What is Unknown Devices and How to Fix it

INTRODUCTION:
Base on my experience troubleshooting computers, sometimes the computer system (windows) unable to detect the hardware changes whenever we plug in storage (like thumb drive, memory card, etc). Or after installing all drivers there are still driver missing which listed as "unknown device" in device manager.
So here i would like to share my experience how to solve this problem because there are many reason why your computers get the unknown device problem.

IF you have the error and prompt with " Disk management console view is not up to date" whenever you insert memory card or usb drive you can refer my tutorial here:
http://laptop-driver.blogspot.com/2010/12/disk-management-console-view-is-not-up.html


CONTENT:

1. Unknown device - in device manager
Devices that detected as unknown device after installing windows.

2. Unknown device - USB storage and New Hardware
Unknown device appear after inserting USB storage such as thumdrive into the USB slot or other computer port.

Note: to open device manager click START and on the serach box type DEVMGMT.MSC and press ENTER. In windows 8 right click on lower left corner at the power user start button and select device manager.

1 - UNKNOWN DEVICE - IN DEVICE MANAGER
You will see picture like this.

 

 NOTE:
The solution is step by step process, which is say A didnt work, so move to solution B.
If you didnt find unknown device and theres no hardware detected after insert the USB device into the USB slot, click VIEW in device manager and select SHOW HIDDEN DEVICE.

1A: INSTALL AND UNISTALL
1. Right click on the unknown device. Select uninstall. It will disappear from the list.
2. Right lcik again on any device there and select scan for hardware changes.
3. A new hardware found displayed and select automatically install driver.

1B: IDENTIFYING THE UNKNOWN DEVICE AND GET THE APPROPRIATE DRIVER.
1. To identify what is the unknown device, first we must get the hardware ID.
2. To get the hardware ID you can read my tutorial here:
     http://laptop-driver.blogspot.com/2009/12/how-to-check-hardware-id.html
3. After you get the hardware ID refer to the list below:

ACPIHPQ0006
ACPIHPQ0007
HP Quicklaunch Button : Download link -  SP45058

ACPI/HPQ0004
HP Hard Driver Smart Protection Download link - SP45501

ACPIENE0100
ENE CIR Reciever (Infrared) Download link - sp45308

ACPIAWY00012&DABA3FF&0
Away Mode Driver Download link - http://www.nvidia.com/object/nforce_winxp_15.26.html
or: http://data.versiontracker.com/drivers/manual/msi/AMDAway_MB.zip

ACPIVEN_HPQ&DEV_6001
HP Wireless Button Driver : Download link : sp58720
If you cannot enable f12 function use this driver: sp59199



ACPIIFX0102
Ifineon trusted module: Download link 

USBVID_138A&PID_003D&REV_0104
Validity Fingerprint sensor driver : Download link

My hardware ID is not listed here, what to do?
-post your hardware ID here and i will recommend the compatible driver for you.
Another trick: Google the hardware ID and you will get the information about the device and drivers.

2. USB STORAGE AND NEW HARDWARE.

This section will discuss the problem with USB drive such as thumb drive and memory card which detected as unknow device.

SECTION 2A:
1. First thing to do is similar with previous post section 1A.
2. Try to plug the USB into other port.
3. If still didnt work try the USB on other computer, if still detected as unknow means there are problem with the hardware. It may refer to faulty hardware.
4. If it work on other computer and not yours, maybe you are missing USB driver/OS patch/upgrade/fix which you can download from your computer manufacture site.

SECTION 2B:
1. Open drive management by click start and type DRVMGMT.MSC and press ENTER.
2. Look at the drive listed and see if the disk is detected. If not means there are problem your your hardware. Test it with other computer and if detected on other computer you must try with different usb slot on your computer.
3. For memory card make sure you computer can support the size of the card, example some computer only can read up to 2GB memory reader, and unable to detect or read higher than that.
4. Malware and virus maybe one of the cause but it never happen to me and no report from users about this.

EXPERT MODE:

Generally speaking, people who like computers love to try anything to fix and test.

I always have multiple OS in my computers and normally if i have problem with USB detected as unknown i will test it on Ubuntu or other linux distribution such as linux mint. (I always change my linux OS). If you have Mac OS it will not detect storage in FAT and NTFS.
If my linux can read it, i backup the file and reformat the USB. So far there is only 2 result i got, if it detected reformat than when i plug in windows OS no more unknown and the USB work perfectly. If it not detected in LINUX mean it is hardware Faulty.

If you have suggestion to improve this post Im really happy to hear it.
Comments and feedback are most welcome.

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Guide To Install Compaq and HP Driver

This tutorial will show how to install Drivers in HP and Compaq model.
Difficulty: easy
Note: This guide only for drivers officially release by HP and Compaq. It will not cover manual installation using drivers from other source.

INTRODUCTION:
For HP and Compaq model, the official drivers name will start with SP which refer to SoftPaq. So
Example : SP30399 (SP is short term for softpaq)

So if your driver file not start with SP, the drivers is either not from HP or originally from HP and edited by other party.
SoftPack package is formatted with exe extension which refer to executable file. excutable file mean you can run the program by double click on it, in this case to install the driver.

