user24218: I had never used Arduino before. When I tried to interface my new Arduino Uno board to my computer, the computer failed to recognize the board. 
Why isn't the board interfaced successfully? How should I troubleshoot that problem? 

user26927: Majenko is probably right.  If it is a clone Arduino board you will need to install some CH340 drivers.  If it's an authentic board I would return it as it should work out of the box with the Arduino IDE. 

24218: <p>I had never used Arduino before. When I tried to interface my new Arduino Uno board to my computer, the computer failed to recognize the board. </p>

<p>Why isn't the board interfaced successfully? How should I troubleshoot that problem? </p>
 26927: <p>Majenko is probably right.  If it is a clone Arduino board you will need to install some CH340 drivers.  If it's an authentic board I would return it as it should work out of the box with the Arduino IDE. </p>
