PC will not "See" Garmin Etrex Vista

I have searched this problem and all I have found are blind rabbit holes that look promising but are not.

I have a just-opened brand-new 2001 vintage Garmin Etrex Vista hand-held GPS device.
Instead of USB, it has a 9-pin PCI-32 some-such-or-other; most of my machines just happen to have a receptacle to receive such a plug.

When connected to the computer, the Etrex Vista shows up immediately in Garmin BaseCamp; and, I can communicate and transfer stuff back and forth between the device and BaseCamp, so I know I have a good connection.

However, the device is also supposed to show up in "Computer", just like a Kindle or Card Reader, or such.

There are some things that must be drag/dropped into the Garmin and I cannot do this when it refuses to show up.

In the device, in Setup > Interface, it was at first set on Garmin (the default); I changed this "Serial Data Format" to NMEA-IN/NMEA-OUT = didn't help a bit.

I have restarted the PC several times and still no show.

Does anyone have any experience with these devices and how to make Windows 7 see them ?

SIW2 said:

Have you got an id for it in msinfo32>components>problem devices

Thanks; my first time for accessing msinfo32.
The problem devices page is blank/empty.

Garmin BaseCamp, installed on the computer, sees and communicates with the device - no problem; otherwise, it is as if it does not exist.

I get no evidence of anything happening when I connect or disconnect the device.

On YouTube videos I have watched, those people connect their device to the computer and it opens up an Autoplay or just shows up in Explorer as a portable device.

SIW2 said:

Can you find it in device manager? Type devmgmt.msc in start search box

I looked in every field and nothing looks like it would be it; it definitely is not in Portable Devices.

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I am not at all familiar with connections using that weird 9-pin port and this is the first and only device I have ever connected to it.
Is it possible that something needs be turned-on/ activated/ drivers in order for that port to be seen ?
It is weird that Garmin BaseCamp program sees and recognizes it when I can find no evidence whatsoever of it within the computer anywhere.

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I looked up the proper name for the connection that the Garmin uses; it is 9-pin RS-232 Serial Port
Although the connection has nine pins, the cable and device itself has only four wires/contacts = Ground, Data IN, Data OUT, and Power
USB has the same four.
What would be the outcome if I took a Male USB connector and connected the four wires to the appropriate pins on the RS-232 cable, homemade adapter style ?

It appears there is more to this adapter business than just matching wires:

DIY USB to RS232 adapter - Do It Easy With ScienceProg

SIW2 said:

Is it something like this? There are several similar under different brands

Yes; Thanks.