Unknown Network Device in Vista Business

[Daniel]

Situation: Running Vista Business on 3.0GHz P-4 system using an MSI MS-7211
mobo with onboard Realtek RTL8139 10/100 interface, Realtek RTL8029 PCI
10-Base NIC (to connect with an older 10Base-2 LAN) -- both correctly
recognized by Device Manager, both with drivers and both working perfectly.
Only other expansion card is an ATi Radeon 9550 AGP video card, also working
correctly. All other devices are properly recognized, have drivers
installed, and are working perfectly. System has onboard USB 2.0 ports (only
1 currently used for UPS), no Firewire, and standard COM and LPT ports.

Problem: In Device Manager, under the Network group is an "unknown device"
recognized and disabled by Vista, but I know of no physical device that might
correspond to this entry. If it's enabled, Vista can't find drivers for it,
won't further identify what it might be, and immediately restores the
"unknown device" if it's uninstalled or deleted. The system multi-boots and
Windows XP Pro does not detect any such "unknown" device.

If it helps, under the Details tab of this device's Properties, it lists the
Physical Device Object name as "\Device\0000002f" and the Driver key as
"{4d36e972-e325-11ce-bfc1-08002be10318}\0007". None of the other Details
give any clue as to the identity of this device.

For the moment, I've disabled this "unknown device" to stop the "driver not
found" errors on bootup, but don't have any idea what it might be, or what
else to do about it. Any thoughts out there just what this apparent phantom
might be? and if there is anything that can be done to clear the "unknown
device" from Device Manager?

 

[Carlos]

Daniel,
I would install Everest trial version
http://www.lavalys.com/products.php
and see if you can get a full description of the offending device.
It might even suggest you a driver.
Best of luck.
Carlos

 

[Daniel]

Carlos --

Thanks for the suggestion, and the Everest Ultimate looks like a good
product, so I downloaded and installed the trial version, as you suggested.
Unfortunately, under Windows Device -> Network adapters, it, too, lists one
device as "unknown."

Any other thoughts or ideas?

 

[Tom Lake]

Problem: In Device Manager, under the Network group is an "unknown device"
recognized and disabled by Vista, but I know of no physical device that
might
correspond to this entry. If it's enabled, Vista can't find drivers for
it,
won't further identify what it might be, and immediately restores the
"unknown device" if it's uninstalled or deleted. The system multi-boots
and
Windows XP Pro does not detect any such "unknown" device.

I usually have good luck with this utility:

http://www.zhangduo.com/unknowndeviceidentifier.html

Tom Lake

 

[Daniel]

Tom --

Thanks for the help. Unfortunately, it looks like UnknownDeviceIdentifier
doesn't yet support Windows Vista, only Win95 through Win2003. Executing its
"Detect" (F2) from Vista returns an error stating "Cannot create file:
G:\Windows\system32\msvcp7c.dll." Nothing in its "help" file about this
problem, and the website says that support requires a paid upgrade to his
MyDrivers program. Since unknown devices have been a recurring problem in
all versions of Windows since 95, it would seem that this is an issue with
the OS that Microsoft should fix, or at least improve.

-- Daniel

 

[CMShepard]

I have usually found that this situation is caused by not installing a
utility from the CD for the motherboard.
I know this sounds crazy, but an example is from ASUS, and their Probe
program.

 

[Daniel]

CM -

That seems a reasonable thought, but none of the manufacturer's utilities
are written for Windows Vista, even a year after its launch. I have
re-checked all of the drivers, though, and they appear to be completely
up-to-date. And all of the known devices appear with appropriate drivers in
Device Manager.

-- Dan

 

[soren]

Probably the same trouble I had.
If you look in the Controlpanel > ProblemReporter, I guess
you´l see this ATK0110 ACPI UTILITY, reportet as a
device that needs a driver. If so, dont worry
( if you updated Vista after it was installed ), microsoft update
installed a driver for this utility, which is build into the
motherboard . You motherboard is probably an ASUS.
Unfurtunately, DiviceManager continues to show an
unknowned divice.
s

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

Not generally true. Once installed Device Manager does not usually show the
ACPI utility as an unknown device. What does often show as an unknown
device is a game port since the old style game ports are no longer supported
in Windows.

 

[soren]

Not generally true. Once installed Device Manager does not usually show
the ACPI utility as an unknown device. What does often show as an unknown
device is a game port since the old style game ports are no longer
supported in Windows.

Then I still have an unsolved problem as Daniel.
After installing I had 2 unknown devices, one of these
was the game port, which I disabled. I tried several times
to load a driver from the update service to the other
unknowned device. But the service kept telling me,
that the ACPI utility was installed. The update found a driver
to the S/PDIF. This driver was automatically removed as I
loaded a HD-driver from the Asus Vista support. So,
the S/PDIF could be the unknowned. -I dont know!.
Strange, if the microsoft update service referes to the ACPI
if it´s the S/PDIF.
I´m about to change this P5LD2 SE motherboard to a
Vista compatible and reinstall Vista.
Thanks for the correction.
s

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

You're welcome.

