"The driver installed, but PuTTY cannot open the COM port."
The (specifically Cisco_usbconsole_driver_3_1.zip ) is the essential software required to connect a PC to the USB console port (typically mini-USB) of Cisco networking hardware like ISR G2 routers and Catalyst switches. Released around January 2010 , this version is widely cited as the go-to driver for making these modern console connections work on various Windows versions. The Story of the Install Properly Installing Cisco USB Console Driver usb console software 31 ciscousbconsoledriver31zip install