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Code 19: Windows cannot start this hardware device because its configuration information (in the registry) is incomplete or damaged

  • Article

Updated: May 27, 2010

Applies To: Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista

Device Manager displays the following message in the Device Properties dialog box, on the General tab, in the Device Status text box:

Windows cannot start this hardware device because its configuration information (in the registry) is incomplete or damaged. To fix this problem you should uninstall and then reinstall the hardware device. (Code 19)

Diagnosis

Data in the registry for the device and its driver have been damaged.

Resolution

A registry problem was detected. This can occur when more than one service is defined for a device, if there is a failure opening the service registry entry, or if the driver name cannot be obtained from the service registry entry.

Try these options:

  • Click Uninstall, and then click Scan for hardware changes to load a usable driver.

  • If the device is a CD or DVD drive, follow the procedure in Article ID 929461 on the Microsoft Web site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=192798).

  • Restart the computer in Safe Mode, and then select Last Known Good Configuration. This rolls back to the most recent successful registry configuration.