Definately sounds like the port died.
First,disable it in the BIOS.
Boot to windows and make sure it is gone in the device manager.
Then shut down,reenable it,boot up and let windows redetect it.
See if it works then.
If not,just disable it in the BIOS,if it's no good it will free up resources.
Any generic serial PCI card will do.
Windows will automatically assign system resources to the card.
If you end up with a conflict,just put it in a different PCI slot.
First,disable it in the BIOS.
Boot to windows and make sure it is gone in the device manager.
Then shut down,reenable it,boot up and let windows redetect it.
See if it works then.
If not,just disable it in the BIOS,if it's no good it will free up resources.
Any generic serial PCI card will do.
Windows will automatically assign system resources to the card.
If you end up with a conflict,just put it in a different PCI slot.