning correctly.

The difference in line termination is likely the cause for your issue. The Chub-E4 uses a line feed (LF), while the HP34401A sends both a carriage return (CR) and a line feed (LF). Data Streamer expects each record to end with a newline, and the CR+LF combination may be interpreted differently, which can affect how the data is processed. If possible, check whether the HP34401A allows you to change the termination characters. If this is not an option, the data may need to be normalized before streaming into Excel.

The option “Newest first, Newest last” is a combined label, but in practice, the orientation does not always change dynamically for continuous data streams. This is a known issue of the add-in. Data Streamer generally appends data in the order it is received, and the setting has little effect during real-time streaming.

For additional confirmation and advanced Excel guidance, please consider posting your question on Stack Overflow under the [excel] and [serial-port] tags. Experts there often share solutions for scenarios like this.

Kindly let me know how it goes after trying these steps or if you need further assistance.
Phoebe-N 7,030 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-11-13T13:57:00.95+00:00

Hi @Lars Møller

Good day! I hope you're doing well!

It has been a while and i am writing to see how things are going with this issue. Have you tried posting your question on Stack Overflow? How did it go?

Thank you so much for your time and kindness.

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Windows 11, can't receive serial data using Data Streaming

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