Hey folks, need some help. Im thinking of buying a new laptop. Only problem is, most laptops these days dont have a serial port? How will I still be able to program my TS-1000 without a serial port. Any suggestions or remedies would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

You'll need to purchase a USB to Serial adapter. These come in various forms, but usually a 1 to 2 foot long cable with a USB connector on one end and the female DB-9 serial port connector on the other. They cost about $40 (!), but there's not much of an alternative. See TigerDirect for this item:
Cables To Go Port Authority 7-Port USB 2.0 Hub (C184-29560)

After installing the driver, then plugging in the cable, you are almost ready to go. There's a possibility that it may map it to a port other than COM1. If so, you won't be able to download a configuration until this is properly reconfigured (via the Windows control panel) for COM1. Set this in WinXP via Control panel> System> Hardware> Device Manager> Ports> Port Settings> Advanced.

Now you're ready! Hope this helps

USB-Setial adaptors can be found for under $10... Problemis that they dont always work with all Serial devices....

The Keyspan seems to be most peoples favorite (Including me) and can be had for about $33 from CDW.

Of course, if your just looking for your new laptop now, why not make a real DB-9 Seral port a must? Dell still has models with Serial ports (Love my 8500) as do many other manufacturers.