# YAPP (Yet Another Putty Problem)
**URL:** https://community.particle.io/t/yapp-yet-another-putty-problem/66394
**Category:** Device OS
**Created:** [February 21, 2024, 3:23pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/yapp-yet-another-putty-problem/66394 "2024-02-21T15:23:03Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@mprogers](https://community.particle.io/u/mprogers)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2024, 3:23pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/yapp-yet-another-putty-problem/66394/1 "2024-02-21T15:23:03Z")
I have a student who is trying to do an assignment (mine) that involves running putty. They keep getting an error. I believe they're running this as an administrator.
Any ideas? I am not really a Windows person (at all), so I have no idea ...
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### Author:  [@ScruffR](https://community.particle.io/u/ScruffR)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2024, 3:29pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/yapp-yet-another-putty-problem/66394/2 "2024-02-21T15:29:20Z")
How do they try to open the port?
Is the device actually exposing the USB Serial interface?
Is this the correct port? Windows may change the port number when plugging the device into another USB port (unless it was once assigend manually). Different devices, even of the same type, may get different port numbers too.
You may want to check Device Manager whether that port is actually available and then also make sure it's not already occupied.
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### Author:  [@mprogers](https://community.particle.io/u/mprogers)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2024, 4:00pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/yapp-yet-another-putty-problem/66394/3 "2024-02-21T16:00:37Z")
Thanks so much for the quick reply, @ScruffR. We're using the standard Serial interface that we use for Serial.printf(). We'd checked the port in the Device Manager, there were several being used by bluetooth, but we found one labeled USB and went for that. I may just have them go to a lab machine (or use the screen command on macOS).
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### Author:  [@ScruffR](https://community.particle.io/u/ScruffR)
#### Post date: [February 21, 2024, 4:16pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/yapp-yet-another-putty-problem/66394/4 "2024-02-21T16:16:00Z")
Typically when you use a Particle device the port will _ **not** _ only be named USB but rather indicate the model name (Photon, Electron, ...).
You could be running into a driver problem with an old or wrong driver being used.
Also make sure the "suspected" port disappears from the list once you unplug the device.
If you have CLI installed, you can also try `particle serial monitor --follow` and let CLI try to find the device.
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### Author:  [@mprogers](https://community.particle.io/u/mprogers)
#### Post date: [February 23, 2024, 2:31pm UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/yapp-yet-another-putty-problem/66394/5 "2024-02-23T14:31:51Z")
So, my student reported that they can now talk to Putty. They are not quite sure how they solved the problem, but are grateful that they did. Thanks again, @ScruffR
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### Author:  [@system](https://community.particle.io/u/system)
#### Post date: [March 25, 2024, 12:32am UTC](https://community.particle.io/t/yapp-yet-another-putty-problem/66394/6 "2024-03-25T00:32:10Z")
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