Can't even get started :(

[palmiepaul]

Hey there. I've been given a board that identifies itself as a d1 mini. I understand that this means it is a Wemos ESP32 board. I've connected it to my Windows 11 PC and attempted to load a blink sketch from the Arduino IDE, but the following error message appears:

Sketch uses 268105 bytes (20%) of program storage space. Maximum is 1310720 bytes.
Global variables use 20192 bytes (6%) of dynamic memory, leaving 307488 bytes for local variables. Maximum is 327680 bytes.
Failed uploading: no upload port provided

I've looked in the Tools menu, but Port option is grayed-out.

I've looked in the Select Other Boards And Ports dialog , but the Ports field shows No Ports Discovered.

I'm not even sure what the word Port means in this context.

Is there something else I should be doing (digging the garden, learning how to play hopscotch...)?

[ESP_Sprite]

Are you sure your machine detects the devboard at all? (Also check if the USB cable you're using is not a charge-only cable.)

[palmiepaul]

Hey there.

Thanks for your response.

The MCU is connected with a data cable; I use it to transfer photos from my camera.

I'm not sure the device is being detected by the PC. It doesn't show up in the File Explorer window This PC/Devices and Drives. Should it? How else would I check that?

[ESP_Sprite]

It should show up as a COM-port (serial port) in the Windows device manager.

[MicroController]

The Wemos D1 mini is built around an ESP8266, which is not the same as the ESP32. You may have to (also) select a different board in the Arduino IDE.