Managing Hardware in Vista

Windows Plug and Play technology does a good job of detecting and automatically configuring new hardware. However, if the hardware doesn't support Plug and Play or it isn't automatically detected, you'll need to enter information about the new hardware into the Windows Vista system. You do this by installing the hardware device and its related drivers on the system using the Add Hardware Wizard. You can also use this wizard to troubleshoot problems with existing hardware.

Adding Non–Plug and Play Hardware

Using the Add Hardware Wizard, you can install older devices that do not support Plug and Play. Before you do this, you must turn off the computer and connect the hardware. Once you've connected the hardware and started the computer, you can use the Add Hardware Wizard to install the device by completing the following steps:

1. In Control Panel, click Classic View and then double-click Add Hardware.

2. In the Add Hardware Wizard, read the introductory message and then click Next.

3. Determine whether the wizard should search for new hardware or you want to select the hardware from a list.

   • q If you choose the search option, the wizard searches for and attempts to automatically detect the new hardware. The wizard takes a few minutes to go through all the device types and options. When the search is complete, any new devices found are displayed, and you can select one.

   • q If you choose the manual option, or if no new devices are found in the automatic search, you'll have to select the hardware type yourself. Select the type of hardware, such as Modems or Network Adapters, and then click Next. Scroll through the list of manufacturers to find the manufacturer of the device and then choose the appropriate device in the right pane.

4. Once you complete the selection and installation process, click Next. Confirm that you want to install the hardware by clicking Next again.

5. After the wizard installs the drivers for the hardware device, click Finish. The new hardware should now be available.

Enabling and Disabling Hardware

When a device isn't working properly, sometimes you'll want to uninstall or disable it. Uninstalling a device removes the driver association for the device so that it temporarily appears that the device has been removed from the system. The next time you restart the system, Windows Vista might try to reinstall the device. Typically, Windows Vista reinstalls Plug and Play devices automatically, but does not automatically reinstall non–Plug and Play devices.

Disabling a device turns it off and prevents Windows Vista from using it. Because a disabled device doesn't use system resources, you can be sure that it isn't causing a conflict on the system.

You can uninstall or disable a device by completing the following steps:

1. Start Computer Management. In the Computer Management console, click the plus sign (+) next to the System Tools node.

2. Select Device Manager in the Computer Management console. You should now see a complete list of devices installed on the system. By default, this list is organized by device type.

3. Right-click the device you want to manage and then select one of the following options:

   • q Enable to enable the device

   • q Uninstall to uninstall the device

   • q Disable to disable the device

4. If prompted to confirm the action, click Yes or OK as appropriate.

Troubleshooting Hardware

Built-in hardware diagnostics in Windows Vista can detect many types of problems with hardware devices. If a problem is detected, you might see a Problem Reports And Solutions balloon telling you there is a problem. Clicking this balloon should open the Problem Reports And Solutions console. The Problem Reports And Solutions console can also be accessed in Control Panel by clicking the System And Maintenance heading link and then selecting Problem Reports And Solutions.

Whenever a device is installed incorrectly or has another problem, Device Manager displays a warning icon indicating that the device has a problem. If you double-click the device, an error code is displayed on the General tab of the device's Properties dialog box. As Table 1 shows, this error code can be helpful when trying to solve device problems as well. Most of the correction actions assume that you've selected the General tab on the device's Properties dialog box.

