Arduino connects, but program won't download

Not gonna' lie, I am a new-ish to this. I am going through the tutorial book that came with my kit, but this isn't in the book. My arduino uno is connected to my computer (I have tested the connection with a loop setup and the serial monitor and it is DEFINITELY connected), but the programs I download somehow complete downloading but don't make it onto the board. When I upload it in programmer mode, it says,"avrdude: usbdev_open(): did not find any USB device "usb"". I have already checked the forums, but all say that it has to do with the board not being connected, which it is (I even checked the device mangler to see what port it is on and that is correct). I have also tried multiple devices just to get the EXACT same error, so it is obviously the board itself.
Any help is VASTLY appreciated,
DiyHacker1

Windows 10 (latest build as of 12/4/2015)
windows xp (latest version as of 12/4/2015)
both with arduino software V1.0.6

DiyHacker1:
I am going through the tutorial book that came with my kit, but this isn't in the book.

What kit? What book?

DiyHacker1:
My arduino uno is connected to my computer (I have tested the connection with a loop setup and the serial monitor and it is DEFINITELY connected)

If you aren't able to upload programs what have you tested with the Serial Monitor? That you can open it? Which does show that the serial monitor can open the serial port it's been given.

DiyHacker1:
but the programs I download somehow complete downloading but don't make it onto the board.

Then the download is failing.

Turn on Verbose Output in the preferences. Copy/paste the output into a post here. (Ideally using code tags.)

DiyHacker1:
When I upload it in programmer mode, it says,"avrdude: usbdev_open(): did not find any USB device "usb"".

That isn't a "mode." That is for using a hardware programmer. If you do not have a ISP programmer attached, upload using programmer does nothing.

DiyHacker1:
I have also tried multiple devices just to get the EXACT same error, so it is obviously the board itself.

What do you mean by "devices?" You've tried multiple Arduino boards and get the same error? (What error? You said uploads complete fine.)

[quote author=James C4S date=1449336075 link=msg=2508828]
What kit? What book?[/quote]

not sure...

[quote author=James C4S date=1449336075 link=msg=2508828]
If you aren't able to upload programs what have you tested with the Serial Monitor? That you can open it? Which does show that the serial monitor can open the serial port it's been given.[/quote]

what i did was i connected the rx and tx ports so any info sent to the board would loop back to the computer, then i sent some info through.

[quote author=James C4S date=1449336075 link=msg=2508828]
Then the download is failing.

Turn on Verbose Output in the preferences. Copy/paste the output into a post here. (Ideally using code tags.)[/quote]

IDK what code tags are and the output was too long so i put what i think you might need, but i did the verbose upload; here's the output (between the curly bracers)

{

System wide configuration file is "C:\Program Files (x86)\Arduino\hardware/tools/avr/etc/avrdude.conf"

Using Port : \.\COM5
Using Programmer : arduino
Overriding Baud Rate : 115200
avrdude: Send: 0 [30] [20]
avrdude: Send: 0 [30] [20]
avrdude: Send: 0 [30] [20]
avrdude: Recv: . [14]
avrdude: Recv: . [10]
AVR Part : ATMEGA328P
Chip Erase delay : 9000 us
PAGEL : PD7
BS2 : PC2
RESET disposition : dedicated
RETRY pulse : SCK
serial program mode : yes
parallel program mode : yes
Timeout : 200
StabDelay : 100
CmdexeDelay : 25
SyncLoops : 32
ByteDelay : 0
PollIndex : 3
PollValue : 0x53
Memory Detail :

}
Took out some here
{

Programmer Type : Arduino
Description : Arduino
avrdude: Send: A [41] . [80] [20]
avrdude: Recv: . [14]
avrdude: Recv: . [03]
avrdude: Recv: . [10]
avrdude: Send: A [41] . [81] [20]
avrdude: Recv: . [14]
avrdude: Recv: . [04]
avrdude: Recv: . [10]
avrdude: Send: A [41] . [82] [20]
avrdude: Recv: . [14]
avrdude: Recv: . [04]
avrdude: Recv: . [10]
avrdude: Send: A [41] . [98] [20]
avrdude: Recv: . [14]
avrdude: Recv: . [03]
avrdude: Recv: . [10]
Hardware Version: 3
Firmware Version: 4.4
avrdude: Send: A [41] . [84] [20]
avrdude: Recv: . [14]
avrdude: Recv: . [03]
avrdude: Recv: . [10]
avrdude: Send: A [41] . [85] [20]
avrdude: Recv: . [14]
avrdude: Recv: . [03]
avrdude: Recv: . [10]
avrdude: Send: A [41] . [86] [20]
avrdude: Recv: . [14]
avrdude: Recv: . [03]
avrdude: Recv: . [10]
avrdude: Send: A [41] . [87] [20]
avrdude: Recv: . [14]
avrdude: Recv: . [03]
avrdude: Recv: . [10]
avrdude: Send: A [41] . [89] [20]
avrdude: Recv: . [14]
avrdude: Recv: . [03]
avrdude: Recv: . [10]
Vtarget : 0.3 V
Varef : 0.3 V
Oscillator : 28.800 kHz
SCK period : 3.3 us

avrdude: Send: A [41] . [81] [20]
avrdude: Recv: . [14]
avrdude: Recv: . [04]
avrdude: Recv: . [10]
avrdude: Send: A [41] . [82] [20]
avrdude: Recv: . [14]
avrdude: Recv: . [04]
avrdude: Recv: . [10]
avrdude: Send: B [42] . [86] . [00] . [00] . [01] . [01] . [01] . [01] . [03] . [ff] . [ff] . [ff] . [ff] . [00] . [80] . [04] . [00] . [00] . [00] . [80] . [00] [20]
avrdude: Recv: . [14]
avrdude: Recv: . [10]
avrdude: Send: E [45] . [05] . [04] . [d7] . [c2] . [00] [20]
avrdude: Recv: . [14]
avrdude: Recv: . [10]
avrdude: Send: P [50] [20]
avrdude: Recv: . [14]
avrdude: Recv: . [10]
avrdude: AVR device initialized and ready to accept instructions