Not generally true. Once installed Device Manager does not usually show
the ACPI utility as an unknown device. What does often show as an
unknown device is a game port since the old style game ports are no
longer supported in Windows.

Then I still have an unsolved problem as Daniel.
After installing I had 2 unknown devices, one of these
was the game port, which I disabled. I tried several times
to load a driver from the update service to the other
unknowned device. But the service kept telling me,
that the ACPI utility was installed. The update found a driver
to the S/PDIF. This driver was automatically removed as I
loaded a HD-driver from the Asus Vista support. So,
the S/PDIF could be the unknowned. -I dont know!.
Strange, if the microsoft update service referes to the ACPI
if it´s the S/PDIF.
I´m about to change this P5LD2 SE motherboard to a
Vista compatible and reinstall Vista.
Thanks for the correction.
s

 

[Daniel]

Colin & Soren --

The ACPI device should not appear in the Network group where my "unknown
device" is, and the ACPI device (there are actually three "devices"
associated with ACPI) appear correctly in the System group. The "unknown
device" in my system appears in the Network group (NOT in an "other" group),
and has the same Device GUID as the motherboard's built-in 10/100 device, and
the 10Base-2 PCI card (but obviously a slightly different Device ID -- the
four-digit number that follows the GUID in the Device key).

On the game port, that device would appear in the group with the Sound
devices if identified (or possibly in the "other" group if unidentified), but
should not appear in the Network group, and would not be given a Network GUID
entry. That's all just a bit academic anyway, as this system does not have
any game port at all (most newer motherboards don't).

For what it's worth, this MSI (Microstar -- NOT ASUS) motherboard was given
to me by a friend who lost the original installation CD -- which would have
pre-dated the release of Windows Vista. Happily, all of the needed drivers
were available and updated from the manufacturer's website. Windows Update
has also updated a couple of drivers -- notably the onboard NIC and the
board's sound drivers. And all of the devices appear to be properly
accounted for in Device Manager, have drivers, and are working properly --
except this Unknown Device under the Network group.

-- Dan

 

[Colin Barnhorst]

It might be an nVidia firewall supported on some mobos. It used to be a
problem.

Colin & Soren --

The ACPI device should not appear in the Network group where my "unknown
device" is, and the ACPI device (there are actually three "devices"
associated with ACPI) appear correctly in the System group. The "unknown
device" in my system appears in the Network group (NOT in an "other"
group),
and has the same Device GUID as the motherboard's built-in 10/100 device,
and
the 10Base-2 PCI card (but obviously a slightly different Device ID -- the
four-digit number that follows the GUID in the Device key).

On the game port, that device would appear in the group with the Sound
devices if identified (or possibly in the "other" group if unidentified),
but
should not appear in the Network group, and would not be given a Network
GUID
entry. That's all just a bit academic anyway, as this system does not
have
any game port at all (most newer motherboards don't).

For what it's worth, this MSI (Microstar -- NOT ASUS) motherboard was
given
to me by a friend who lost the original installation CD -- which would
have
pre-dated the release of Windows Vista. Happily, all of the needed
drivers
were available and updated from the manufacturer's website. Windows
Update
has also updated a couple of drivers -- notably the onboard NIC and the
board's sound drivers. And all of the devices appear to be properly
accounted for in Device Manager, have drivers, and are working properly --
except this Unknown Device under the Network group.

-- Dan

 

[Daniel]

Colin --

The MSI MS-7211 motherboard (a/k/a their PM8M3-V) uses VIA P4M800 and
VT8237R chipsets. The onboard video is an "S3 Graphics Unichrome Pro", which
has been disabled in favor of an ATi Radeon 9550 256MB AGP video card (which
supports the Vista Aero graphics). This system has no nVidia chipset
anywhere.

-- Dan
-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

 

[John]

If you delete the device and then restart Vista, do you get the new hardware
found popup? Any indications in this popup?

 

[Daniel]

John --

If the device is deleted (or uninstalled, in Vista's Device Manager's
language), it reappears immediately. When I first saw this "unknown device,"
Vista had already disabled it. Enabling it produced the "New Hardware Found"
dialogs, which gave no clue whatsoever as to what it might be. When enabled,
reboots continued to produce the "New Hardware" dialogs, but could not find a
driver, and it offered no further identifying info. "Unknown devices" have
been a recurring problem with all versions of Windows since 95, and Vista
seems little if any better, offering no clues as to what the device might be,
other than placing it in Device Manager's "Network" group.

-- Dan
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