8 bit atari SIO2PC AspeQt not responding and not sending any data.

[ELS122]

I'm using an Atari 130XE, with an SP232ACN converter, powering it from the SIO's 5V/Ready pin, I'll attach a circuit diagram of my configuration.
I'm using the built in COM port on my MSI motherboard, it's listed as JCOM1, I've set the name of the COM port in device manager to COM4 because COM1 wasn't able to be opened when I was messing with it previously.
my baud rate is set to 1x or 19200 in AspeQt's settings, I've also tried using RespeQt, and APE which posted errors that the COM4 port couldn't be configured, while AspeQt and RespeQt had no problems.
I'm using CTS for the handshake, I've also tried setting it to NONE and that didn't help.
I can play a CAS file from the AspeQt or RespeQt programs and have the atari load them with no problems, but I can't get any ATR files working.
I've tried enabling "auto-commit"... whatever that means 
when I boot the atari, the program recognizes the data on the Command line which is there until the Ready promt appears, and it keeps showing in the log "Set the baud rate to 19200" every time it hears the signal on the CTS line.
I've also tried checking "trigger on falling edge" for the CTS signal in AspeQt's settings to no avail.
the self-test on the atari shows no problems, although the Select and Help keys on the keyboard are broken, which I just jumpered the pins on the motherboard to navigate trough self test for that.
the Start, Option, and Reset keys work with no problem, so I've tried holding down Option, Option-Start, and just Start when booting which didnt change the behavior or the RespeQt/AspeQt programs.
When I held the Start key, Basic was disabled and I just had a blue screen with the cursor and no Ready promt, until I pressed return and If I didnt have any data sent trough the SIO, it would show Boot loader error and then enable basic.
when I held down Option it would do the same but after a while (about the same time as it would take for Basic to boot) it went into self-test.
the Start+Option behavior was the same as just the Start one. but after I pressed return and nothing happened for around a minute, it went into self-test instead

I checked the SP232 pins and everything is fine there, only thing I can't check is the Data Output (pin 5) from the SIO since that never has any data on it as I've checked, it just stays at 5V.
And the Data Input (neither the SOUT pin on the PC side not pin 3 on the SIO) didn't have any data on it unless I played a CAS file from the AspeQt/RespeQt programs.
The Command pin/CTS had a constant signal on it until the Ready promt appears, it is coming from the SIO to the PC, and is wired as such.
I also used Device Monitoring studio to check the data sent trough the COM port and there is none, unless ofc I use the CAS playback features which just sents data to the SIO, and nothing is sent back.

I've checked the RS232 cable I'm using and both of the data lines and CTS are connected between both ends.