Where is the device manager located in windows 7. How to open the device manager

The Device Manager of the Windows 7 operating system is designed to view information about and manage devices installed in the system. How to open device manager? To open Device Manager, go to the menu " Start" and open " Control Panel» computer. Next " System and security" And " System". You can immediately open the section called “Device Manager” or access it through the “System” section.

Windows 7 Device Manager

Device Manager provides a list of all devices installed on the system in a tree view. By clicking on the triangle next to each subsection, you will open a list of devices grouped in this section.

This structure allows you to optimally organize work with devices. For example, if one of the devices is not defined or has incorrectly installed drivers, then next to such a device there will be an exclamation point in a yellow triangle. Moreover, if the device is unidentified, then instead of the device name, the system assigns it the name of the most suitable device. for example, if the video card is unidentified, then such a device will be called “Multimedia video controller”. In this case, you need to install the appropriate driver and reboot the system. To do this, double-click on the unidentified device and go to the “Driver” tab. Next, click on the “Update” button. The system will prompt you to search for a driver on your computer or specify the path to the driver disk. If you don't know where the driver is located, then select to automatically search for drivers on your computer. However, this will not always help, since many devices are equipped with their own drivers and standard drivers may not be enough for them to function properly.

You should do the same if your device malfunctions (the drivers have crashed) or the drivers are installed for a different model. At the same time, in the Device Manager, the name of the device remains unchanged, and the icon with an exclamation mark that appears indicates that the device is not working correctly.

You may encounter a problem when, after updating the drivers, the device began to work incorrectly, crashes appeared, or it stopped responding to user commands altogether, for example, the sound disappeared. In this case, you should use the driver rollback system. To do this, in the properties of the problematic device, go to the “Driver” tab and click on the “Roll Back” button. The system will restore the previous version of the driver before the update. Here is an example of how you can update audio device drivers or: select “Sound video and gaming devices”, right-click and in the drop-down menu we see - Update drivers.

In Device Manager, you can disable any of the devices, but do not forget about the consequences. For example, if you disconnect your video card, your computer monitor will most likely go dark and only restarting the computer will help restore the picture. To disable a device, such as an integrated audio card, right-click on the integrated audio device and click Disable. Now the system will not use the built-in sound card to play sound. To use the device you just need to turn it on.

You can also remove a device from the device list. To do this, right-click on the device to be deleted and select the appropriate menu item. The device will be deleted. Removing devices is used to physically remove devices from the computer. For modern computers that primarily use devices that support Plug&Play, such actions are not necessary.

In Device Manager, you can configure power management settings for some connected components. In particular, for network cards, it is possible to turn off the device to save power, and also allow the device to wake the computer from standby mode. The expediency and necessity of including these parameters should be determined by the user himself. By default, these options are enabled.

Each device may have its own unique settings that allow you to configure it to work properly. This includes network cards, printer connection ports, mouse, keyboard and others.

Windows Device Manager is quite easy to use and allows you to perform the most necessary actions related to connecting devices and configuring them. I hope it’s clear to you what device manager is in Windows 7.

The Device Manager in the Windows operating system collects information about the hardware of your computer or laptop. Device Manager is necessary to collect information about all devices that are installed on the computer. You can also use it to remove a device from the system or update drivers for it. In general, this device manager is a very useful and necessary thing. For example, to install drivers after reinstalling the system, when you don’t know exactly which components you should install drivers for (an exclamation mark appears next to the device name).

Today I will talk about how to launch Device Manager. This can be done in different ways and they all lead to the same result, so which one should be used is up to you to decide. Everything will take you a few seconds.

Method 1

Find the “Computer” icon on the desktop (if you don’t see it, click the “Start” button - it will be on the right side of the screen), click on it once with the mouse and click on the right button. A menu will appear, select “Properties”.

Here is a window for viewing basic information about your computer. On the left side of the window you will see a small menu. Select “Device Manager” from it.

Voila, Device Manager is launched.

Method 2

Look for the “Computer” icon again and click on the right mouse button. Only now in the menu we select the “Management” item, and not “Properties”.

