Over time, Windows stores many backups in the system, temporary files, old drivers, which will gradually take up space on your hard drives. Of course you can to free up space on your hard drive, but what if the old drivers of any device interfere with the installation of new versions? Especially problems are caused by wireless mice, keyboards and other USB devices that sometimes do not want to work until we remove the old drivers and install new ones.
Drivers are necessary little applications that are needed to connect any device and make it work. The Windows system has a very large database of drivers for different types of devices: printers, mice, sound cards, boards, etc. Some manufacturers release their own versions of the driver, which are necessary for work and not always in the windows database, drivers can work with a particular device. To do this, we need to remove old unnecessary driver versions and install new ones from the manufacturer.
How to uninstall a previous version of a driver
Every time a driver is updated time after time, the old driver backups remain in the system, thereby clogging the hard drive and preventing new driver versions from installing. To remove previous versions of the driver, write in the "Search" (near Start) Command line or cmd, right click on it and run from administrator name, then in the window that opens, enter the command cleanmgr.
Place a check next to Device driver packages and click OK. All old driver packages will be purged.
How to uninstall old device drivers in Windows
Most often, there are native hidden installed drivers that the above method will not remove them. Hidden drivers remain in the system when a new device is detected and install the old version of the driver, and not the new one, which causes various errors when installing new drivers and inoperability of devices.
- Press button combination Win+R and enter the following command devmgmt.msc to open Device Manager.
- In device manager, click View > .
If for some reason they are not displayed, then see below how to fix the hidden display of devices.
We see weakly allocated devices in the picture above, these are hidden drivers that sometimes interfere with us.
- To remove old hidden drivers, just right-click on it and Delete.
- If you have the option to check the box, please check the box.
How to reveal hidden device drivers in the manager
The command is related to show hidden drivers in Device Manager, old versions of Windows XP, 7.
Launch Command Prompt as administrator and enter the command:
- SET devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices = 1
You can go to device manager and try to show hidden ones.
Good afternoon, dear readers of the blog site, today I want to tell you how to delete data about USB Flash drives in the Windows registry. This article is a continuation of the article. All information about any USB media ever connected to a computer is stored in the system registry. If a lot of flash drives of different models and manufacturers are connected to the computer, then over time a lot of garbage accumulates in the registry. As a result, the process of detecting and connecting a new device begins to take considerable time and slows down the system.
Exit one. It is necessary to periodically clean the registry keys that store data about connected flash drives and other USB drives. Cleaning these partitions will speed up the connection of new USB devices and the operation of the system as a whole.
Cleaning should be done using the Regedit system program. It launches like this.
Start - Run - Regedit
Registry sections that store data about any USB drive ever connected to a PC - Flash drives, external hard drives, as well as cameras, phones, flash players and other devices that, when connected to a PC, were recognized as an external USB drive. Here you can delete all subkeys with the Disc prefix.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\USBSTOR
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Enum\USBSTOR
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet002\Enum\USBSTOR
From the screenshots it can be seen that hubs and HDDs were connected in the same way through the hub
If you don’t want to clean it manually, then there is free software, such as USB Oblivion. Run the utility
Check the box Perform a real cleaning
We see that everything is completed and many entries have been deleted from the registry. Let's check the registry. Please note that there is no USBSTOR folder.
Well, let's look at the next step with the USBDeview program, everything is also clean.
Here, dear readers, is where data about your flash drives is stored, so if you need to delete something, then start.
Almost every user connects a phone, tablet, reader, flash drives and external HDDs to the computer. When working with these devices, Windows installs their drivers. At the end of operation, they are not deleted from the computer (that is, they gradually accumulate) and, just like temporary files, unnecessary entries in the registry litter the system.
In addition to this, if devices are disconnected from the USB port incorrectly (pulled out without software shutdown by the “Eject” function), then the installed drivers not only remain in the system, but also continue to function. Because of this, they often become the cause of a software conflict in the process of connecting another USB device (the system “does not see” the device, gives errors, hangs).
This article will help you avoid all these troubles: it will tell you how to completely remove the driver of an unused USB drive or gadget from the operating system, how to automatically uninstall all USB drivers.
Removal by regular means
Surface cleaning
1. Open the Start menu.
2. Right-click on the "Computer" panel that appears. Select "Properties" from the list of commands.
3. In the column on the left, click "Device Manager".
4. In the dispatcher window, in the horizontal menu, open the "View" section and click "Show hidden devices".
5. Open the "USB Controllers" directory.
6. Remove the old or unused driver: right-click on its name → click "Delete".
Deep cleaning
1. Hold down the Win key and press the Pause/Break key. Or open: Start → right-click "Computer" → Properties.
2. In the window that opens, in the left panel, click "Advanced system settings".
3. On the Advanced tab, click the Environment Variables button.
4. In the upper block, click "Create".
5. In the "New User Variable" window:
- in the line "Variable name" enter - devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices;
- in "Variable value" - 1.
