OK as of July 2024 some of the ESP D1 Mini and Arduino Uno’s have a Chinese “knockoff” chip that does not work with the Windows 11 drivers so you need to force install the old 3.5.2019.1 Driver.
Just like this chip below, it will not have any writing on it. And when you try to connect to it via ESPHome or Arduino IDE you will get an immediate fail.
Remove the Windows 3.8.XX Driver and install 3.5.2019.1 and you will be able to connect to the D1 Mini’s with the “knockoff” chips. If you use a different port you will need to follow the same process on that new port.
This is what you want to see under your driver for the D1 Mini.
If you have trouble I have also been able to follow this guide to get it working https://embetronicx.com/uncategorized/fixed-prolific-pl2303ta-usb-to-serial-and-windows-11/
His drivers are located here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1x2dKDMaz8grEFTiyzvq-utA-RvkZwsB9/view
