An observation that may help some: if you're having trouble connecting your NodeMCU module to your PC via USB, try a longer USB cable. I have several NodeMCUs, and they all connect fine with a cable that is about 1 meter long, but fail to connect with a cable that's only about 20cm in length. Probably a timing issue of some kind.
Anyway, it may just be me, but if you have trouble finding your NodeMCU usb port using Tools>Port on Arduino, try the longer cable -- it works for me.