A window titled “Computer Management” will appear. Select "Device Manager" here.

Method 3

Another option. Click on the “Start” button and add the following word to the “Search programs and files” line: devmgmt.msc. Press Enter.

Opening the Device Manager is quite simple and can be done in several ways. The procedure can be performed through any of the accounts. The only thing is that only the “Administrator” can make any changes to the device.

You can call the device manager:

  • Using the Windows interface;
  • Using the command line;
  • Through "Computer Management";
  • Using remote access;

We will look at each of the above options and you can choose the one that suits you best.

Running on Windows 10

In Windows 10, the developers have already removed the standard function of calling the remote control through the menu of the main “My Computer” icon and made everything much more convenient.

Via Windows 7, 8 interface

Logging into the device manager (DM) in Windows is quite simple; to do this you need to perform a few simple steps, namely:

Running on Windows XP

Compared to newer systems, the dispatcher is launched in a slightly different way in XP. Let's look at two options for launching the remote control through the standard OS interface.

First option:

Second option:

Command line

After which everything will happen in the following order:


Through the Computer Management window

Now let's look at another easy way to find and open the device manager on a computer or laptop. The method is equally suitable for both Windows 7 and Vista. You need to do the following:

  • If work is carried out from the “Administrator” account, then the remote control will be displayed in the same window in the center;
  • If you are logged in as a regular user, the required tab will be opened in view mode, since this user cannot make changes due to lack of privileges;

You can also enter the control window using the command line. To do this, open the “Run” line and enter the command “mmc compmgmt.msc” in the field. After this, you need to do everything in full accordance with the above procedure.

Via a remote computer

To understand where the remote control is located and how to open it from a remote computer, you need to:

  1. Log in to the “Computer Management” section using one of the above methods.
  2. Find the “Action” menu and select “Connect to another computer.”
  3. In the “Select a computer” window, do one of the following:
  4. In the “Other Computer” field, write the name of the PC to which you need access and click “OK”;
  5. Click Browse/Advanced and find the device you want.
  6. Select it and click "OK"

After successful connection, the PC name will be displayed in the upper left corner.

Next, to enter the remote control, use one of the above methods. Attention! In the case of a remote PC, access is provided exclusively in viewing mode. That is, you will not be able to change device settings.

Working with the dispatcher

First of all, it is needed to manage installed drivers; users can also find the necessary information about any installed device. The appearance of the utility has changed slightly in comparison with XP and 10, but the functionality remains the same.

The main section consists of a list of headings, which can be viewed by clicking on the arrow to the left of the title. After which a list of connected elements to the computer will be displayed. For example, in the “Video adapters” category, video cards (external or internal) will be located; if you have 2 external video cards connected, then all two will be displayed.

“Seven” in most cases independently copes with installing the appropriate software for the equipment, but there are always exceptions. Often, even experienced users have problems with the incorrect operation of computer components and connected devices.

Then the PC owner has to manually correct the situation, for example, search and install drivers. One of the most frequently asked questions is: “What to do if an unknown device is detected in the Windows 7 manager?” - then we will consider step by step all the options for solving this problem.

How to identify problematic equipment?

If difficulties arose immediately after some changes made by the user to the system, for example, new devices or PC hardware components were connected, then finding out the model will not be difficult.

Simply by gradually disconnecting newly connected peripherals from the PC, you can very soon find out the specific culprit and download the appropriate drivers for it from the manufacturer’s official resource.

However, what if this simplest method does not work? Then you will have to use the “Device Manager” in Windows 7.

Methods for launching the utility

To open this service, you must follow these steps:

  1. In the “Control Panel” window, go to the “Hardware and Sound” tab;
  2. Next, in the “Devices and Printers” subsection, the service you are looking for is located (it is recommended to run it with extended permissions).

Second method:

  1. Call the context menu from “My Computer”;
  2. Then click “Manage”;
  3. Next, in the “Utilities” section, find the desired manager and open it.

Additional method:


Note: searching for a problematic device will not require any effort or time from the user, since the section with unidentified equipment will already be expanded, and the component itself, as a rule, is always marked with a special yellow icon.

