I am still having this issue and the troubleshooting Arduino information actually creates more questions than it answers. For example
"Make sure there's a bootloader burned on your Arduino board. To check, reset the board. The built-in L LED (which is connected to pin 13) should blink. If it doesn't, there may not be a bootloader on your board."
I don't have a blinking L light so maybe I don't have a bootloader and that would explain why my board doesn't respond when I try to program it. The troubleshooting docs just seem to stop there.
How can I know if I have a bootloader or not? How can I find steps to resolve the issue?