6. Click OK in the variable panel and in the Environment Variables window.
7. Return to the system properties window (Win + Break) and click "Device Manager".
8. In the manager, open: View → Show hidden…
9. Click the "Update configuration ..." button (the last one in the panel).
10. The icons of unused drivers in the manager are grayed out (that is, you can delete this driver). Open the following directories one by one and remove unnecessary elements (right-click on the name → Delete):
Non Plug and Play Device Drivers
Advice! In this directory, you can also remove old drivers installed by programs that are already uninstalled from Windows (for example, the Comodo firewall package).
This section of devices displays installed drivers for flash drives, readers, hard drives. Transparent object icons indicate that they are not used (not connected). So, you can safely get rid of them.
11. When cleaning is complete, restart your PC.
Automatic removal by USBDeview utility
1. Copy this link into the address bar of your browser - http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/usb_devices_view.html#DownloadLinks (official website of the utility). And then press "ENTER".
2. On the opened page:
- if you have a 32-bit system, click the first link "Download USBDeview";
- if 64-x, the second is "... for x64 systems".
3. Unpack the downloaded archive: right-click on it → select "Extract all ..." → in the "Unpacking ..." window, click "Extract".
4. Open the unzipped folder. Run the USBDeview executable with administrator rights.
5. The utility window displays a list of all drivers installed in the system. Disabled elements are marked with red "chips".
To remove a driver from Windows, select it with a mouse click, and then click the Trash icon in the USBDeview panel. Or right-click on it and select "Uninstall Selected Devices" from the context menu.
Note. In addition to the removal function, USBDeview provides the user with the ability to disable / enable the driver, view its properties.
Removing all USB device drivers
Global cleaning of drivers can be done with the DriveCleanup utility (download link - http://uwe-sieber.de/files/drivecleanup.zip).
1. Unzip the archive downloaded to your computer.
2. If you have 32-bit Windows, open the "Win32" folder, if 64, respectively, "x64".
3. Run the "DriveCleanup" file as an administrator.
Once launched, the utility will automatically clean up. At the end of the procedure (when the message “Press any key” appears in the console window), press any key.
Good luck with your system setup!
Almost every user connects a phone, tablet, reader, flash drives and external HDDs to the computer. When working with these devices, Windows installs their drivers. At the end of operation, they are not deleted from the computer (that is, they gradually accumulate) and, just like temporary files, unnecessary entries in the registry litter the system.
In addition to this, if devices are disconnected from the USB port incorrectly (pulled out without software shutdown by the “Eject” function), then the installed drivers not only remain in the system, but also continue to function. Because of this, they often become the cause of a software conflict in the process of connecting another USB device (the system “does not see” the device, gives errors, hangs).
This article will help you avoid all these troubles: it will tell you how to completely remove the driver of an unused USB drive or gadget from the operating system, how to automatically uninstall all USB drivers.
Removal by regular means
Surface cleaning
1. Open the Start menu.
2. Right-click on the "Computer" panel that appears. Select "Properties" from the list of commands.
3. In the column on the left, click "Device Manager".
4. In the dispatcher window, in the horizontal menu, open the "View" section and click "Show hidden devices".
5. Open the "USB Controllers" directory.
6. Remove the old or unused driver: right-click on its name → click "Delete".
Deep cleaning
1. Hold down the Win key and press the Pause/Break key. Or open: Start → right-click "Computer" → Properties.
2. In the window that opens, in the left panel, click "Advanced system settings".
3. On the Advanced tab, click the Environment Variables button.
4. In the upper block, click "Create".
5. In the "New User Variable" window:
- in the line "Variable name" enter - devmgr_show_nonpresent_devices;
- in "Variable value" - 1.
6. Click OK in the variable panel and in the Environment Variables window.
7. Return to the system properties window (Win + Break) and click "Device Manager".
8. In the manager, open: View → Show hidden…
9. Click the "Update configuration ..." button (the last one in the panel).
10. The icons of unused drivers in the manager are grayed out (that is, you can delete this driver). Open the following directories one by one and remove unnecessary elements (right-click on the name → Delete):
Non Plug and Play Device Drivers
Advice! In this directory, you can also remove old drivers installed by programs that are already uninstalled from Windows (for example, the Comodo firewall package).
This section of devices displays installed drivers for flash drives, readers, hard drives. Transparent object icons indicate that they are not used (not connected). So, you can safely get rid of them.
11. When cleaning is complete, restart your PC.
Automatic removal by USBDeview utility
1. Copy this link into the address bar of your browser - http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/usb_devices_view.html#DownloadLinks (official website of the utility). And then press "ENTER".
2. On the opened page:
- if you have a 32-bit system, click the first link "Download USBDeview";
- if 64-x, the second is "... for x64 systems".
