Safety of Old Equipment

[nicholas]

I think it's near impossible for a failing peripheral attached to a modern serial port to damage the host. If you're concerned, though, grab a $10 RS232 card for your new machine and move the risk to the card instead.

Or one of these for less than two quid.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/USB-2-0-RS232-SERIAL-DB9-9-PIN-ADAPTER-CABLE-GPS-PDA-/270491516064?pt=UK_Computing_CablesConnectors_RL&hash=item3efa8cfca0