In Windows, what is the device manager, and how can I use it?

In Windows 95, 98, Me, 2000, and XP, the device manager keeps a listing of all the hardware devices on your computer. It is the best tool to use for troubleshooting hardware problems.

On this page:

• Accessing the device manager
• Printing a list of all installed hardware
• Checking the status of hardware
• Removing a device
• Checking the IRQ settings in Windows 95, 98, and Me

Accessing the device manager

Windows XP

To access the device manager in Windows XP, follow these steps:

1. From the Start menu, select My Computer. Alternatively, double-click My Computer on the desktop.
   
   
2. Under "System Tasks", click View system information.
   
   
3. In the System Properties window, click the Hardware tab, then click Device Manager.

Windows 2000

To access the device manager in Windows 2000, follow these steps:

1. From the Start menu, select Settings, then Control Panel.
   
   
2. Double-click the System icon.
   
   
3. Select the Hardware tab, and then click the Device Manager... button.

Windows 95, 98, and Me

To access the device manager, follow these steps:

1. From the Start menu, select Settings, and then Control Panel.
   
   
2. Double-click the System icon, and then click the Device Manager tab.

Alternatively, you can do the following:

1. On the desktop, right-click the My Computer icon, and select Properties.
   
   
2. Click the Device Manager tab.

Printing a list of all installed hardware

Note: You may need to have a hardware category or item selected before the print option will show up.

To print a list of installed hardware from the device manager, in Windows XP, with a device or category selected, under the Action menu, select Print. In Windows 2000, in the Device Manager window, from the View menu, select Print. In Windows 95, 98, and Me, in the Device Manager window, click the Print button.

Next to "Report Type", select All devices and system summary. The printout will contain all the IRQ settings, the system resource reports, a list of all devices and their drivers, and where each driver is located on the computer. It is a good idea to print this out before formatting your hard drive and reinstalling Windows, especially if you have off-brand hardware.

Checking the status of hardware

To use the device manager to check the status of hardware, follow these steps:

1. Select the type of device from the list of devices.
   
   
2. Select your installed device under the type of device. If the device is not working properly, there will be a yellow circle with an exclamation point in the center of it. Proceed with these instructions to find out which device(s) are conflicting with the selected device.
   
   
3. Either double-click the selected device, or click the Properties button towards the bottom of the window. This will bring up a Device Properties window. The Device Properties window will tell you if the device is working properly. This window also allows you to enable or disable the selected device from all hardware profiles.
   
   
4. Click the Resources tab to determine if there are any conflicts with the device. If the device was flagged with a yellow circle with an exclamation point, check in the "Conflicting device list:" box to find out which devices are in conflict with the selected device.

   The Resources tab tells which IRQ the installed device is using. If another device is using the same IRQ, there could be a conflict with the selected device. This could be one reason that the device is not working; in this case, you need to reinstall it with a different IRQ. You can also change the IRQ of the selected device. Only advanced users should attempt to change IRQ settings. If the device is Plug and Play (PnP), it should not be affected by changing the IRQ. If the device is not PnP, changing the IRQ may cause it to stop working. Use the instructions above for checking all IRQs in use on your computer, and find an IRQ that is not in use. To change the IRQ, select the Resources tab and uncheck the checkbox for Use Automatic Settings. In the "Resource settings:" box, double-click Interrupt Request to bring up a new window with the option of changing the selected IRQ.

   Note: If the selected device is a modem or a mouse, there will not be a Resources tab. To check the resources of a modem or mouse, select the Ports option in the list of devices in the device manager. Then select the port where the modem or mouse is installed, and click the Properties button. This will bring up a Port Properties window with a Resources tab. Here you can check the resources for the modem or mouse.

5. To update a driver for the selected device, select the Driver tab. Click the Update Driver... button and it will start the Update Device Driver Wizard. Follow the steps to update the driver for the selected device.

Removing a device

To use the device manager to remove a device from your computer, highlight the device, and then click the Remove button at the bottom of the window or the remove icon at the top of the window (which looks like a computer with a red X over it).

Note: Only advanced users should attempt to remove a device from the device manager, and removal may require administrative privileges.

Removing a device will cause Windows to lose all recognition of it, and the device will stop working properly. Windows should automatically recognize a new device when it restarts, but this does not always happen. If Windows does not recognize the device, you must use the Add New Hardware icon in the Control Panel for Windows to properly recognize the hardware. Before removing the device, make sure you have all the necessary drivers required for the device to make reinstallation of the device much simpler.

Checking the IRQ settings in Windows 95, 98, and Me

To use the device manager to check the Interrupt Request (IRQ) setting, memory address, Direct Memory Access (DMA), or Input Output (I/O) of every hardware component installed on the computer, follow these steps:

1. Make sure the Computer icon at the very top of the device list is highlighted.
   
   
2. Click the Properties button. This will display the IRQ settings of each device.
   
   
3. Select Direct Memory Access(DMA) to view devices using DMA Channels.
   
   
4. Select Input/Output(I/O) to see I/O ports for each device on the computer.
   
   
5. Select Memory to view the memory address each device is using.

Also see:

• What is MSD (Microsoft System Diagnostics), and where can I find it?
• In Windows, how do I install my printer?