When you are working with hardware devices, often you'll want to obtain information about the currently installed devices and their configuration. You can view and work with installed hardware devices using Device Manager (Devmgmt.msc). This console tool is included with Computer Management.
In the Computer Management console, click the plus sign (+) next to the System Tools node, and then select Device Manager. You should now see a complete list of devices installed on the system. By default, this list is organized by device type, as shown in Figure 13-1, and you can click the plus sign (+) next to a device type to see a list of the specific instances of that device type.
The device list shows warning symbols if there are problems with a device. A yellow warning symbol with an exclamation point indicates a problem with a device. A red warning symbol with an x indicates a device that's improperly installed or that has been disabled by the user or administrator for some reason. In Figure 13-1, there is a problem with a PCI modem and a RAID controller.
Inside Out: View and save device settings for local and remote computers
As discussed in the previous chapter, you can use Computer Management to view and work with settings on remote computers. Right-click the Computer Management entry in the console tree, and then select Connect To Another Computer on the shortcut menu. In the Select Computer dialog box, choose Another Computer, and then type the fully qualified name of the computer you want to work with, such as entdc01.microsoft.com, where entdc01 is the computer name and microsoft.com is the domain name. If you don't know the computer name, click Browse to search for the computer you want to work with.
If you want detailed driver lists for multiple computers, you can do this using the Driverquery command-line utility. Use the /V parameter to get verbose output and the /SI parameter to display properties of signed drivers, such as driverquery /v /si. If you want to write the information to a file, use the output redirection symbol (>) followed by the name of the file, such as driverquery /v /si > system-devices.txt.
To list devices on remote computers, use the /S parameter followed by a computer name or Internet Protocol (IP) address to specify a remote computer to query. You can also specify the Run As permissions by using /U followed by the user name and /P followed by the user's password. Here's an example: driverquery /v /s corpserver01 /u wrstanek /p 49iners.
You can use the options on the View menu to change the defaults for which types of devices are displayed and how the devices are listed, as follows:
Devices By Type is the default view, and it displays devices by the type of device installed, such as Disk Drive or Printer.
Devices By Connection displays devices by connection type, such as System Board or Logical Disk Manager.
Resources By Type displays the status of allocated resources by type of device using the resource. Resource types are direct memory access (DMA) channels, input/output (I/O) ports, interrupt requests (IRQs), and memory addresses.
Resources By Connection displays the status of all allocated resources by connection type rather than device type.
Show Hidden Devices displays non–Plug and Play devices as well as devices that have been physically removed from the computer but that haven't had their drivers uninstalled.
To view detailed information about a device, double-click its entry in Device Manager. This opens the device Properties dialog box, as shown in Figure 13-2. Most devices have two tabs, either General and Properties or General and Driver.
Figure 13-2. Use the device Properties dialog box to obtain essential information about a device, including whether it is functioning properly
The most important information in the General tab is the device status. If the device is working properly, this is specifically stated. Otherwise, the error status of the device is shown, and you can click Troubleshoot to start the device troubleshooter. If the device is disabled, you have an option to enable the device instead (as shown in Figure 13-3).
Figure 13-3. Disabled devices are listed with an error status because they aren't functioning; you can enable them by clicking Enable Device
The Device Usage list controls a device's status as enabled or disabled. You can temporarily disable a device by selecting Do Not Use This Device (Disable). If you later want to enable the device, you can click the Enable Device button or select the Use This Device (Enable) option on the Device Usage list.
The Driver tab, shown in Figure 13-4, provides basic information about the driver provider, creation date, version, and digital signature. You should be wary of any drivers that list the provider as Unknown as well as drivers that are listed as Not Digitally Signed. Drivers signed by Microsoft are listed as being signed by Microsoft Windows Publisher.
Figure 13-4. Use the Driver tab to determine the driver provider, creation date, version, and digital signature
You can view additional information about the driver by clicking Driver Details. If no driver files are required or have been loaded for the device, you'll see a message stating this. Otherwise, you'll see the names and locations of all associated files, including an icon that indicates the signing status of each individual file. Selecting a file in this list displays details for that file in the lower section of the dialog box.
Devices often have other tabs, such as Advanced, Resources, and Power Management. Most network adapters have an Advanced tab. As shown in Figure 13-5, these options can control transmission options. You should change these options only if you are trying to resolve specific performance or connectivity issues as directed by the device manufacturer or a Microsoft Knowledge Base article. The setting that causes the most problems is Link Speed &
Figure 13-5. You'll find that most network adapters have an Advanced tab for setting transmission options
Duplex. Most of the time, you'll want this set to Auto Detect. Sometimes, however, to correct a specific problem, you must use a preset speed and duplex setting, such as 100Mbps/Half Duplex or 10Mbps/Full Duplex. You should do this, however, only when this setting is recommended based on your network configuration or the issue you are trying to troubleshoot.
Any device that uses system resources will have a Resources tab like the one shown in Figure 13-6.
The Resources tab options show the device resources that are currently assigned and their settings. There are four types of device resources:
DMA The DMA channel used by the device. Values are shown as integers, such as 02.
Memory Range The range of memory addresses used by the device. Values are shown in hexadecimal format, such as E8206000–E8206FFF.
I/O Range The range of I/O ports used by the device. Values are shown in hexadecimal format, such as 5400–543F.
IRQ Line IRQ line used by the device. Values are shown as integers, such as 10.
Devices can use multiple I/O and memory ranges. For example, the Video Graphics Adapter (VGA) adapter on one of our computers used three I/O ranges and three memory ranges. Additionally, multiple PCI devices can share the same IRQs when using Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI) BIOS. This is because ACPI BIOS allows IRQ sharing. To learn more about resource sharing and configuration options, see the section entitled "Resolving Resource Conflicts" later in this chapter.