Show Hidden Devices In previous versions of Windows, printers and non–Plug and Play (PnP) devices could be marked by the device manufacturer as a NoDispla圜lass type of device, which prevents it from automatically being displayed in the Device Manager. These include the connection type and hidden device views, as follows. There are several advanced views in Device Manager that standard users do not normally use. Help This menu offers access to help topics relating to Device Manager and the console, plus a link to the Microsoft TechCenter website, which is part of TechNet. The Customize option enables you to show or hide items within the console. Some hardware is also hidden from normal view, and this option can be set to show hidden devices. You can view devices by device type or connection or resources by type or connection. View This menu enables you to change how the console view displays advanced information relating to the devices listed in Device Manager. In Device Manager, explore these four menu options.įile This menu enables you to exit the console and optionally delete the record of the console customizations you make to the console settings.Īction This menu enables you to access the action-specific tasks relating to the highlighted hardware, including Update Driver Software, Disable, Uninstall, Scan For Hardware Changes, Add Legacy Hardware, Properties, and Help.

The following is a review of Device Manager features that you can use to explore the available information so that you can configure the driver settings. The default Device Manager screen enables users to work directly in the Properties dialog box of a device and provides information about the device that the hardware and device driver provide.

Device driver