JSI Tip 3946. Why does my COM port show 1200 baud when queried from a command prompt?

When you issue a MODE command at a CMD prompt, as in MODE COM1, the following data is returned:

   Status for Device COM1:
   -----------------------
    Baud:            1200
    Parity:          Even
    Data Bits:       7
    Stop Bits:       1
    Timeout:         OFF
    XON/XOFF:        OFF
    CTS handshaking: OFF
    DSR handshaking: OFF
    DSR sensitivity: OFF
    DTR circuit:     ON
    RTS circuit:     ON

The above are the default values for a COM port.

When you start an application that resets these values, they remain in effect until reset by another application.

When you restart your computer, the default settings are in effect.