Code 3 - The Driver for This Device Might Be Corrupted, or Your System May Be Running Low on Memory or Other Resources
By Timothy Tibbetts |
If you're receiving the Code 3 - The driver for this device might be corrupted, or your system may be running low on memory or other resources, here's how you can fix it.
1: Update Your Drivers
Many of these errors are hardware problems and can be fixed by just updating your device drivers. We'd try Driver Booster first, reboot, and see if your problem is solved.
2: Remove and Reinstall the Device
Press the Windows Key + S and begin typing in device manager and click on device manager. Windows 7 users can go to Start, Control Panel as well. Find the hardware that's giving you trouble. For this example, we'll use Realtek High Definition Audio. Right-click and select Uninstall.
You will receive a warning that says You are about to uninstall this device from your system. Also, check the box that says Delete the driver software for this device.
Reboot after Windows is finished. Windows will not redetect and reinstall the device you removed. You might want to update your drivers now with Driver Booster.
3: Restore From a Restore Point
If you're sure you haven't changed your hardware, updated drivers, or installed new software, you can try to restore from System Restore. We think this one's a longshot, but if all else fails, it might just be what you need. Enable, Disable, Manage, Delete or Create a System Restore Point
4: Reboot
This is a more generic possibility that should be obvious from the error code description. For example, if you see This device cannot work properly until you restart your computer, then a reboot should do the trick. If you recently updated drivers or Windows Updates, then a reboot is probably due.
5: Check Your Memory Usage
Sometimes, as mentioned above, a reboot might help. Otherwise, you may need to upgrade your memory or uninstall some programs or clean up your startup.
If you've installed or updated some programs lately, it's possible your boot is slowed down due to startup items added that you might not be aware of.
If you know what you're doing, you can press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager, then click on the Startup tab. Here you can disable items making it a safe way to make sure everything is working correctly, and your problem is solved, before removing them permanently. You used to be able to use msconfig, but Microsoft now links to Task Manager.
Another option is to use CCleaner to manage your startup items. This video briefly shows you how it works at the 2:53 mark.
While there are numerous ways to manage your startup, CCleaner also can clean up your junk files as well.
If you have a different Device Manager error code, here are all the device manager error codes and solutions.
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1: Update Your Drivers
Many of these errors are hardware problems and can be fixed by just updating your device drivers. We'd try Driver Booster first, reboot, and see if your problem is solved.
2: Remove and Reinstall the Device
Press the Windows Key + S and begin typing in device manager and click on device manager. Windows 7 users can go to Start, Control Panel as well. Find the hardware that's giving you trouble. For this example, we'll use Realtek High Definition Audio. Right-click and select Uninstall.
You will receive a warning that says You are about to uninstall this device from your system. Also, check the box that says Delete the driver software for this device.
Reboot after Windows is finished. Windows will not redetect and reinstall the device you removed. You might want to update your drivers now with Driver Booster.
3: Restore From a Restore Point
If you're sure you haven't changed your hardware, updated drivers, or installed new software, you can try to restore from System Restore. We think this one's a longshot, but if all else fails, it might just be what you need. Enable, Disable, Manage, Delete or Create a System Restore Point
4: Reboot
This is a more generic possibility that should be obvious from the error code description. For example, if you see This device cannot work properly until you restart your computer, then a reboot should do the trick. If you recently updated drivers or Windows Updates, then a reboot is probably due.
5: Check Your Memory Usage
Sometimes, as mentioned above, a reboot might help. Otherwise, you may need to upgrade your memory or uninstall some programs or clean up your startup.
If you've installed or updated some programs lately, it's possible your boot is slowed down due to startup items added that you might not be aware of.
If you know what you're doing, you can press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open the Task Manager, then click on the Startup tab. Here you can disable items making it a safe way to make sure everything is working correctly, and your problem is solved, before removing them permanently. You used to be able to use msconfig, but Microsoft now links to Task Manager.
Another option is to use CCleaner to manage your startup items. This video briefly shows you how it works at the 2:53 mark.
While there are numerous ways to manage your startup, CCleaner also can clean up your junk files as well.
If you have a different Device Manager error code, here are all the device manager error codes and solutions.
comments powered by Disqus
