Rule No.1: Never lose your device driver CDs.
Rule No.2: Be prudent and keep a backup copy close by.
Rule No. 3: If you lose your driver files, know where to download it from again.
Congratulations! If you have flouted at least two of the above rules, then this post might serve as deliverance from the three cardinal sins. I am a fellow sinner. But, the third rule has often bailed me out and it’s thanks to a little postscript to the third rule that has washed away my need for penance.
Device Manager
is the place where all drivers are displayed. An unknown device gets a yellow question mark against it in Device Manager. The causes could be one or a few – You could have installed the wrong device driver which the OS does not recognize. Or the hardware itself could be faulty. All such cases lead a device driver to be classified as an unknown device.
The easiest way to resolve an unknown status is to find and download device drivers from the manufacturer’s website. The respective websites usually have drill down menus to take you to the right driver for your OS. But what if you can’t recollect the make or brand of the device? To err is human; to fix it is divine duty. Thankfully, ways exist that makes correcting unknown device status as easy as a prayer.
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