thanks for the reply spcomputing
i updated my post to state that the com3 port should not cause any issues.
im not well-versed in the arduino uno r3 schematics/architecture,
but i know that at least when i got the out of sync error 0x30 from avrdude,
my problems were solved by installing the FTDI drivers.
if anyone is having issues where the directions dont work based on the OS listed above, i will be glad to post any information based on the board i am using.
my apologies for the horrible punctuation, but im writing this post from a tablet and dont feel like correcting 
)