Quite often, many users of Windows are faced with the problem of the error "Unknown Device: code 43". As practice shows, no one is safe from this. Let's try to figure out what it is and how to deal with it.
Unknown Device: what is it?
So, if you just translate the English phrase into Russian, we get "an unknown (unidentified) device." In other words, the system simply does not detect any “hardware” or software component that is currently present on the computer terminal.
This is where the Unknown Device error message appears. What is this, it is not difficult to understand, given that for the operation of all the "iron" equipment and some software modules, a driver program is required that initializes the device in the system.
Causes of error
Speaking about drivers, each user of a computer system 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, simply does not recognize.
Although it is believed that in most cases this error most often occurs when connecting conventional flash drives or external USB HDDs, quite often after changes in the system there may be other components that have not passed initialization.
For example, the error "Unknown Device: code 43" may appear, say, after restoring the system or completely reinstalling the "OS". It goes without saying that Windows has its own driver package, but in some cases they are standard and cannot ensure the correct operation of a device, although, in principle, the system considers that the most suitable driver is installed.
View problematic devices without drivers
Consider another aspect of the Unknown Device error. What is it in terms of viewing devices with or without appropriate drivers? Everything is very simple. To understand this clearly, it is worth using the standard "Device Manager", called from the "Control Panel".
In the root tree and you can see components without drivers, with inappropriate 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, installing it) can be exactly the solution that will fix the problem. This will be discussed in more detail below.
USB flash drives and removable drives
As for removable USB-drives, here the problem of a message like “Unknown Device: Error” does not always consist in the absence or incorrect installation of the driver. The fact is that there can be quite a lot of reasons for a non-working state. For example, these may be errors on the USB media itself, physical damage, file system mismatch (especially in the case of formatting in other “OSes” other than Windows), etc.
These are, so to speak, the most basic reasons. To correct this situation, in each case, you will have to use a certain solution. Consider what can be done.
Windows troubleshooting
As a rule, Unknown Device Windows 7 errors can be resolved by unrecognized devices. For starters, you should perform the most basic disk check with the task of automatically fixing system errors.
Alternatively, in some cases, this may help in the subsequent identification of the device marked as Unknown Device. What is it in terms of reinstalling drivers? And here is what. In the "Device Manager" you need to call the context menu in which the "Properties" parameter is selected. The General tab will briefly describe the problem. In any case, you can try to install (or update) the driver using the standard Windows driver database.
If this does not help (as mentioned above, Windows does not recognize all devices), you can use the additional fields in the "Installation Wizard". Depending on the version of the system, the names may vary ("Install from disk ...", "Install from the specified source ...", etc.). After clicking the "Browse ..." button, you need to select the appropriate location where the driver distribution is located.
Sometimes drivers can be stored on the hard drive, sometimes on the original optical discs. Using the original driver disk that comes with the purchase of a computer or laptop is preferable, because the user knows that there is the same driver that will ensure the correct operation of the device.
For flash drives and USB-drives, this technique can also be applied. But in some cases, formatting is required, and with an indication of 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 G8 may not be supported by earlier versions of Windows, although full compatibility is claimed. And this we are not talking about the fact that flash drives stop working after formatting in Linux "OSes". However, at some points, formatting can be a very powerful tool.
Using specialized software
Sometimes, to solve a problem with unrecognized hardware or virtual system components, you can use specialized utilities to automatically search for and update drivers such as Driver Booster or something else.
Programs of this type are able within a few minutes to fully analyze the entire configuration, presenting the user with a report on all devices, as well as their missing or outdated drivers. Most interestingly, such applications are not looking for drivers to download or update, so to speak, from the "left" sites. They turn directly to the resources of the manufacturer of a device. It is there that the latest drivers are always uploaded, needless to say, official ones.
The only thing that upsets is that for the most part such utilities are paid and are quite expensive. And finding something free is problematic. It is clear that programs that do not require money have much less capabilities than their counterparts, for which you have to pay.
If the problem remains
Unfortunately, the problem may remain. How to fix Unknown Device (initialization error) with additional tools? Here, optimizer programs can come to the rescue. Some of them even have functions to correct incorrect or outdated entries in the system registry. By the way, because of this, some devices may also function incorrectly or not work at all.
Among the most famous software packages of this kind, quite powerful utilities such as Advanced System Care, Windows 7 Manager, Ashampoo WinOptimizer and others can be noted. They allow you to fix almost all errors in automatic mode. From the user, it is initially required only to press the “one-click” analysis start button. If necessary, you can use the 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 updating or reinstalling the necessary driver.
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 look for 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.