In this Windows How-to, you are going to learn how to identify the name of an “Unknown device” in Windows that is giving you trouble, that way you can properly find the correct driver.
How many times did you find the message “unknown device” in Windows Device Manger? Many times, right? And how hard is to find drivers for something that you don’t even know what it is? Yeah, you may have an idea, if you find an unknown device and the only thing that is not working is the sound in your computer, but this is not always the case.
Instructions
Open Windows Device Manager by either going to the Control Panel or in Windows Vista or Windows 7 by going to Start and type device manager in the search box and press Enter .
Locate the unknown device, right-click on it and select Properties .
Navigate to the Details tab and under Property select Hardware ids .
Next, under Value right-click and copy either the four-part, three-part, or two-part device ID.
- Then open your favorite web browser do a search with the ID that you copied — here I’ll recommend you to start with the four-part ID and work your way down until you can identify the device name.