Table 1: Common Device Errors and Techniques to Resolve Them

Error Message	Correction Action
This device is not configured correctly. (Code 1)	Obtain a compatible driver for the device and click Update Driver to start the Hardware Update Wizard.
The driver for this device might be corrupted, or your system might be running low on memory or other resources. (Code 3)	Click the Update Driver button on the Driver tab to run the Hardware Update Wizard. You might see an "Out of Memory" message at startup because of this.
This device cannot start. (Code 10)	Click the Update Driver button on the Driver tab to run the Hardware Update Wizard. Don't try to automatically find a driver. Instead, choose the manual install option and select the device.
This device cannot find enough free resources that it can use. (Code 12)	Resources assigned to this device conflict with another device, or the BIOS is incorrectly configured. Check the BIOS and check for resource conflicts on the Resources tab of the device's Properties dialog box.
This device cannot work properly until you restart your computer. (Code 14)	Typically, the driver is installed correctly, but will not be started until you restart the computer.
Windows cannot identify all the resources this device uses. (Code 16)	Check whether a signed driver is available for the device. If one is available and you've already installed it, you might need to manage the resources for the device. Check the Resources tab of the device's Properties dialog box.
This device is asking for an unknown resource type. (Code 17)	Reinstall or update the driver using a valid, signed driver.
Reinstall the drivers for this device. (Code 18)	After an upgrade, you might need to log on as an administrator to complete device installation. If this is not the case, click Update Driver on the Driver tab to reinstall the driver.
Your registry might be corrupted. (Code 19)	Remove and reinstall the device. This should clear out incorrect or conflicting registry settings.
Windows is removing this device. (Code 21)	The system will remove the device. The registry might be corrupted. If the device continues to display this message, restart the computer.
This device is disabled. (Code 22)	This device has been disabled using Device Manager. To enable it, select Use This Device (Enable) under Device Usage on the General tab of the device's Properties dialog box.
This device is not present, is not working properly, or does not have all its drivers installed. (Code 24)	This might indicate a bad device or bad hardware. This error code can also occur with legacy ISA devices; upgrade the driver to resolve.
The drivers for this device are not installed. (Code 28)	Obtain a compatible driver for the device and then click Update Driver to start the Hardware Update Wizard.
This device is disabled because the firmware of the device did not give it the required resources. (Code 29)	Check the device documentation on how to assign resources. You might need to upgrade the BIOS or enable the device in the system BIOS.
This device is not working properly because Windows cannot load the drivers required for this device. (Code 31)	The device driver might be incompatible with Windows Vista. Obtain a compatible driver for the device and click Update Driver to start the Hardware Update Wizard.
A driver for this device was not required and has been disabled. (Code 32)	A dependent service for this device has been set to Disabled. Check the event logs to determine which services should be enabled and started.
Windows cannot determine which resources are required for this device. (Code 33)	This might indicate a bad device or bad hardware. This error code can also occur with legacy ISA devices; upgrade the driver and/or refer to the device documentation on how to set resource usage.
Windows cannot determine the settings for this device. (Code 34)	The legacy device must be manually configured. Verify the device jumpers or BIOS settings and then configure the device resource usage using the Resources tab of the device's Properties dialog box.
Your computer's system firmware does not include enough information to properly configure and use this device. (Code 35)	This error occurs on multiprocessor systems. Update the BIOS; check for a BIOS option to use MPS 1.1 or MPS 1.4. Usually you want MPS 1.4.
This device is requesting a PCI interrupt but is configured for an ISA interrupt (or vice versa). (Code 36)	ISA interrupts are non-shareable. If a device is in a PCI slot but the slot is configured in BIOS as "reserved for ISA," the error might display. Change the BIOS settings.
Windows cannot initialize the device driver for this hardware. (Code 37)	Run the Hardware Update Wizard by clicking the Update Driver button on the Driver tab.
Windows cannot load the device driver for this hardware because a previous instance of the device driver is still in memory. (Code 38)	A device driver in memory is causing a conflict. Restart the computer.
Windows cannot load the device driver for this hardware. The driver might be corrupted or missing. (Code 39)	Check to ensure the hardware device is properly installed and connected and that it has power. If it is properly installed and connected, look for an updated driver or reinstall the current driver.
Windows cannot access this hardware because its service key information in the registry is missing or recorded incorrectly. (Code 40)	The registry entry for the device driver is invalid. Reinstall the driver.
Windows has stopped this device because it has reported problems. (Code 43)	The device was stopped by the operating system. You might need to uninstall and then reinstall the device. The device might have problems with the no-execute processor feature. In this case, check for a new driver.
An application or service has shut down this hardware device. (Code 44)	The device was stopped by an application or service. Restart the computer. The device might have problems with the no-execute processor feature. In this case, check for a new driver.