In one of the previous articles we talked about this for any device. But it happens that you need to determine exactly what unknown device is installed on your computer. Its model, manufacturer. This, in turn, will also help you find a more suitable driver.

By following the steps from the article about finding a driver, we will find out "VEN" or "VID" And "DEV" or "PID" unknown device. For example, I’ll take the D-link DWA-510 WiFi card.

If you look at its ID in Device Manager, we see the following picture:

So what we got:

VEN – 1814

DEV – 0302

We will need this data to identify an unknown device.

We will do this using the website http://pcidatabase.com. This is a site that contains a large database of equipment produced by various manufacturers.

It's entirely in English, but don't be alarmed. The information we need is easy to find and understand.

Enter in the search string:

To line Vendor Search: 1814

To line Device Search: 0302

And press Search in line Device Search.

Search the site by VEN and DEV

In the search results we see the following:

searching results

Let's figure out what the search gave us. The table shows 8 search results. As you remember, we specified 2 parameters when searching – by device and manufacturer. The search results contain several values ​​that match the previously specified parameters.

From these values, we need to choose the one that matches 2 parameters. Namely:

Device Id(or DEV) – 0302

Vendor ID(or VEN) – 1814

The last line corresponds to these values. Click on the link to the manufacturer.

We go to the page of this manufacturer (Vendor), where we see a list of devices that were produced by them. Find the Device Id (or DEV) value we need – 0302 .

As we see in the description, this company Ralink Technology produces chips for the D-Link DWL-G510 card. As you remember, this card is the unknown device that we want to identify.

The “Unknown device” error occurs when one of the computer devices (bus, USB port, controller, etc.) stops working due to the fact that the driver files are not detected. The problem can be solved in a fairly simple way, namely by reinstalling the driver, a program that translates the Windows language into tasks understandable to the device.

Reasons for the “Unknown Device” problem in Device Manager in Windows 10

There is only one reason for the appearance of an “Unknown Device” on a computer: the driver for this device does not work. But why the communication program stopped working is another question. There are three main reasons:

  • the driver was not initially installed after installing Windows, and Microsoft does not have the necessary software in its database;
  • the driver is damaged by a virus or disk error;
  • The driver was removed by the user or by malware.
Unknown Device icon in Task Manager

If all devices were working correctly, and then one or more “Unknown” devices appeared, you need to check your computer for viruses and malware. For this, it is best to use two or three programs from different developers for improved scanning of potential threats. And after the antivirus works, the driver needs to be installed again.

Determining the required driver

In order to understand whether device drivers are working correctly or not, you need to look at all the tabs of the “Device Manager”.

  1. Press the Win+X key combination and select “Device Manager” from the drop-down menu. Press the Win+X key combination and select “Device Manager” from the drop-down menu
  2. Open all tabs and look for devices with a yellow exclamation mark. In most cases, the program itself will indicate problematic devices.
    An identified device with a non-working driver is marked with a yellow exclamation mark
  3. Double-click on the line with the device whose driver does not work, thereby calling up the properties. Go to the “Details” tab. Change the “Property” filter to “Equipment ID”. Then right-click on any line in the “Value” column and select “Copy”.
    Each equipment has a unique ID for driver search
  4. We paste the value saved to the clipboard into the search bar of Google, Yandex or any other search engine and send the request.
    Paste the equipment ID into the search bar and send the request
  5. The search will return the name of the device and resources where you can download the required driver.

Manual driver installation

After you have downloaded the driver, you need to install it. Most programs can be installed very simply by running the file with the .exe extension. But not all drivers are installed this way.

  1. Open “Device Manager”, right-click on the line of the device whose driver we will install. In the context menu, select “Update driver”.
    Right-click on the hardware line and click “Update Driver”
  2. In the window that opens, select “Search for drivers on this computer.”
    Select "Search for drivers on this computer"
  3. We specify the path to the folder where the driver is saved and click “Next”. We definitely wait until the master finishes his work. After which it is advisable to restart the computer.

    You can avoid all the hassle of finding and installing the required device driver by using the automatic installation feature from the Microsoft server.


    Microsoft servers contain only Plug and Play drivers, that is, standard software products. This means that only the basic functions of the device work with them. This is especially noticeable in games. From personal experience, I have been convinced more than once that computer performance increases significantly when installing drivers downloaded from the official website, and not through the “Device Manager”. This especially applies to video cards and motherboards. I strongly recommend not installing drivers for these devices through “Automatic Search”. Unless there is an urgent need and little time.

    Fixing the “Unknown Device” problem is very simple. You just need to determine which driver is missing and install it manually or automatically from Microsoft servers.

Enermax has designed a new PC case, targeting demanding customers. The Ostrog ADV is differentiated from all rival chassis by the implementation of a brand MaxBriteTM LED Technology backlight. It ensures bright and even illumination along the outline of the case. Enermax offers models with three colors of backlight (green, red & blue) which can operate in six different modes (All on, Off, Flash, Sparkle, Vegas, Dimmed).

The new-comer is developed in a mid-tower form-factor, featuring 516x493x215 mm dimensions. The layout is estimated for the mounting of mini-ITX/micro-ATX/ATX motherboards with the maximum of 7 expansion slots. There is a possibility to install quite long videocards (up to 414 mm), standard ATX PS/2 power supply units, and a quite high CPU cooler (up to 174 mm).