Problem solving techniques

First you need to use the most basic methods.

Automatic driver search

First of all, you should make sure that the automatic detection mode and installation of the appropriate software for computer devices is active.

To this end, you just need to take the following few steps:

  1. Log in to the “Control Panel”;
  2. Next, open the “Hardware and Sound” tab;
  3. Then go to “View devices and printers”;
  4. After that, in the “Device installation options” section, make sure that the option “Yes, do this automatically” is activated. If there is no activation mark in this column, be sure to check it;
  5. Open "Properties";
  6. Click “Update driver”;
  7. Ready.

If there is no positive result, proceed to the instructions below:

  1. Restart PC;
  2. Call the context menu from a blank field in the manager window and click “Update configuration”;
  3. Install possible Windows 7 updates;
  4. Carry out a full analysis of the system with an antivirus to determine the presence of malicious utilities;
  5. Take advantage of third-party applications to update and install drivers, for example, Driver Booster.

Very often, such a useful built-in Windows 7 tool, the “Setup New Devices Wizard,” helps in this situation. To use it, you only need to take a few steps:

  1. Launch “Control Panel”;
  2. Next, go to “Hardware and Sound”;
  3. Then click “Add devices”;
  4. Wait for the search process to complete.

Sometimes all these actions are ineffective. Then you should start manually searching and installing the required software. The instructions described below will allow you to do this quickly and easily.

Solving the problem manually

If you know the device model, then finding drivers for it is very easy. To do this, you just need to visit the manufacturer’s official website and install the appropriate software from there. But if the model is unknown, then you should first find out the identifier of the problematic equipment, which is indicated in its properties, opened through the device manager.

You can simply enter the numbers next to VEN and DEV into the search bar of your browser, after which the global network will show the name of this equipment.

The algorithm consists of the following stages:

  1. In Windows 7 Manager, right-click on the problematic hardware;
  2. Then click “Properties”;
  3. Next, go to the “Information” tab;
  4. In the “Property” list, click on “ID” or “Instance code”;
  5. The searched combination of characters will be displayed.


All devices connected to a computer can be divided into two groups.

  • Devices that support Plug and Play technology. They are automatically recognized by the system and do not require manual installation of software that controls their operation.
  • Devices that require driver installation to function correctly. A driver is a utility program that instructs Windows on how to properly recognize and operate a given device.

Windows 7 includes a large number of drivers for various devices. When you connect new equipment to your computer, the system will immediately begin searching for drivers for it in its database, which will be indicated by a message in the notification area.

If the search returns positive results, the drivers will be installed and a message will appear in the notification area stating that the device has been successfully installed and is ready to use.

If Windows cannot find a suitable driver in its database, a window will open in which you will be asked to directly participate in installing the driver or to refuse further actions.

If you connect hardware that was released before Windows 7 to your computer, it is possible that the disc that came with it will not contain a driver compatible with the new operating system, and the installation will end with an error message. In this case, you should go to the device developer’s website, look for an updated driver for Windows 7 and download it to your computer. Typically, drivers on developer sites are presented along with the installation program, so their files have the EXE extension. To start the installation in this case, just double-click on the downloaded file and follow the instructions of the installation program. A tooltip in the notification area will notify you that the driver installation for the new hardware has been successful.

device Manager

You can conveniently monitor and change the status of equipment connected to your computer, troubleshoot problems, and update drivers in the Device Manager window.

To open Device Manager, click Start Control Panel System and Security and in the System section click the Device Manager link. You can also open this window by typing device manager into the search box in the Start menu and clicking on the link found. A link to it is also present in the system properties window.

Device Manager provides a list of all devices connected to your computer. They are grouped according to their purpose. To view the contents of a group, click the arrow to the left of its name.

If a device is marked with a yellow exclamation mark in the list, it means that Windows has recognized it, but it is not working correctly. The reason for this may be either internal conflicts with the system or outdated drivers that are incompatible with Windows 7. To understand the cause of the failure, open the device properties window by double-clicking on its icon. The General tab displays a description of the device status and the problem that caused the problem. If the culprit is uninstalled or outdated drivers, you can update them without leaving this window.