INSTALLING:

1. Make sure you download the appropite driver you need. If you did not have the appropriate driver you can request here:  http://laptop-driver.blogspot.com/2012/02/request-driver-version-4.html

2. After finish downloading the driver, you will get a file which look like this:

The softpaq name SPXXXX varies base on the driver file.

3. Then double click on it to install, the best way to do it is by right click and select run as administrator".

if "right click and run as admin", you will be prompted, so click YES.

4. Next step is to follow the on screen instruction and agree with the terms and agreement.

5. Then click next until installation finish. The first installation will unpack the driver file into SWsetup folder in C drive.
6. Continue with the installation by following the on-screen instruction until installation finish and reboot.

IF you get ERROR:

"Driver Installation failed: Could not find the device for this driver"

It means the driver is not compatible with your system. You need to make sure the driver you are using is the right driver for your laptop.
Take note, HP sometimes provides more than 3 option for wireless driver, so you have to choose base on your specification or you have to test which work for you. Installing wrong driver will not harm your system but it will result in error.
Let me know if you need advise or assistance in this matter.

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How to Install Acer Drivers

Do read the instruction carefully. You can get the drivers online by serching your model on the Acer.com or on this blog, you can also request drivers here.


Instructions:
1. You must extract the driver first using software winrar or 7zip (any compress tools).

right click and select extract file

2. Open the extracted driver folder and double click on the setup.exe or install.exe to install
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to perform the installation.
5. When the installation is complete, restart the system.

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Unsupported Graphic driver for windows 7 How to get it

The following model is officially stated as unsupported product with windows 7. What i mean here is there are no official driver release from intel.

Intel® 810 Chipset Family
Intel® 815 Chipset Family
Intel® 82810 Graphics and Memory Controller Hub (GMCH)
Intel® 82815 Graphics Controller
Intel® 82830M Graphics and Memory Controller Hub (GMCH)
Intel® 82845G Graphics Controller
Intel® 82852/82855 Graphics Controller Family
Intel® 82865G Graphics and Memory Controller Hub (GMCH)
Intel® 82915G/82910GL Express Chipset Family
Intel® 830 Chipset
Intel® 845 Chipset Family
Intel® 852/855 Chipset Family
Intel® 865 Chipset Family
Intel® 910 Express Chipset Family
Mobile Intel® 910GML Express Chipset
Mobile Intel® 915 Express Chipset Family
Mobile Intel® 915GM/GMS, 910GML Express Chipset Family

So the big question is how to get it?
In this blog i covered several of them, and i received a lot of email asking driver for their model. There are no term such as "genius" that will find the driver and share it. What people like me always did is we collect as much driver version that released. After that we try to modified or install it in many ways that available.
So, some of the drivers that i posted here are from the testers, i give a recommendation and they test it, sometimes it take one driver and success, and sometimes up to more then 8 drivers before we found the right one.
Maybe Intel want us to move on and get new stuff which is up to date since most of the graphic above is too old for this new generation. but i believe there are many of you out there dont really care about the performance or etc. Base on my experience and opinion, if Intel release official drivers for the model above, your pc will run windows 7 smooth and steady.

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Does mean iMessage to Apple and competition

Already a week ago that he was released a new app in iOS 5, iMessage, a native application is actually a return of twist to an already existing prior to this, the place from where to send SMS or MMS messages on our iPhone. July we just describe fairly well how the application works, so it will not be the subject of this post, in this article we want to rather focus on to reflect on the implications that can result in this release.

Because as in practically every new product introduced by Apple, the consequences tend to be enormous, both inside and outside the company. Is this same with iMessage? We think Yes, and we will try to prove it by means of the following analysis.

Lets recap a little thinking how many services now has same Apple in their platforms with a similar objective, the allow the communication between several people. Facetime first, by another iChat and other iMessage. While each of them has a different side in substance and form, the truth is that Apple has ended up creating three services that may be one.

And this is the first consequence of iMessage that we could expect in the coming years, the unification of all these applications or services in one only that is capable of concentrating its benefits. This idea fits in with the policy of Apple that services work transparently to the user, as it is the case with iCloud. If iMessage is able to detect if the receiving device of our message is iOS or not to send an SMS in a case or not a message through our network of 3 G or WiFi data, then why not create something to differentiate if what we want is to make a call with video conferencing, chat or message?

Afternoon or early Apple will have to do something like this if dont want to confuse the user of a foot. What is more, perhaps to take some time working on the matter as a Mac user found evidence of an application called Message in a message of notification of the new version of Mail in the fourth preview of Lion a few days ago. Could it be of the desktop version of iMessage, one of the things that more are missing in similar apps like WhatsApp?

We have a whole week listening to say that the great injured iMessage is RIM and partly not lack reason. One of the best advantages that this company had so far on their BlackBerrys was blackberry messenger, a product without having to setup that allows you to talk with other smartphones the same brand without additional cost.

With the advent of iMessage this trump card ceases to be a claim of young people to become a common feature. So Canadians will have to put the batteries if they dont want to be harmed in the long term for this and other similar initiatives.

But the thing is not there, because Google has transcended that they could be working on something similar in their Android platform. Chat services must evolve if they dont want to lose share of use, and integrated applications as iMessage or the famous WhatsApp show very well to where have to walk this evolution. So it is expected to wait for an improvement in Gtalk or a completely new service that offers an alternative by the Mountain View.

We are not going to delve much into this idea because we already did the same day following the keynote, but it is not difficult to imagine that some applications cross-platform, like Fring, LiveProfile and WhatsApp, will suffer slightly with the advent of iMessage.

We are not talking about a significant decline in its use and downloads, but given that some use the cross-platform App Store applications to speak exclusively with other family members or friends who have iPhones, something will end up noticing over time. To what extent is something that can only be measured in a few months, quite a few, when iOS 5 is released for everyone and you begin to educate users in their use, convinced of their virtues and ease of use.

As we said at the outset, when we are talking about a secondary improvement of iOS, it seems that iMessage will have many consequences in their environment, for better and for worse. Well see how other companies and even the same Apple, are assimilating this novelty in Instant Messaging.

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How To Keep Your iPad Secure

How To Keep Your iPad Secure, safe and out of harms way.

..."The iPad has great tools for keeping your data safe and personal information out of harms way"...

The iPad is one of the safest computing devices you can use. Its combination of hardware and software security give you a device that probably more secure than your Mac or PC. Especially if you take the right steps to secure it. Because there are currently no known remote attacks against iPads, the biggest security risk that is present at the moment is physically losing the device itself. Thus the first step is to make sure your tablets data is safe in case it gets lost or stolen. For that Id suggest a combination of encryption and remote wiping.

Passcode Encryption
By Default iPads encrypt the data stored on them. You can encrypt email messages and attachments as well by turning on the data protection option on your iPad. To do so go to Settings/General/Passcode Lock and then enter a four digit code twice. If you want to be extra safe, turn off the Simple Passcode option on that same page you can then use longer codes. This will ensure your device is safe and cant be hacked or passcode bypassed by anyone or anything. While youre there set require Passcode for no more than 15 minutes and turn on Erase Data. You can make those passcodes even more powerful by downloading and launching Apples (now poorly named) iPhone Configuration Utility (Macworld/7185).

Designed for enterprise IT managers, it provides a number of additional security and business settings. To start, tap Configuration/Profile/New and select Passcode from the list. Youll now have lots of options. At the very least specify a minimum length for the passcode. To activate these password settings, fill in a name and identifier for your new profile on the General Tab. If nobody else uses the iPad, set the Security drop down menu to always. If youre configuring an iPad for someone else and dont want him or her to change settings without your permission, set it for Never or With Authorization (and then provide a password).When the profile is set, click share to send it in an email message to your iPad. On the iPad, open Mail and find the message Click on Attachments and select install.

Remote Wipe or Remote Wiping
Remote Wiping allows you to delete data on a lost or stolen iPad when it connects to the internet. If you have MobileME account, you can set this up by enabling Find My iPad in Settings/Mail Contacts, Calendars/MobileME. Business users who connect to a Microsoft Exchange Server (or Alternatives Such As Kerio Connect) can use the Exchange Active Sync support to Wipe there devices. This is managed on the server not on your device so youll need to work with your IT administrator.

In Use
There are also things you can do in daily use to make your iPad more secure. One of the best is to use VPN (Virtual Private Network). Another way is to use Secure connections for email. Properly configured Microsoft Exchange Servers Encrypt Data by Default. If you use an IMPA or POP3 server, and it supports SSL, you can go to Settings/Mail Contacts Calendars/Your Account Name/Advanced On Your iPad and enable it there. Although data protection encrypts your email attachments the moment you send them off to an app such as pages they are protected by the iPads basic encryption only. If youre really worried about such documents, you can use a special secure email server tool like good enterprise (macworld.com/7202) and its free companion iPad App. Good for enterprise locks encrypted email attachments (and any files downloaded from its secure browser) inside the app which means that you can read them but not edit them.

If you do lose your iPad one of the first things you should do is change your password and DE-authorize the device for any services such as Drop box or iDisk. That you used for connecting to it the device your Apple iPad. Finally consider getting the 1Password Pro App ($15.00 macworld/5943). It enables good password habits (requiring a different complex password for every site). It syncs with your Mac and other devices over the network or VIA drop box and it stores secure notes and other information, including passwords. It even comes complete with its own embedded Web Browser so you can log in to sites without having to copy and paste your credentials.

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Apple unveils plans to go greener Yahoo! News

"Apple Inc. (Nasdaq:AAPL - news), responding to criticism from environmental groups, unveiled plans on Wednesday that Chief Executive Steve Jobs claimed would make the company greener than most of its competitors. "

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