CHIRP uses COM3, which works well when cloning my Icom 2200H and UV-3A Yes, the driver only appears when the USB cable is plugged in, remove it and the driver goes away. Ideas?
CHIRP needs to be pointed at whatever COM port your cable is showing up as. I would not expect all three of the above-mentioned cables to show up on the same COM port every time. I'm always confused by Windows' seemingly-random behavior, so maybe there's something I'm missing. However, I would make sure that you're using what Device Manager shows _each_time_ you try a clone.
Another thing you may try is unplugging your cable and then trying to use CHIRP on COM3 again. You should get a different error, and immediately. If not, then something other than your FT-2800 cable is actually COM3.