Install Pl2303 Driver

[Veronica Hernandez]

Ihave a few handheld radios that I need to update the frequencies and when I connect to the USB, it fails to connect. In device manager and Ports it says - "Please install corresponding PL2303 driver to support Windows 11 and further OS"

Hello! You've posted your question in the Tech Community Discussion space, which is intended for discussion around the Tech Community website itself, not product questions. I'm moving your question to the Windows 11 space - please post Windows 11 questions here in the future.

Windows 11 update loaded Prolific PL2303 driver 3.8.40.0 and when I go to device manager it says "Please install corresponding PL2303 driver to support Windows 11 and further OS" This driver does not even attempt to communicate with my X10 CM11 hooked to my serial port. I had to go to Prolific website and load their current driver 3.6.81.357. (uninstall driver first) Serial to X10 device now working fine. Don't install Windows update for Prolific or it will change it back.

This should resolve the issues with the serial adapter not being detected after the first connection is closed as well as an issue with multiple serial adapters on the same computer. We have seen issues with cu and screen locking up with macOS Mojave and Catalina that are unrelated to the serial adapter driver and it appears to be a problem with some of the serial connection software. The lock ups were verified without the serial adapter driver installed on the system. Additionally Catalina includes built-in support for this adapter and the separate driver is no longer needed when upgrading to Catalina ( 10.15.3 ).

Prolific is a company that offers a Smart-IO chip that offers a solution for communication with serial ports (like RS232) through USB. This allows a modern computer with only USB ports to use legacy equipment with a serial port. The chipsets from Prolific are the PL23xx and PL25xx chipsets and they are available in different versions for UART, RS232, RS485, I2C, and even IEEE1284 (parallel ports).

If your PC does not have a serial port, many of these devices can still work with a Windows 11-based computer using a USB-to-serial cable. Since the cables are available for USB Type-A ports as well as USB Type-C ports, a solution is available for most Windows 11-based systems.

An alternative solution is available from Silicon Labs. Their chips in the CP210x series also offer USB to UART solutions (the CP2102 is often used). For Windows drivers, check their support site. Another popular solution for USB to RS232 is the TrippLite USA19HS or Keyspan USA-19hs.

Like with many hardware vendors, not all variations of their products are supported on all platforms. In most cases, updates to hardware are indicated with revision numbers. With chip manufacturers, it is sometimes type indicators.

For Windows, Prolific also specifies which types are no longer supported on Windows 11. So it is important to know which variation of the PL2303 chip is in use on your system. Since it is not always possible to see the chip and read the type number, you can use the Prolific utility to determine the version.

Make sure to pick the latest version and take note of the chipsets it supports. If the chipset your cable is using is not included in the Windows 11 version, you can try downloading and installing the previous version for Windows 10.

Once the installation is complete, you should see the Prolific device in the Device Manager under Ports without any error. Connect the serial device to your serial-to-USB cable and test the device in Windows 11.

When the PL2303 driver is properly installed, a program might still not detect the device that is connected through the USB-to-Serial cable. The reason in many cases is that the program requires the serial device to be connected to a specific COM port. Especially older software often does not support higher COM-port numbers, but expects the device to be connected on COM1 or COM2.

In some cases, installing the driver alone does not solve your problem. As mentioned in the previous section, changing the COM-port can be necessary for a program to find the device connected through the PL2303 cable.

For some devices, installing the latest Prolific driver might actually cause the device to stop being recognized or working. This can be the result of the device no longer being supported by the new driver version. Examples are the PL2303HXA, PL2303TA, and PL2303X, which will require an older driver version. For Windows 11 compatibility the recommended chip type is PL-2303GC.

To prevent Windows from re-installing a new version when the new version is installed through Windows Update, you can disable Windows driver updates. Either disable driver updates altogether or just prevent the specific update that pertains to the Prolific driver.

This solution is only possible if you have a desktop computer. But if you do, and the Prolific cable-based solution is not working for your serial device, consider the option to install a serial port expansion card into the PC.

