Parse the settings correctly lol.

src/fenrirscreenreader/speechDriver/hardwareSerialDriver.py

@@ -46,8 +46,8 @@ class hardware_serial_driver(speech_driver):
         self.env = environment
         self._is_initialized = False
         settings_manager = self.env["runtime"]["SettingsManager"]
-        self.device = settings_manager.get_setting(
-            "speech", "hardware_device"
+        self.device = self._clean_device_setting(
+            settings_manager.get_setting("speech", "hardware_device")
         )
         self.baud_rate = settings_manager.get_setting_as_int(
             "speech", "hardware_baud_rate"
@@ -69,6 +69,12 @@ class hardware_serial_driver(speech_driver):
             )
             self.worker_thread.start()
 
+    def _clean_device_setting(self, device):
+        if not isinstance(device, str):
+            return "auto"
+        device = device.split("#", 1)[0].split(";", 1)[0].strip()
+        return device or "auto"
+
     def shutdown(self):
         if not self._is_initialized:
             return
@@ -207,7 +213,7 @@ class hardware_serial_driver(speech_driver):
             attrs[0] &= ~(termios.IXON | termios.IXOFF | termios.IXANY)
             termios.tcsetattr(port, termios.TCSANOW, attrs)
             return port
-        except OSError as error:
+        except (OSError, termios.error) as error:
             self._debug(
                 f"Hardware speech device open failed: {device}: {error}",
                 debug.DebugLevel.ERROR,