Enermax Ostrog ADV is able to accommodate three external 5.25-inch drives as well as six internal 3.5-/2.5-inch drives. Cooling is ensured by a set of pre-installed/optional air fans. A pair of…

Corsair has just started the sales of its newest Full-Tower chassis, entitled Graphite 760T. The new entry features 567x246x564 mm dimensions and is available in two color variations: black and white. The most remarkable peculiarity described to the model is a half-transparent side panel, fixed by special loops. Such framework allows for the integration of system components with a striking design and might become a real attraction in the home environment.

Corsair Gpaphite 760T is thought to accommodate motherboards of ATX, E-ATX, Flex-ATX, XL-ATX, and SSI-CEB standard. Its internal layout houses nine PCI expansion slots, three 5.25-inch drive bays, and six 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch drives. I/O panel, located on the top facet, contains a pair of standard 3.5 mm audio sockets and four USB ports (2x 3.0 version, 2x 2.0 version).

To continue, the chassis comes with a well-considered cable management system, where each cable has its own place. Cooling system is represented by two onboard …

Enermax is going to release its new iVektor series of PC cases already in late August. First seen at Computex 2013, these products draw prime attention due to unusual design and voluminous internal layout. The series counts three models that are differentiated by color: white version – Enermax iVektor (ECA3310A-W), black version – Enermax iVektor (ECA3310A-B), and red version – Enermax iVektor (ECA3310B-R). They are destined to be employed as the basis for the assembling of various system configurations.

All iVektor representatives are developed in midi-tower form-factor, featuring steel and plastic chassis. The cases support ATX/micro-ATX motherboards and seven expansion slots. Internal layout presupposes the incorporation of three 5.25-inch optical drives, as well as seven 3.5-inch drives. The height of a supported power supply unit might not exceed 179 mm.

When the user fills all seven bays for 3.5-inch drives, the maximum admissible length of graphics adapters...

When setting up the “seven”, users very often encounter a notification or message appearing in the system tray that an unknown has been detected. Many users think that this is some kind of virus. Maybe so, but in general the situation is much simpler.

Unknown device in Windows 7 Device Manager: what is it?

Let's start with the fact that not a single Windows system, no matter how much its developers would like it, can have in its standard installation package absolutely all drivers and absolutely all devices. In other words, when we see code in the Windows 7 device manager, this can only mean that it, as such, in terms of hardware, is present on the computer, but cannot work normally.

What kind of devices are these? As a rule, these are the most standard USB media, or simply put, flash drives or removable hard drives, as well as MIDI keyboards without installed drivers. Firstly, the file systems may not match when connecting a removable device or even a mobile gadget. Secondly, the computer system may automatically require it to be formatted.

Okay, if it really is related to the flash drive. Otherwise, the problem that the user detects an unknown device in the Windows 7 task manager may have other root causes. According to many users, the only problem is that the drivers are out of date. This is wrong. I would like to advise such “smart” specialists to use the standard method for an unknown device from the system database. Nothing works, but Windows writes that the most suitable driver is installed.

You will have to either download the drivers manually or install an automatic client. One of these is the Driver Booster software package. Please note that the third updated version is installed on your computer completely free of charge and updates drivers automatically, not one at a time, as was the case in previous variations, but entirely and at once.

How to enter Windows 7 Device Manager and what to do next?

Regarding logging into the service, which allows you to view all devices whether they are working or not, you can note the universal manager, although not every user knows that you can disable or activate any device in terms of hardware in the BIOS. If the component is disabled, even the system will not see it during setup.

Nevertheless, let’s look at the question of how to enter this service and why the user sometimes sees an empty Windows 7 device manager. First, you need to use the “Run” menu, and not wander through all sorts of control panels and enter the devmgmt.msc command there , which in a quick version provides access to this service.

Here you should select exactly what you need from the view menu. If all else fails, you need to use the service system, called by the services.msc command.

If nothing is displayed

Now let's move on to the most pressing issue. What if there is not a single device in the manager at all, although the user knows that they are there and working (or worked until a certain time)?

First, it is worth checking your system for viruses (this is not discussed). Secondly, is it really a USB drive that is not supported by Microsoft or the BIOS boot system.

Here you really have to install specific drivers. By the way, the owners of what they think are “cool” video cards suffer the most from such situations. In fact, an unknown device in the Windows 7 Device Manager (and not only) may be displayed for the sole reason that the system itself is out of date. Here you just need to enable auto-update. And even the system update does not always work correctly. Device drivers that are not listed in the Windows installation directory will simply not be installed.

Therefore, it is recommended to use exclusively “native” driver discs or programs like Ultimate Driver Solution or Driver Booster. By the way, the latest, third version is absolutely free and updates drivers not one at a time, as was provided before, but all at once.

What's the result?

Finally, it remains to add that the problem that somewhere and somehow an unknown device will be detected or shown in the Windows 7 task manager can be solved at least by simply installing the appropriate driver, if not from the Windows catalog, then from the “native” one or an updater - Yes sir.

Naturally, it is additionally worth saying that it is not worth updating the required drivers developed for any Windows. All the same, the system will try to install something from its directory, considering them the most correct. There are many complaints about this. Just try disabling the system update and using the above-mentioned program. The difference is colossal.

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 the 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.