The driver cannot be installed on an unknown device. Problems with drivers on Windows: searching for drivers by their ID and installing using programs

When connecting new hardware to your computer, you often have to cross your fingers and hope that Windows will automatically recognize it and install the necessary driver for it. True, the trick is not always successful. Instead of desired result On the laptop screen you often see a message that the system has detected an unknown device, but did not bother to find drivers for it. Trouble? Hardly. If the hardware cannot be recognized automatically, you will have to find it manually, and then worry about how to force install the driver on the laptop.

Option #1: Install from disk

In cases where Windows cannot correctly detect the equipment connected to the computer and automatically install the equipment necessary for its operation software, you can use a regular driver CD using one of the following methods:

installation via Device Manager:

We insert the laptop disk into the drive, open the “Start” menu and through the “Control Panel” we get to the “Device Manager”:

Next in the list that appears we find our “unknown” device, indicated by a yellow triangle with a black exclamation point, click on it with the right mouse button, select in the displayed context menu item "Update drivers", and then "Search...":

After that, indicate the path to access the drivers on the disk, click the “Next” button and wait until they are automatically installed on the computer:

configuration using the “Hardware Installation Wizard:

We put the disk with the installation drivers into the drive, press +R and execute the hdwwiz command through the utility. After that, in the window that opens, click “Next”, select the installation option “...from the list manually” and proceed to the next step using the “Next” button:

In the new window, double-click “Show all devices” and then select the “Have from disk” option. After this, all that remains is to find and specify the path to the drivers, click OK and proceed to the last step using the “Next” button:

The final touch is to confirm the entered data by clicking “Next” and wait until the drivers are installed on the computer.

Option No. 2: Search and download drivers via the Internet

In the event that there is no disk with drivers for the equipment connected to the laptop, doubts arise about how to install them correctly on the PC, or in principle it is impossible to determine what software is required for installation, the unknown device can be identified via the Internet. How do we act? By pressing the +R buttons, we call the “Run” utility on the computer and run the devmgmt.msc command through it.

Next, in the list that appears, we find the equipment for which we need to find a driver, right-click on this shortcut and click “Properties”. Then in the window that opens, click the “Information” section, click the “Properties” button and select the “Equipment ID” item in the list that appears:

Now in the “Value” line we copy the data VEN (digits) and DEV (digits). Having them at your disposal, all that remains is to use them correctly. In this case, there are several options:

search via website devid.info

In this case, all we need is to go to the web page, paste the copied VEN and DEV code information into the search field and click the “Search” button. As a result, the program will automatically display all the data on the device.

Windows Device Manager is basically a tool that allows you to identify all the hardware connected to your computer. It's useful for a range of tasks, from managing drivers such as updating, rolling back, and even uninstalling, to enabling and disabling specific devices.

But one day an “unusual” situation may arise when “Unknown device” appears in the dispatcher. This hardware cannot recognize Windows and therefore will not pick up a driver for it. When cannot be determined, it is marked as unknown with a yellow exclamation mark before the name.

The device is not recognized in Windows 7, 10 - what to do?

You can search for unknown PC components using the hardware identifier.

Now previously unidentified equipment will become fully functional and will no longer appear as an unknown device.

Conclusion

If you find an unknown device, do not panic and immediately contact service center. The only problem is that Windows does not recognize the specific hardware installed in the system unit due to the lack of software.

Sometimes even a simple reboot can solve the problem. But it is better to install the drivers manually so that the entry with the yellow triangle does not appear in the Manager again.

In my practice, situations often occur when, after reinstalling the system, it is discovered that for of this computer there are no disks with device drivers. As a rule, many people have no idea about the importance of these very disks for the full operation of the computer and simply lose them. How then can one find drivers for unknown devices? There are several options to solve this problem.

Firstly, we can remove the cover system unit, pull out and carefully examine the necessary components (be it a video card, LAN card, motherboard, or something else). Then we find its name on the device, go to a computer with a working Internet and search in global network the necessary driver (preferably on the manufacturer’s official website).

Secondly, you can install a program on your machine that provides information about hardware computer. For example, (formerly Everest). This software will allow you to determine what devices are on your computer. It also contains links to download drivers from the manufacturer's website.
Whichever of the described methods we use, it still wastes a significant amount of precious time. Moreover, in the first case, you will need to open the system unit, and in the second, install additional software.

In Windows there is one more, more convenient way find required driver – by device code. So, first, let's determine the code of the unknown device. Right-click on “My Computer” - then “Manage”. Select “Device Manager” in the left panel. On the right we will see the device for which we need to install the driver (it will be marked with a yellow exclamation mark), right-click on it and select “Properties”.
In the window that opens, go to the “Details” tab and select “Device Instance ID” in the drop-down menu (in Windows 7 you need to select “Hardware ID”).
In the same window we will see the device code. Click on it with the mouse and copy it using the keyboard (Ctrl+C or Ctrl+Insert).
What remains for us next is find driver by code and download it. To do this, go to the wonderful website devid.info and there we paste the device code we copied into the search bar.
Click “Search” and after a moment we see a whole list of found drivers. We select a more or less recent one that is suitable for our version of the operating system, and then download it.