3. Unpack the downloaded archive: right-click on it → select "Extract all ..." → in the "Unpacking ..." window, click "Extract".
4. Open the unzipped folder. Run the USBDeview executable with administrator rights.
5. The utility window displays a list of all drivers installed in the system. Disabled elements are marked with red "chips".
To remove a driver from Windows, select it with a mouse click, and then click the Trash icon in the USBDeview panel. Or right-click on it and select "Uninstall Selected Devices" from the context menu.
Note. In addition to the removal function, USBDeview provides the user with the ability to disable / enable the driver, view its properties.
Removing all USB device drivers
Global cleaning of drivers can be done with the DriveCleanup utility (download link - http://uwe-sieber.de/files/drivecleanup.zip).
1. Unzip the archive downloaded to your computer.
2. If you have 32-bit Windows, open the "Win32" folder, if 64, respectively, "x64".
3. Run the "DriveCleanup" file as an administrator.
Once launched, the utility will automatically clean up. At the end of the procedure (when the message “Press any key” appears in the console window), press any key.
Good luck with your system setup!
The older the system running in the PC, the more unnecessary and sometimes interfering with the normal functioning of files and programs accumulate in memory.
To avoid conflicts when installing new hardware and in general to optimize the operation of your computer, it is recommended to clean it from the software of equipment that is no longer in use in a timely manner.
Removal procedure
A lot of unnecessary and outdated programs only interfere and reduce the performance of the computer, and sometimes users install drivers from third-party resources, which leads to serious failures in the OS, such as blue screens or system error messages.
Therefore, owners of computers on Windows 7 need to know how to properly remove the driver from the system. Before starting the instructions below, it is recommended to create an OS restore point so that in case of unsuccessful attempts to interfere with the system software, you can use the rollback of the Seven to a healthy state.
Method 1: Via Device Manager
To uninstall drivers, follow these steps:
- In the search column, type "cmd" and then call the context menu from the console icon;
- Click "Run as Administrator";
- In the displayed command line, type "SET DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES = 1";
- Next, execute the request "devmgmt.msc", which will open the "Device Manager (DU)";
- Also, the remote control in Windows 7 can be called up through the "Start" by right-clicking on the line "Computer";
- Click "Properties";
- Then, in the menu that appears, click "DU";
- Enter the "View" tab;
- Set a checkmark in the line showing devices hidden in normal mode;
- Expand the section in which the component planned for removal is located;
- For example, as you can see from the screenshot above, several different models of drives have been connected to it for a long time during the operation of the computer. Although, usually, only one name of the component device is currently used. This applies to all sections of connected equipment: printers, mice, USB devices, etc. Obviously, long-life computers require a thorough cleaning. But even the owners of new PCs only need to figure out how many different external storage media they have already used, and each new flash drive requires its own drivers for full operation;
- If the user replaced the graphics adapter in the computer, then it would be advisable to clean the corresponding section;
- It is necessary to select one of the already unused devices and press "Enter";
- Next, go to the "Driver" tab;
- Click on the virtual button "Details";
- In the menu that appears, the user will have access to information about the location of the software of interest to his equipment. Drivers are stored in system directories in the important “Program Files” directory, as well as in the “Windows” directory (if the OS is 32-bit, then in the “System32” folder. When x64, then in “SysWOW64”);
- In order to completely get rid of unnecessary ballast, you need to right-click on the device;
- Click "Delete";
- Check the box indicated by the red arrow in the screenshot below and click "Ok";
- Ready. Now the software of the missing hardware has been removed, and if you ever need to connect it, it will be possible to re-install the latest drivers from the device manufacturer's resource.
Guided by the described instructions, you can consistently get rid of all drivers of unused devices, but you should be careful not to remove software whose purpose the user is not one hundred percent sure. Incorrect intervention in the integrity of the system can lead to negative consequences for it.
If the user does not have the opportunity to apply the above methodology due to objective reasons, then the methods using the Windows 7 control panel and third-party programs are described below.
Method 2: Using the built-in tools of the Control Panel (CP)
You will need to do the following steps:
Method 3: Using third-party applications
If the PC is running Windows 7 or a more modern version of the OS from Microsoft, then the special program "Threexy Driver Fusion" will help to cope with the task.
It is free and allows you to safely remove unwanted drivers without affecting your PC's boot software.
The application has support for the Russian-language interface, however, only in the English version it works without failures, therefore it is recommended that all actions for uninstalling the software be performed in the English shell.
You need to follow these steps:
If the user wants to use a program with a Russian-language interface, the Driver Sweeper utility is suitable.
It is also freely distributed and safe to use, of course, with a certain degree of caution by the owner of the computer.
It is equipped with a simple interface and will not complicate operation even for a novice user.
You only need to follow a few steps:
