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“Unknown device” in Device Manager: find its driver

Step 1 of 3

Open the Other devices group

Devices here have no driver yet, usually after Windows was reinstalled.

The simulation shows Windows in English, like most laptops.

  1. Open the Other devices group

    Devices here have no driver yet, usually after Windows was reinstalled.

    Device ManagerOther devices

  2. Try Update driver › Search automatically

    Right-click the device. Also check Windows Update › Advanced options › Optional updates.

    Update driverSearch automatically for drivers

  3. Still nothing? Look at the Hardware Ids

    Double-click the device, open the Details tab and choose Hardware Ids. The first line tells you who made it. Install the chipset driver from the laptop maker’s site.

    PropertiesDetailsHardware Ids
Technical details (for the curious)

Reading a Hardware Id

Example: PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_A0E8. VEN = the chip maker, DEV = the device model. For USB it looks like USB\VID_xxxx&PID_xxxx.

Common maker codes

8086/8087 Intel, 1022 AMD, 10DE NVIDIA, 10EC Realtek, 14E4 Broadcom, 168C/17CB Qualcomm Atheros, 1217 O2 Micro (card reader).

Typical device names

SM Bus Controller, PCI Simple Communications Controller and PCI Data Acquisition are usually fixed by the chipset or Intel Management Engine driver from the laptop maker’s site.

Searching safely

Search the maker + model on the laptop brand’s or chip maker’s official site. Don’t download .exe files from unknown “driver database” sites.

Coming soon

Still not fixed?

In the next update you can tell us what happened, and our AI helper will suggest another way. Until then, restart the device and go through the steps once more.