I have bought today a NodeMCU v2 (I think).
I connected my NodeMCU to my laptop with a microUSB to USB cable, the same one that I use to transfer photos from my phone to my laptop. The laptop simply does not show me the NodeMCU while connected (I am running Windows 8 for reference). It makes the little sound when I plug it in (also a small blue light flashes once) or out and the Wi-Fi AI-THINKER_2CD750 appears in the Wi-Fi tab.
It doesn't try to install the drivers or anything, nothing happens. I tried to install the drivers myself from the github page, that did not work either, it says that they are preinstalled.
Okay, I faced a similar error where my NodeMCU was being detected as a faulty CP2101 device.
I tried to install the NodeMCU drivers but it didn't work.
Then I landed up using this link: https://www.silabs.com/developers/usb-to-uart-bridge-vcp-drivers to install the CP210x Universal Windows Driver.
This was installed correctly and I was able to use the NodeMCU again.
I would also recommend taking a look at your board. Not all the ESP8266 development boards use the same peripherals. So you'll have to find a driver accordingly.