Hi,
I have an SX50HS that requires specific Canon drivers to enable USB connection to my PC (doesn't seem to work on Windows 10/11).
All PowerShots from at least Digic 2 through Digic 8 support PTP (and MTP, for all but the very early ones) in the Canon firmware, which will be recognized by windows without any additional drivers and provide very basic image transfer functionality. If your camera is not recognized at all (as in, it doesn't show up in explorer or device manager when you plug it in), there is some other problem.
Note if you have CHDK installed, enabling the
USB Remote option will prevent a PC from seeing it as a PTP device. This option is used for the DIY hardware remote, and should be disabled if you intend to use PTP.
Does CHDK enable/support any of the 'standard' USB mass-storage modes, like MSC or MTP/PTP?
As noted, these cameras already support MTP/PTP. CHDK does have a
PTP Extension which provides additional functionality when used with programs that implement the extension.