Arduino Will Not Show up on Serial Port–How to Install Arduino USB Drivers in Windows 7 on a PC or on VirtualBox

If you are on a physical Windows 7 PC simply skip down to Step 2.

Step 1: Connect your Arduino to your Windows 7 VirtualBox machine.

Start up your Windows 7 VirtualBox and plug your Arduino into your Mac.   Then click on the usb icon on the lower right corer of the Virtual machine window and make sure that “FTDI FT232R USB UART [0600]” is checked as seen below:

Step 2:  Download the drivers

Search for FTD drivers at: https://www.ftdichip.com/old2020/Products/ICs/FT232R.htm

Step 3: Extract the zip file of the drivers into a folder on your desktop.

I’ll call the folder CDM:

FTDI drivers extracted to a folder on the desktop called CDM

If you are on Windows 7 you simply double click the zip file which just “opens” the zip file like it is a folder.  Then click and drag the contents into another folder you must create on the desktop, I called it CDM.

Step 4: Click on the Start Menu and then right click on “Computer” and click on Properties.

Start Menu > Right Click on “Computer” > Click on Properties

Step 5: Open the “Device Manager.”

Click on “Device Manager” in the Computer Properties:

Click on Device Manager

Step 6: Locate the FT232R USB UART device in the device manager list:

Device Manager: FT232R USB UART

Step 7: Right click on “FT232R USB UART” and click on properties.

Right-Click on “FT232R USB UART” and click on Properties

Step 8: Click on the “Driver” tab of the Properties window and then click on the “Update Driver…” button:

Click on the “Driver” tab and then click the “Update Driver…” button

Step 9: Click on “Browse my computer for driver software”:

Click on “Browse my computer for driver software” in the Update Driver Window

Step 10: Click on “Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer”

Click on “Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer”

Step 11: Click on “Show All Devices” (should be automatically selected) and the click the “Next” button:

Click on “Show All Devices” and then Click the “Next” button

Step 12: Click the “Have Disk” Button:

Click the “Have Disk” button

Step 13: Click the “Browse” button:

Click the “Browse” button

Step 14: Browse to the location of the drivers.

Click on the “Desktop” Icon in the left window and browse to the folder you extracted the drivers into in step 3 and then open the folder that holds the drivers:

Browse to the folder where you extracted the drivers in Step 3

Step 15: Click on the ftdibus file and click the “Open” button.

Note, the file may be called ftdibus.inf if you have the preference turned on to show known file extensions:

Click on the ftdibus.inf file and click the Open Button

Click on the “OK” button in the resulting window that pops up:

Click on the “OK” button

Step 16: Select “USB Serial Convertor” from the list and click the “Next” button:

Click on “USB Serial Converter” in the list and click the “Next” button

Step 17: Click “Yes” to override the warning window.

It is warning you that Window cannot verify this driver (you get this error because it is a cloned Arduino board and the driver is unsigned):

Click the “Yes” button to move on

Step 18: Wait a while.

It will take a little while for the driver to install and then if you are successful you will get the following message, which you can click the “Close” button:

Click “Close” to finish installing the Serial Converter

Click the “Close” button to close the USB Serial Converter Properties window:

Step 19: Back in the Device Manager Window right-click on “USB Serial Port” and Click on “Properties”:

In Device Manager Right-Click on “USB Serial Port” and Click on “Properties”

Step 20: Click on the Driver tab and click the “Driver Update…” button:

Click on the “Driver” tab and then click the “Update Driver…” button

Step 21: Click on “Browse my computer for driver software”

Click on “Browse my computer for driver software” again

Step 22: Click on “Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer”

Click on “Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer”

Step 23: Click “Show All Devices” and click the next button:

Click on “Show All Devices” and click the “Next” button

Step 24: Click on the “Have Disk” button:

Click on the “Have Disk” button

Step 25: Click on the “Browse” button, and browse to the same folder you browsed to in Step 14:

Click on the “Browse” button

Browse to the driver folder on the desktop

Step 26: Click on “ftdiport” and click the “Open” button:

Click on the file “ftdiport” and click the “Open” button

Click the “OK” button to install from disk:

Click the “OK” button to install from the disk location you chose

Step 27: Select “USB Serial Port” from the list and click the “Next” button:

Click on “USB Serial Port” in the list and then click the “Next” button

Click the “Yes” button to go past the unsigned driver warning message:

Click the “Yes” button again to go past the Unsigned Driver Warning Message

You will get this window if you are successful and you can click the “Close” button:

Driver successfully installed message

You can then close the USB Serial Port Window by clicking the “Close” button:

Close the USB Serial Port Window

You will see this if you are successful:

You will see the USB Serial Port listed if you are successful

And now if you launch the Arduino software and click on Tools > Port you will see the COM port listed.  Success!

The break-out board shows up now on COM4!

Other relevant information on this issue: