I wrote my first program and all was well except that I can't get the program to recognize the port com. It stays grayed out. I have spent several hours on this and am asking for some fresh leads. I've gone through several tutorials and gone through quite a few of your posts. I think part of my problem is learning the language Arduino speak. I have found the port (0003) in my operating system (no easy task in windows 8), along with the hub number 0007. But I can't seem to get the board to recognize them. Do you think I need a new cable? Mine is pretty old.
What Arduino board are you using? What version of the IDE? The Arduino COM port connection being recognised by the PC really has nothing to do with the program you're trying to load.
I think you're saying that you have the IDE open, the Arduino plugged into a USB port on the PC but when you try to select the port using Tools/Port everything is greyed out. If that's correct then it's certainly worth trying a different USB cable. It may also be worth trying plugging it into a different USB port on the PC - in particular make sure it's a USB2.0 port because the faster USB3.0 ports can cause problems.
Steve
Apart from Slipsticks advice you may want to ensure that any USB HUB has an adequate power supply.
If you had a problem finding the port i would presume windows 10.
Also ensure nothing is connected to pins 0 and 1 during uploads.
You haven't said if its a clone or a real arduino so if it is a clone the drivers are HERE although a good picture of the board itself would help to identify it better.
Maybe you should read this post and add some of the missing details about your setup.