Unknown devices in Device Manager (tap0901)

To reply to Eliyas Yakub \[MSFT\] :

Now I can see 4 of them, undeletable (apart from the safe mode).

Their parent is HTREE\ROOT\0

So, to reply to RizwanPasha :

No I did not change any hardware, I'm running WIndows 8.1 64 bit on an Asus laptop : Vivobook (s550cB)

Specs: Intel Core i7, 4 Gb RAM, NVidia GeForce 740M and so...

I think I saw the problem after doing 2 software changes : Installing automatic updates from Microsoft , and Installing Assassin's Creed Unity, by Ubisoft. But I'm not sure if that's the cause of my problem.

Hmm... I tried the trouble-shooter (hardware and devices), and it only advised me to enable those devices, which I disabled. After re-enabling them it only says it might not have detected Hardware changes.

I cannot remove them by uninstalling them : Every time I try to do it, the device manager window refreshes (1 or 2 times), and they just are still there.

So as you guessed, I already disabled and re-enabled them several times, and they still are there.

By the way, I can delete all of them by getting through safe mode, apart from one... which just cannot be deleted even through this mode.

Well, I guess the drivers of my network adapters are automatically updated by Windows itself... If not, I don't know which drivers (and where) I have to download.

And for the ghost devices... please tell me which one I have to disable (or uninstall), according to the following screenshot :

Thank you very much guys :)

dehghan.mansour

The nodes with parent as HTREE\ROOT\0 are virtual devices (what we call them root-enumerated devnodes).

You could find the instance path of these devices in the device manager (details tab), then go to the registry under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum and delete these instances to make them go away - assuming some service in the background doesn't try to recreate on reboot.

Mucking with the registry is dangerous. So if they are not breaking anything then just ignore them. An unknown device node doesn't harm the system in anyways. They are just an artifact of failed instantiation of devices.

-Eliyas

Hello Emilien,

Thank you for posting your query in Microsoft Community.

Based on the issue description, I understand that you are now unable to delete the Network adapter unknown devices in a New user account you created on the computer, correct me if I am wrong.

I can understand how frustrating it could be when computer and devices behaves unusual. 

The probable cause for this issue could be due to outdated drivers or could also be due to hardware issue of Network.

To understand this issue better, I would like to know the following information:

1. Have you made any recent hardware or software changes to the computer prior to this issue?
2. What is the make and model of the computer?

Method 1:

Step 1: I would suggest you to run hardware and devices troubleshooter and check if it helps.

1. Press the ‘Windows + C’ to activate the charms menu or move the mouse pointer to bottom right corner of the screen and you will get the charms menu.

2. Click on ‘search’ and select ‘settings’ and type ‘Troubleshooting’ and select ‘troubleshooting’.
3. Click on ‘Hardware and Sound’ and select ‘Hardware and Devices’ and click on next to run the troubleshooter.

Step 2: Download and install and latest versions of Network and chipset drivers from the computer manufacturer website.

Method 2: Uninstall the unknown Network Adapter devices from the device manager:

a) Open Device Manager by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, and then clicking Device Manager.‌

b) If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

c) Look for the Network adapter, expand it.

d) Right click Network device, click on properties.

e) Click on driver tab and select Uninstall.

f) Reboot the computer.

Method 3: If you are unable to uninstall the Network adapter, try to fix the issue by disabling, enabling the device and check.

a) Open Device Manager by clicking the Start button, clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, and then clicking Device Manager.‌

b) If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

c) Right click on other network device, click on disable.

d) Restart the computer and check.

To re-enable disable device, Refer to these steps

a) Click on View tab of the device Manager.

b) Check for Show disable device.

c) Right click on the disabled device.

d) Click on Enable, restart the computer.

Method 4: Uninstall the Ghost Drivers: - Several things can contribute to the addition of ghost devices in the Windows Device Manager.  Some of these include adding or removing hardware.  These "ghost" devices can retain Port, SCSI, Target, and logical unit number (LUN) information that conflict with the active devices being used by Windows.  Under these circumstances, hardware instability can result.

To identify and remove the ghost devices from the Windows Device Manager, do the following:

1. Press Windows Logo + X keys together and select Device Manager from the List.
2. Then, select View from the drop down and select to  Show Hidden Devices.
3. At this point, any ghost devices will be seen with lighter, transparent icon and can be removed.
4. Right-clicking the ghost device and selecting "Uninstall". 
5. Restart the computer and check.

Hope this helps to remove the unknown devices from the device manager. please reply with the status of the issue for further assistance. We will be happy to assist.