Pico USB Devices Driver Download For Windows 10

Dec 21, 2020 • Filed to: USB Recovery • Proven solutions

Have you ever had difficulty connecting your devices to your computer using a Prolific USB to Serial adapter? If yes you are lucky to find this page, it will give you all the information need to fix an unresponsive Serial driver adapter. You may have noticed a yellow exclamation mark hovering over or beside the USB to Serial Driver when searching your Device Manager and if you have we can all agree that it signifies a prevailing problem.

Not sure if a recent Windows update is the culprit but my Picoscope 2204A is no longer being recognized by Windows 10. Device manager shows 'Unknown Device.' I am able to manually select the driver for a Picoscope 2000 series since the driver is already present. It is located under Universal Serial Bus Controllers. Expand it and right-click on Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Failure). Click on Update Driver. Click on Search automatically for updated driver software. Now the Windows will download and install the latest drivers for the troubled USB device.

Overview of the Error

If you are not able to connect your device to your PC using a USB to Serial adapter it may be that

The USB driver is outdated
The USB Driver is missing
Or even a corrupted driver

While you can't be so sure what the exact problem is there are solutions you can adopt to fix the issue once and for all. Read on to find quick fixes to resolve the problem.

1# Fix Prolific USB to Serial Driver not Working

Solution: Roll your Prolific USB to Serial Driver back to an older version

Updating your drivers often work wonders for your system because it makes sure that it runs on the latest features that guarantee maximum functionality. Unfortunately updating your drivers can cause this kind of error especially if your latest update does not work too well with your hardware. Once you upgrade your PC to the latest Windows version your Prolific USB to Serial Driver also updates to the latest driver software and if the driver is not compatible with your Hardware issues may arise. To correct the error, you will have to download the driver again by following these steps.

Right-click on your PC Start button and open Device Manager

Double click LPT and COM ports then locate the Prolific USB to Serial Driver and right-click it so you can select Update Driver

For driver software click My computer

From My computer select 'Let me pick from a list of drivers available'

Choose an older version from the list then click Next

The driver you selected will be installed automatically
Once it has been downloaded reconnect the driver to see if it works.

2# Fix Prolific USB to Serial Driver 'Coder 10'

Driver issues reveal themselves in so many ways or through messages such as

This device will not start (Code 10)
There is no driver installed in this device
The driver was not successfully installed

A code 10 error may arise because the chip you are using is not an original one. If you are using a fake, the manufacturer has a way of disabling it due to copy write infringement and the copy write takes effect once you download a recent update. To protect your PC from getting this code, you will have to make sure that your Windows 10 never updates a driver without approval. Updates come in the form of 64 bit and 32-bit drivers. Below we will show you how to work your way around the problem.

Window 64 bit Fix

To fix Windows 64 bit OS including Prolific USB to Serial Adapter, follow through these steps.

Download 'PL2303_64bit_Installer.exe and Save
Remove every USB to Serial adapter from your PC and double click the 'PL2303_64bit_installer.exe
Follow the prompt by plugging in one USB to Serial adapter the click on Continue
Reboot your PC to get Windows up and running

If you have followed these process through and you still see the same error go to your device manager

Open the control panel and navigate to Device Manager
From your control panel navigate to the System category and click the Hardware tab
Scroll to the LPT/COM port and double click Prolific USB to Serial Comm Port
Click Drivers in the Properties section
The Driver you choose should read '3.3.2.102 with an appropriate date attached
If the date is wrong then it means the wrong driver was installed
Unplug the Serial adapter and run the steps again to install the correct driver

Window 32-bit

For Windows 32-bit OS systems follow these steps

You will have to download the 'PL-2303_Driver_Installer.exe and save from Microsoft download link
Run the program and eradicate the driver if you can
Run the installer once more to install a correct driver

To Troubleshoot for error if your device still does not work

Go to Control panel, enter System to access your Device Manager
Scroll down to the LPT/ COM port then double click Prolific USB to Serial Comm Port
Click Driver in the Windows Properties section
The driver must be numbered as '2.0.2.8' and dates accordingly

If the driver was not installed, remove the Serial adapter then run 'PL2303_Driver_Installer.exe' again. Follow directions in Device Manager to download the correct driver

The three solutions listed in this article have proven to be quite helpful in fixing a Prolific USB to Serial driver not working on Windows 10. They may appear confusing at first but if you follow each step in detail you can resolve the issue.

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