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Install the FT232RL driver:

1. Install the FT232RL driver is very easy.  The Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 may search web and download the newest driver and install it on your PC automatically.
   
   As soon as you connect the FT232RL based adapter or board to a USB port on your PC, the following "Found New Hardware" screen will appear.  If not, then you may have to download the driver manually from:  http://www.ftdichip.com/Drivers/VCP.htm
   
   The easiest installation is just to click the link "setup executable"
   
   
    

2. Select the top choice "Locate and install driver software", then windows will install the driver for you.
    

3. Once the driver for the FT232RL is installed you have to verify the installation  See the procedures below.

Verify the FT232RL driver:

To verify if the FT232RL driver is properly installed and determine the COM port assignment of the FT232RL by Device Manager:  

1. For Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows ME, or Windows 98:  Click Start -> Control Panel -> System -> Hardware -> Device Manager.  Double-click on Ports (COM & LPT1).
   
   For Windows Vista:  Click Start -> Computer -> System Properties -> Device Manager. Double-click on Ports (COM & LPT1). 
   
   In the following picture you should see the USB Serial Com Port (COM4) under the Ports. This also means that the Device Manager has assigned the adapter to COM4 port.
   
   
   
   Note: The COM port assignment of the USB to Serial adapter varies on your PC hardware configuration.
               Device Manager will randomly assign a unused COM port number to the FT232RL. 
               The COM4 is just an example here and it could be a different COM port on your PC.
               The same adapter can be assigned to different COM port numbers by different PCs
   
   
   
2. The IDE software in your PC might not work with COM4 so you may need to reassign the COM Port of FT232RL to another port number to work with your IDE. You can double-click on the device shown on the above picture, USB Serial Com Port (COM4) to view properties as shown below:
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Inside the USB-to-Serial Comm Port Properties, click on the Driver tab, make sure that the driver you installed is the version 2.6.0.0 or newer. If it's an old driver version, then click on the Update Driver tab, the Windows XP and Vista O/S will search web and download the newest driver and install it on your PC automatically. If you have a Windows 98 O/S then you may have to download the driver manually from the FT232RL web site before continuing to the step 4.
   
   Until you successfully installed the new driver you do not need to continue to the step 4.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. To reassign the COM port number, click on the Port Settings tab, then click on the Advanced button.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

5.       Inside the Advanced Settings, you will see the COM port number, latency timer, settings for Receive Buffer and Transmit Buffer
   
     
   
   
   
   

6. Click on the COM Port Number and check what other port numbers are unused. If you know what COM port that the IDE uses in your PC, you can just reassign the COM port of the adapter to that COM port number, otherwise you may try to reassign it to COM1 or COM2. Click OK when finished. If your PC indicates that COM1 or COM2 are not available but you know they are available, you can ignore your PC's warning and just select COM1 or COM2 anyway.
   
   Change the Receive and Transmit buffers from 4096 bytes to 512 bytes and latency timer from 16 msec to 4 msec, then click on the "OK" button to finish the verification.
   
   
   
   
   Note: Some DOS programs may only support COM1 and COM2, they may not work if the port is assigned to
              COM3 and higher.