Reading | avrdude: Send: u [75] [20]
avrdude: Recv: . [14] . [1e] . [95] . [0f] . [10]
################################################## | 100% 0.01s

avrdude: Send: V [56] . [a0] . [03] . [ff] . [00] [20]
avrdude: Recv: . [14]
avrdude: Recv: . [00]
avrdude: Recv: . [10]
avrdude: reading input file "C:\Users\user\AppData\Local\Temp\build8021311611748217387.tmp\LiquidCrystalBall.cpp.hex"
avrdude: writing flash (3276 bytes):

Writing | avrdude: Send: U [55] . [00] . [00] [20]
avrdude: Recv: . [14]
avrdude: Recv: . [10]
avrdude: Send: d [64] . [00] . [80] F [46] . [0c] . [94] b [62] . [00] . [0c] . [94] . [8a] . [00] . [0c] . [94] . [8a] . [00] . [0c] . [94] . [8a] . [00] . [0c] . [94] . [8a] . [00] . [0c] . [94] . [8a] . [00] . [0c] . [94] . [8a] . [00] . [0c] . [94] . [8a] . [00] . [0c] . [94] . [8a] . [00] . [0c] . [94] . [8a] . [00] . [0c] . [94] . [8a] . [00] . [0c] . [94] . [8a] . [00] . [0c] . [94] . [8a] . [00] . [0c] . [94] . [8a] . [00] . [0c] . [94] . [8a] . [00] . [0c] . [94] . [8a] . [00] . [0c] . [94] . [99] . [03] . [0c] . [94] . [8a] . [00] . [0c] . [94] . [8a] . [00] . [0c] . [94] . [8a] . [00] . [0c] . [94] . [8a] . [00] . [0c] . [94] . [8a] . [00] . [0c] . [94] . [8a] . [00] . [0c] . [94] . [8a] . [00] . [0c] . [94] . [8a] . [00] . [0c] . [94] . [8a] . [00] . [00] . [00] . [00] . [00] $ [24] . [00] ' [27] . [00] * [2a] . [00] . [00] . [00] . [00] . [00] % [25] . [00] ( [28] . [00] + [2b] . [00] . [00] . [00] . [00] . [00] [20]

}
I cut a bit out here because it was WAY too long
}

##avrdude: Send: U [55] @ [40] . [06] [20]
avrdude: Recv: . [14]
avrdude: Recv: . [10]
avrdude: Send: t [74] . [00] L [4c] F [46] [20]
avrdude: Recv: . [14]
avrdude: Recv: a [61] g [67] a [61] i [69] n [6e] . [00] U [55] m [6d] , [2c] [20] w [77] h [68] a [61] t [74] ? [3f] . [00] W [57] a [61] t [74] [20] u [75] [20] s [73] a [61] y [79] ? [3f] . [00] A [41] s [73] k [6b] [20] t [74] h [68] e [65] [20] L [4c] i [69] q [71] u [75] i [69] d [64] . [00] C [43] r [72] y [79] s [73] t [74] a [61] l [6c] [20] B [42] a [61] l [6c] l [6c] ! [21] . [00] . [01] . [00] . [00] . [00] . [00] . [00] . [00] . [00] _ [5f] . [02] . [1e] . [05] . [00] . [00] @ [40] . [00] . [14] . [00] T [54] . [00]
avrdude: Recv: . [10]

| 100% 0.61s

avrdude: verifying ...
avrdude: 3276 bytes of flash verified
avrdude: Send: Q [51] [20]
avrdude: Recv: . [14]
avrdude: Recv: . [10]

avrdude done. Thank you.

}

[quote author=James C4S date=1449336075 link=msg=2508828]
That isn't a "mode." That is for using a hardware programmer. If you do not have a ISP programmer attached, upload using programmer does nothing.[/quote]

i know, but i needed some sort of error to find the problem

[quote author=James C4S date=1449336075 link=msg=2508828]
What do you mean by "devices?" You've tried multiple Arduino boards and get the same error? (What error? You said uploads complete fine.)[/quote]

by "devices" i mean different computers that i tried to upload code to the board from. by the error/uploads fine, i mean that with programmer (for more info on the problem), there is the error message shown above as the only indicator of a problem, but without programmer, there is no error message shown, and it looks like the upload is fine until you try to run the code on the board.

thanks for helping!
DiyHacker1

Code tags look like this: [code ][/code ]

That output says the upload was successful.

hmm... i wonder why the darned thing isn't working.

!
I just remembered! could connecting 2 of the exposed pins on the bottom of the board have shorted something out? I made a case for it out of an altoid can, but only used a layer of duct tape as insulation(I'm pretty sure the board poked through in a few spots too :/) Could it be that i just need to replace the board?

DiyHacker1:
I just remembered! could connecting 2 of the exposed pins on the bottom of the board have shorted something out?

Yes, lots of things.

DiyHacker1:
but only used a layer of duct tape as insulation

Grey duct tape has powered aluminum in it.

While probably not conductive at low voltage I would not personally use it for electrical applications.

DiyHacker1:
Could it be that i just need to replace the board?

That's a difficult question to answer. Without knowing what was shorted, it isn't possible to tell what could be damaged. Also, damaged components do not fail immediately. So everything might be working fine right now, but suddenly stop one day.

Okay. thanks for all the help! I'll keep trying for a while, and if it doesn't work, then I'll just get a new board. Last time I use duct tape for insulation!