Note
Access to this page requires authorization. You can try signing in or changing directories.
Access to this page requires authorization. You can try changing directories.
Device Manager lists the devices that are installed in the computer. By default, certain devices aren't shown in the list. These hidden devices include:
Devices that have the device node (devnode) status bit DN_NO_SHOW_IN_DM set.
Devices that are part of a device setup class that is marked as a NoDisplayClass (for example, printers and non-PnP drivers)
Devices that were physically removed from the computer but whose registry entries weren't deleted (also known as non-present devices or phantom devices).
Note
Starting with Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012, the Plug-and-Play Manager no longer creates device representations for non-PnP (legacy) devices. Thus there are no such devices to view in the Device Manager.
Note
Users should never have to view non-present devices because a non-present device should not have their attention and should not cause any problems. If a user has to view your device when it is not present, there is likely a problem with your driver design. However, during testing, a developer might have to view such devices.
To include hidden devices in Device Manager display, select View and select Show hidden devices.
Prior to Windows 8, to view non-present devices, you must set the environment variable DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES to 1 before you open Device Manager, then open Device Manager, and on the View menu, select Show hidden devices.
To permanently set the user environment variable DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES to 1, use the Advanced tab of the system property sheet. After you set this environment variable, run Device Manager and select Show hidden devices.