How can I check if all my device drivers are properly installed?

Introduction

A laptop or indeed any PC consists of a multitude of devices, such as networking interface, audio processor, SD card reader, webcam, touchpad and others. All of these devices are listed in Windows Device Manager where they can be sorted either by category or hierarchically by interface.

Many of the more generic, low-level devices work out-of-the-box with drivers that are included in any standard Windows installation. However, most of the more complex, high-level devices require an appropriate device driver from the system vendor to function completely. For example: just because the laptop is able to play audio, does not necessarily mean that the audio device drivers are fully installed. While an incompletely installed device may be able to perform its most basic function, it may not necessarily perform properly which may cause issues such as system instability, slowdown, high power consumption, high fan noise or unreliable Standby experience.

 

What are the typical root causes for having incomplete drivers?

Typical root causes for unknown devices and incomplete drivers:

• User has self-installed Windows but did not install all device drivers that are provided by the system vendor.
• User has customized the installation method for some drivers and unchecked certain components during installation.
• User has added components or peripherals without installing the device driver provided by the device vendor.
• Device drivers have been automatically updates by Windows update with incompatible driver versions.
• Device drivers have unintended conflicts with system settings, Windows update or with each other.
• User has used 3rd party software to automatically update drivers; 3rd party software has installed incompatible driver versions.
•  User has used a non-standard Windows installation method (e.g. debloated, minimalized OS)

How to check Windows Device Manager for missing or incomplete drivers

The first step towards troubleshooting any stability or performance issues is to check if Windows Device Manager is reporting (flagging) any missing, incomplete or incompatible device drivers.

Any device that is flagged in Device Manager as unknown or malfunctioning needs to be taken care of by updating or reinstalling its driver from its original vendor. A fully installed system must not display any flagged or unknown devices in Device Manager.

Screenshot of Device Manager without problems.

Please follow these steps:

• Right click on the Windows Start Menu and select “Device Manager”
• The Device Manager is separated into categories. If a category has any devices with issues, the category would be unfolded automatically. Thus: any category that is not unfolded (i.e. that is closed) when opening the Device Manager has no issues and does not need to be checked further.
• For any categories that are already unfolded (opened), check the list for any such items:
• Items with a yellow exclamation mark
• Items with a red warning sign
• Items with a grey question mark sign
• Items with a grey arrow pointing down
• Besides these flagged items in pre-unfolded categories, also check if there is a category named “Unknown devices”. This category would not be unfolded by default but will definitely hold devices that need to be taken care of.
• Right-click on any such flagged device and select “Properties”
• In the “Properties” window, click on the “General” tab to see the device’s status. This section provides information about the device’s functionality and any errors.
• To identify the device, click on the “Details” tab, and select “Hardware Ids” from the “Property” drop-down menu.

This screenshots highlights what kind of Hardware ID we are looking for:

Screenshot showing Hardware ID of an example device in Device Manager.

Hardware IDs can then be looked up via search engine or public databases in order to identify what device is behind the ID. More on that in the next paragraph.

How to identify the device behind a missing or flagged driver

In the previous paragraph we have demonstrated how to check a device’s “Hardware ID” via the “Properties” window of any given device in Device Manager. This paragraph explains how to identify the device that holds this Hardware ID.

The Hardware ID is usually represented by a combination of Vendor ID and Device ID.

As you can see in the table, the naming convention differs between internal devices that are connected by PCI-Express (PCIe) and external USB devices. Please note that some internal laptop components may also be attached via (internal) USB – for example laptop webcams are usually interfaced via USB.

To identify a device using its Hardware ID, you can follow these steps:

• Break down the Hardware ID: In the first example, “VEN_8086” refers to the vendor ID, and “DEV_51ED” refers to the device ID. In this case, the vendor ID “8086” corresponds to Intel.
• Use an online Hardware ID database: There are several online databases that can help you identify the device based on its vendor and device ID. 
  Examples:
• https://devicehunt.com/ for PCI and USB devices
• https://the-sz.com/products/usbid/ for USB devices only

Please note: on devicehunt.com you may have to first select between PCI and USB devices in the drop-down menu on the left side of the search box.

The search results should provide detailed information about the device, including its name, type, and a brief description.

Once you have identified the device, you can consider further steps such as updating its driver or firmware directly from the vendor’s homepage.

How to take care of devices with missing or flagged drivers

Once a malfunctioning device has been identified, the best course of action would be to install or reinstall the officially recommended driver from the system vendor. If the device is part of the laptop itself, get the driver from our download portal. If the device has been added by yourself (i.e. USB, Bluetooth or Thunderbolt peripherals), get the driver from the device manufacturer’s website.