Unknown Device - what is it? Unknown Device (error) how to fix?

Quite often, many Windows users face the problem of "Unknown Device: Code 43" error. As practice shows, no one is immune from this. Let's try to figure out what it is and how to deal with it.

Unknown Device: what is it?

So, if we just translate the English word combination into Russian, we get an "unknown (unidentified) device". In other words, the system simply does not define any "iron" or software component currently present on the computer terminal.

Here and there is an error message Unknown Device. What is it, it is easy to understand, given that all hardware and some software modules require a driver program that initializes the device in the system.

Causes of error

Speaking of drivers, every computer system user should understand that the presence of such programs in the same Windows OS is mandatory. Without it, an unknown device (Unknown Device) Windows 7 even with its rich capabilities just does not recognize.

Although it is believed that in most cases this error is most often encountered when connecting ordinary USB flash drives or external USB HDD drives, other components that did not have initialization may often be present after the system changes.

For example, the error "Unknown Device: code 43" may appear, say, after restoring the system or completely reinstalling the "operating system". It goes without saying that Windows has its own driver package, but in some cases they are standard and can not ensure the proper operation of a particular device, although in principle the system believes that the most suitable driver is installed.

View problematic devices without drivers

Consider another aspect of the Unknown Device error. What is this in terms of viewing devices with problems or without the appropriate drivers? Everything is very simple. To understand this clearly, you should use the standard "Device Manager", called from the "Control Panel".

In the root tree, you can see the components without drivers, with improper drivers or with other problems. They are highlighted in yellow circles with an exclamation mark. For unidentified devices such as Unknown Device, the driver (or rather, its installation) can be the solution that will solve the problem. More details will be considered below.

USB flash drives and removable USB-drives

As for removable USB-carriers, the problem with the appearance of the message "Unknown Device: Error" is not always the absence or incorrect installation of the driver. The fact is that there can be quite a lot of reasons for the non-working condition. For example, it may be errors on the USB-media themselves, physical damage, mismatch of file systems (especially in case of formatting in other "operating systems", other than Windows), etc.

This, so to speak, the most basic reasons. To correct this situation, in each specific case, you will have to use a specific solution. Consider what you can do.

Troubleshoot Windows tools

As a rule, the errors of unrecognizable devices can be solved by Unknown Device Windows 7 independently. First, you should perform the most common disk check with the task of automatically correcting system errors.

Alternatively, in some cases this can help in the subsequent determination of a device marked as an Unknown Device. What is this in terms of reinstalling the drivers? And here's what. In the "Device Manager" you need to call the context menu in which the "Properties" option is selected. The "General" tab will give a brief description of the problem. In any case, you can try to install (or update) the driver using the standard Windows driver base.

In case this does not help (as already mentioned above, Windows does not recognize all devices), you can use additional fields in the "Setup Wizard". Depending on the version of the system, the names may differ ("Install from disk ...", "Install from specified source ...", etc.). After clicking the "Browse ..." button, you must select the appropriate location where the driver distribution is located.

Sometimes drivers can be saved on the hard drive, sometimes - on optical original disks. Using the original driver disk that comes with the purchase of a computer or laptop is preferable, since the user knows that there is the same driver that will ensure the correct operation of the device.

For flash drives and USB-hard drives, this technique can also be applied. But in some cases, you will need to format, with the file system that will be recognized by Windows. It is better to use FAT, NTFS, etc. What is most sad, even file systems in the G8 or the "Top Ten" may not be supported by earlier versions of Windows, although full compatibility is claimed. And this we are not talking about that flash drives stop working after formatting in Linux OSes. Nevertheless, at some points, formatting can be very effective.

Use of specialized software

Sometimes, to solve the problem with unrecognized "iron" or virtual components of the system, you can use specialized utilities to automatically find and update drivers such as Driver Booster or something else.

Programs of this type are able for a few minutes to fully analyze the entire configuration, presenting a report to the user about all devices, as well as their missing or obsolete drivers. What is most interesting, such applications are not looking for a driver to download or update, so to speak, from the "left" sites. They address directly to the resources of the manufacturer of a device. That's where the latest driver versions are always posted, of course, official ones.

The only thing that grieves, is that most of these utilities are paid and are quite expensive. And to find something free is problematic. It is clear that programs that do not require money have much less capabilities than their counterparts, for which you need to pay.

If the problem persists

Unfortunately, the problem can remain. How can I fix an Unknown Device with additional means? Here, optimizers can come to the rescue. In some of them, there are even functions for correcting incorrect or obsolete entries in the system registry. By the way, because of this, some devices can also function incorrectly or not work at all.

Among the most well-known software packages of this direction are quite powerful utilities such as Advanced System Care, Windows 7 Manager, Ashampoo WinOptimizer and others. They allow you to correct almost all errors in the automatic mode. From the user it is required initially only to press the button of start of the analysis "in one click". If necessary, you can use advanced features and a huge number of additional specialized modules, which, as a rule, are present in any program of this type.

However, even without such tools, problems with unidentified devices can be fixed even when the required driver is updated or reinstalled.

Conclusion

So we figured out the question: "Unknown Device - what is it?" Actually, there is nothing complicated in understanding this term. Another thing is how to find a way out of such situations. It seems that at least one of the above methods can help any user in eliminating such problems regardless of his qualifications.