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View Details and Status for a Device

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Server 2008

You can use these procedures to view information about a device.

Any user account can start Device Manager and see device properties. However, only a member of the local Administrators group can make changes to devices.

Viewing details and status of a device

  • View the status of a device by using Device Manager

  • View devices in Device Manager based on their type, connection, or the resources they use

  • View hidden devices in Device Manager

View the status of a device by using Device Manager

The status of a device shows whether the device has drivers installed, and whether Windows is able to communicate with the device.

To view the status of a device by using Device Manager

  1. Open Device Manager.

  2. Double-click the type of device you want to view.

  3. Right-click the device you want, and then click Properties.

  4. On the General tab, the Device status area shows a description of the current status.

Additional considerations

  • If the device is experiencing a problem, the type of problem is displayed. You might also see a problem code and number and a suggested solution.

  • You can submit a Windows Error Report to Microsoft by clicking Check for solutions, if that button is present.

View devices in Device Manager based on their type, connection, or the resources they use

By default, devices are displayed in Device Manager in groups by their device type. You can view them based on how they are connected to the computer, such as the bus they are plugged in to. You can also view the devices based on the resources they use.

To view devices based on their type, connection, or the resources they use

  1. Open Device Manager.

  2. On the View menu, click one of the options listed in the following table:

    Option Description

    Devices by type

    Displays devices by the type of device installed, such as monitor or mouse. This is the default view. After you double-click the device type, each connection name is listed below the type.

    Devices by connection

    Displays devices by how they are connected in your computer. Each device is listed under the hardware to which it is connected. For example, if a small computer system interface (SCSI) card is listed, the devices attached to the SCSI card are listed beneath it.

    Resources by type

    Displays all allocated resources by the type of device using these resources. The types of resources are:

    • Direct memory access (DMA) channels

    • Input/output ports (I/O ports)

    • Interrupt request (IRQ)

    • Memory addresses

    Resources by connection

    Displays all allocated resources by connection type.

View hidden devices in Device Manager

The most common type of hidden device is one whose driver is installed, but the device is not currently attached. Follow the steps in this procedure to view the hidden devices on the computer.

To view hidden devices

  1. Open Device Manager.

  2. On the View menu, click Show hidden devices.

Additional considerations

By default, Windows does not include installed devices that are not currently connected to the computer, even when Show hidden devices is enabled. For information about how to show not currently connected devices, see View Devices That Are Not Currently Present.