Why is my USB to Serial Adapter not creating a COM port when I plug it into my computer?

[Evan Schellenberg]

The USB to Serial adapters MicroPilot supplies use an FTDI chipset. Other types can cause intermittent connection problems or fail to work properly when lots of data is flowing.

Not all versions of Windows will have the required FTDI drivers to recognize and install the USB to Serial adapter properly so it may be required to install the drivers yourself.

The USB to serial adapter comes with a small CD that contains the drivers which can be used if your computer has a CD drive.

If your computer does not have a CD drive you can get the drivers directly from the FTDI website here: http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm

On the far right column on the Windows row, download the setup executable that will install the drivers automatically.

After that when you connect a USB to Serial adapter that uses an FTDI chipset Windows should automatically recognize it, install the correct drivers, and create a virtual COM port.

For other types of USB to Serial adapters you will need to get the drivers for the chipset it uses, but we recommend using adapters that have an FTDI chipset.