Sounds like a problem I had with a Dell laptop and Stealthware.
You can get a USB-Serial adapter that will emulate a serial port and they are pretty cheap.
Belkin makes one - Part # F5U103 for $59.95. They also make a small adapter for PDAs (USB PDA Adapter) Part # F5U109 for $29.95. I used the PDA adapter with my SDA5000 meters and had no trouble. You can find these pretty easily at Staples or Office Max.
Good luck
Bob
