Arduino: Troubleshooting avrdude

My most hated error message:

1.  could not get com port recognized (saw as usb):   went into device manager and checked for “show hidden devices”
2.  code ran properly when nano attached to usb but did not work when not attached to usb:  the fix for this was to re-arrange some pins (27 vs 30?).  When using an external power source only (and not usb), then pins must be re-arranged.  
3.  bluetooth malfunctioning at times by going offline, robot only going in circles:  had tried 9V and 4 AA alkaline, ended up ordering Lithium Ion  18650 2600mAh flat top batteries