How to Find and Install Drivers for Unknown Devices Using Hardware ID

Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 - How to Find and Install Drivers for Unknown Devices Using Hardware ID. Unknown devices show up in the Windows Device Manager when Windows can’t identify a piece of hardware and provide a driver for it. An unknown device isn’t just unknown — it’s not functioning until you install the right driver. Windows can identify most devices and download drivers for them automatically. When this process fails — or if you disable automatic driver downloads — you’ll have to identify the device and hunt the driver down on your own.