Apart from installing the correct device driver for the PL2303-based cable, it is also important to consider the quality of the cable. Most USB-to-serial cables these days are either Prolific PL2303 based or FTDI based. But even though these are the most common chipsets, there are quality differences in the cables sold online. So, if you are facing problems with a serial device, do consider trying an alternative USB-to-serial cable.

@azzido no problem, windows 11 always updates drivers if newer cones out if the software don't see the programer it's easy just removed the recent update driver by windows 11 and all will work perfect. The drivers I provide are from the pl2303 maker so the latest for Windows 11 and 10. Regards

For reference, I attache the 2 drivers that work for me to this message. Only one is needed, just that they have different install methods (one is .exe and the other is right click on the INF), if you run the .exe version and you already have another version of the driver it will ask you if you want to uninstall (which I usually do) and then run again the .exe to install the driver.

It is getting harder and harder to install drivers as we have progressed from Sierra to High Sierra to Mojave to Catalina to Big Sur to Monterey to Ventura. I need to install Prolific PL2303 in Ventura. It will create a serial port that I can use with a USB-C to micro-USB cable to see the console output of my internet gateway appliance.

Gatekeeper has gotten five iterations (I guess, 1. Mojave, 2. Catalina, 3. Big Sur, 4. Monterey, 5. Ventura) more restrictive in what can be installed where. I am just wondering, whether there are ways to bypass those restrictions.

MiniTool OEM program enable partners like hardware / software vendors and relative technical service providers to embed MiniTool software with their own products to add value to their products or services and expand their market.

The Prolific PL-2303 USB to Serial adapter is your smart and convenient accessory for connecting RS-232 serial devices to your USB-equipped Windows host computer. It offers a bridge connection with a standard DB 9-pin male serial port connector on one end and a standard Type-A USB plug connector on the other end.

First of all, the most direct way you should try is to update the outdated or missing driver. Or, you can disable and reenable it in Device Manager. If the driver is corrupted, you can uninstall it and restart the computer to let Windows install a new driver automatically.

The new and powerful Windows 11 will bring you many benefits. At the same time, it will also bring you some unexpected damages such as data loss. Thus, it is strongly recommended that you back up your crucial files before or after upgrading to Win11 with a robust and reliable program like MiniTool ShadowMaker, which will assist you to protect your increasing data automatically on schedules!

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I bought an Arduino nano clone on ebay. It came with PL2303 instead of FTDI chip. When I plugged it in the usb port, it gets recognized and win 8.1 installed a driver automatically. But the driver can't start.

I can't even find where the pl2303 driver install program unzipped the drivers. A PL2303 driver IS installed after I plugged in the Nano but it shows error messages. The manufacturer specifically says PL2303 HXA is obsolete and has no win8 driver. Have you tried it yourself?

I haven't tried but I have used that way to install some old drivers. I don't think it is a hardware limitation, it might be something like chineses cloned that chip too much that prolific stopped supporting these old versions or something like that.

eried:

I haven't tried but I have used that way to install some old drivers. I don't think it is a hardware limitation, it might be something like chineses cloned that chip too much that prolific stopped supporting these old versions or something like that.

That was in my thoughts too. Make it obsolete. If you have the driver, can you tell me the file name. I just couldn't find where the install program unzipped the driver so I can't specify where to find driver

Not really an argument, when you can't afford to buy everything genuine ... well you just can't _o - pretty much the same thing as saying "another good reason to only buy industrial-grade laser CNC machines / 3D printer / insert really expensive device here".

I am using Buildroot to build the Filesystem for this board and I need to use USB-Serial converters. I know that FTDI USB-Serial converters are compatible with this board, however I want to use the USB-Serial converters using the Prolific PL2303 chipset.

In the buildroot directories is the source code for the PL2303 drivers "pl2303.h" and "pl2303.c". How could I compile a kernel module for this AM335x board for my specific architecture, even better yet, use buildroot to compile the pl2303.h and pl2303.c source files to include them in my Filesystem?

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