One of the special situations that arise during work operating systems Windows 7 and Windows 8 is the case when the Device Manager appears Unknown device. There may be several reasons for this phenomenon. Let's take a closer look at the most common ones:

1) a new “clean” Windows is installed;
This is the most popular case. Most often, after reinstalling Windows, users simply forget that they also need to install drivers.
2) there was a malfunction of the devices or operating system;
Very often this indicates the imminent demise of the device, but it also happens that the operating system glitches and you just need to feed it the driver again.
3) new devices or components were connected to the computer. The system does not have a suitable driver and cannot recognize the connected device.

If Windows Device Manager says "Unknown device", then you should start by finding out what it is. Here we will be helped by the device code and the manufacturer code, which are embedded in each component or peripheral device. How to recognize them? Easily! Right-click on the unknown device and select the “Properties” menu item:

A properties window will open, in which you need to open the “Details” tab and find the “Hardware ID” item in the list of properties for Windows 7 and Windows 8 or “Device Instance ID” in the case of Windows XP:

In the lines we look for the identifiers VEN (vendor - manufacturer) and DEV (device - device). In the example, I deliberately chose a defined device so that you can clearly see how it will be further defined.

Now you need to use one of the online component databases existing on the Internet. I can personally recommend two such services. The first one is devinfo.

Enter the found identifiers into the search bar and click the “Search” button. The search results will display the device you are looking for.

If nothing is found, try using the PCIDatabase service.

Its peculiarity is that you can search for an unknown device not by pair, but by each identifier separately.

So, we have determined what this Unknown Device is in Windows Manager. Now we need to figure out what to do about it.

The most correct way out of this situation is download from the manufacturer’s website and install the most latest version drivers. If the device is working properly, then in 90% of cases this action will help.

The second option is to check the system for viruses. Sometimes users manage to catch such a malicious dirty trick that it affects system files and even device drivers.

Does not help? Try to roll back the system to the last working one.

If the problem occurs with a USB device connected via a cable, first try simply reconnecting it to an adjacent USB port. Is the device unrecognized? You should try replacing the cable itself, it may be faulty.

When nothing helps...

In this situation, most often this “unidentified device” is simply faulty. But before you take it to the service, try connecting it to another computer to check.

Have you encountered a situation: when you connect a device to a PC via USB, an error appears that says: “The equipment is not recognized.” What to do? Let's consider what to do when the unknown appears USB device Windows 7.

Why is this happening

The OS cannot detect the hardware. Reconnecting does not bring results, because the system in the installation package does not have drivers for absolutely all devices. Therefore, when connecting new equipment, drivers are not automatically found for it. These are flash drives, removable HDDs, keyboards, . Let's look at ways to solve this problem.

What to do first

Follow these steps:

1. Connect the equipment to another available connector. Perhaps the problem is in the USB itself;
2. Try using a different cable to connect;
3. Disconnect non-working equipment, turn off the PC and power. Press the "Power" button and hold it for 3-4 seconds. Next, start your PC.

How to remove an unknown Windows 7 device

If the reason is malfunction driver, follow these steps. Click "Start" - "Control Panel".
Further:

Usually the equipment is located in the “Controllers” section. Open it, then:

Click the " " button.
Further:

Power Options

By default, power options are enabled. Disabling it will solve the problem. Open the “Control Panel” (how to do this was discussed above). Further.

Click the "Scheme Configuration" link.

Click "Edit".

Follow these steps:

How to identify an unknown Windows 7 device

Let's look at how to install a driver for an unspecified OS device. The main thing is to define it correctly. Press “Win+R” and enter the command “devmgmt.msc”.

Further:

Open the “Details” tab. We are interested in "ID":
Let's copy this information. We looked at how to find an unknown device in Windows 7 Manager. Now we download the drivers.

Download driver unknown device Windows 7

Open the website devid.info. We enter the value (obtained above) into the search form.
The necessary information will appear.

Automatic installation

Download the driver automatically using DriverPack.

The application will detect and load the necessary drivers. I recommend using this method for inexperienced users when there are no drivers on the PC after reinstalling the OS.

On the website of this program, find the manufacturer using the values ​​of the VEN and DEV parameters.

Windows 7 coprocessor unknown device

If a picture appears like in the screenshot, there is a problem with the coprocessor driver. It is used to perform floating point operations. When you try to install it automatically, nothing will work.
How to solve such a problem? On the manufacturer's website motherboard, download drivers for . Update your drivers.

Conclusion

The problem of a device that is not detected by the OS can be solved by reinstalling the driver. Download them from official sources. Do not install drivers developed for any OS.