How to Identify Unknown Hardware Devices and Install Missing Drivers

Hi there,

If you have stumbled upon this article, there is a good chance that your computer has thrown up errors and warnings of unknown hardware devices and missing drivers. Not to worry though! I'm here to help.

This quick guide aims to help you identify any unknown devices and install your missing drivers in a few simple steps.

How to Identify Unknown Hardware Devices and Install Missing Drivers

But first, what are drivers and why are they important for a Windows based computer?

A device driver is the program that controls a device, so it can function with the applications that make use of it, like for example the Windows Operating System. What this means is that it converts high level codes generated by the applications that you use, to low level command specific codes that are recognized by your computer's hardware devices.

So device drivers play a very important role in maintaining a perfect balance between the Operating System and your computer hardware, ensuring that your computer hardware is functioning as intended by the manufacturer. It is important the interaction between the Windows OS and your hardware is trouble-free.

Read on further to learn how you can identify unknown devices and other hardware, and subsequently find drivers for these devices.

Step 1: Identifying the details of the unknown device:

The first step is to find out who makes the hardware device (the vendor) and the designated device name.

Option 1: You can do this manually through the Device Manager:

i. Go to:

Start menu > Run > type in devmgmt.msc > Hit Enter

( Vista and Win 7 users: Start > type in devmgmt.msc > Hit Enter )

ii. In the Device Manager window, select the unknown device (yellow question mark) or the device with a missing driver (yellow exclamation mark), right-click on it and choose Properties.

iii. In the Properties window, click on the Driver tab, and select Device Instance ID or Hardware IDs

iv: Note down one or all of the following informating for each device:

VEN/VID - Vendor ID (refers to the vendor/manufacturer)

DEV - Device ID (refers to the device)

PID - Product ID (for product identification, generally refers to USB devices)

Option 2: If the above steps seem daunting or confusing, you can use one of these free tools to scan your computer and display the exact details of the unknown devices:

Unknown Devices; Unknown Device Identifier

Step 2: Determining the device name and manufacturer:

i. You can visit either one of these websites to lookup the details you've collected from Step 1:

PCIDatabase.com

DevID.info

ii. Use the VEN / VID /DEV ID to look up their database and determine the exact details of the unknown device. If you see more than one search result, try using a different ID or look into the details to make sure you have identified the device correctly.

Step 3: Finding drivers

Once you have correctly identified the unknown devices, it's time to download and install the right drivers for them on your computer!

You can visit the device manufacturer's website to download the required driver from their support or download page.

Can I fix driver related problems automatically by updating my drivers?

Yes, you can.

Driver problems can often be fixed through drivers updates that contain fixes and improvements released by the device manufacturer. So if you are looking to automatically fix problematic drivers by updating all your device drivers to the latest version, we recommend trying a reliable driver updating utility which can help you update all your computer drivers in a few easy steps.

Time to breathe a sign of relief! No more missing drivers or driver problems on your PC!

Happy Computing,

Joseph

How to Identify Unknown Hardware Devices and Install Missing Drivers
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Learn more about Device Drivers and Driver Updates:
http://thefreeandeasyguidetopcs.com/category/pc-hardware/device-drivers/

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