Configuring Devices

Immediately after finishing an installation of Windows 2000, or any operating system for that matter, check to make sure devices are recognized and properly configured. Although Windows 2000 Setup generally does a good job of detecting and configuring, Setup isn't able to resolve resource conflicts or overcome a lack of drivers. You'll also need to enable devices, such as an uninterruptible power supply (UPS), that were disconnected or disabled before starting the installation.

Microsoft Windows NT 4 isn't the best operating system for finding and troubleshooting device problems because it lacks Plug and Play (PnP) functions and supports a somewhat limited hardware base. In contrast, Windows 2000 handles these issues well, integrating PnP support along with a more centralized method of managing hardware devices, using Device Manager and the Add/Remove Hardware Wizard, and generally improving device driver support. Check the list of devices in Device Manager for conflicts and for devices that weren't installed during setup, and then use the Add/Remove Hardware Wizard to make the necessary changes. You can use Device Manager if you prefer a more hands-on approach.

Using the Add/Remove Hardware Wizard

Although you can use Device Manager instead of the Add/Remove Hardware Wizard to handle most of the wizard's functions, you do need to use the Add/Remove Hardware Wizard to add a device that Windows 2000 can't recognize or to unplug or eject a device.

Removing and Adding a Device

To remove a device, select the Uninstall/Unplug A Device option in the Add/Remove Hardware Wizard, and then use the screens that follow either to temporarily unplug a hot-pluggable device or to permanently uninstall a device from your system. You can always add the device back later by using this same wizard or by using autodetection of PnP devices in Windows 2000.

To add a device to your system, make sure the device is physically connected and, if appropriate, turned on. Then double-click the Add/Remove Hardware icon in Control Panel, and when the Welcome screen appears, click Next to begin the wizard.

Select the Add/Troubleshoot A Device option, shown in Figure 6-1, and then click Next. Windows 2000 scans your system for PnP hardware and displays a list of detected hardware. If new PnP hardware is detected, Windows 2000 installs drivers, if it can locate them, and displays a list of devices that it installed. Click Finish to end the installation process.

Figure 6-1. The Choose A Hardware Task screen of the Add/Remove Hardware Wizard.

Troubleshooting a Device

If, after you add a device, Windows 2000 doesn't detect it or detects it incorrectly, you can troubleshoot the problem using the Add/Remove Hardware Wizard. When no new devices are found, Windows 2000 displays all the devices on your system—listing any disabled devices or devices with problems first (Figure 6-2).

Figure 6-2. The Choose A Hardware Device screen of the Add/Remove Hardware Wizard.

When troubleshooting a problem device, select the device from the list, and then click Next to see the status of the device and to start a troubleshooter. To add a device that Windows 2000 couldn't detect, select Add A New Device from the list in the Choose A Hardware Device screen, and then follow these steps:

1. Choose whether you want Windows 2000 to search for your hardware or whether you want to select the device manually from a list.
2. Select from the list of devices detected, or select a type of hardware you want to install from the provided list, and click Next.
3. If you chose to select your device manually, select the manufacturer and device, or click Have Disk to supply your own drivers, and then click Next. Windows 2000 installs the drivers for your device and then displays a summary of its actions.
4. Click Finish to complete the wizard.

Using Device Manager

Device Manager is a central repository for device information in Windows 2000. If you've used Device Manager in Microsoft Windows 95/98, you'll be at home with the Windows 2000 Device Manager. Use it to view or print the configuration and drivers loaded for any device on your system as well as to disable, uninstall, or change the configuration for a device.

Opening Device Manager

You can access Device Manager in one of several ways. Perhaps the most useful way is to launch Computer Management (Compmgmt.msc) from the Administrative Tools folder on the Programs menu. Click the plus sign next to System Tools to expand the tree, and then click Device Manager.

You can also access Device Manager by opening the System tool in Control Panel. Click the Hardware tab and then click Device Manager. The Hardware tab also contains the Hardware Wizard and the Driver Signing tool that you can use to specify whether you want to permit the use of unsigned device drivers.

To use the Computer Management snap-in to remotely administer another computer running Windows 2000, select Computer Management in the console tree, and then choose Connect To Another Computer from the Action menu. Select the computer you want to manage, click OK, and you're there.

Working with Device Manager

After opening Device Manager, you'll see a list of all the devices that Windows 2000 has detected on your system (Figure 6-3). Any nonfunctioning devices are displayed with an exclamation point, indicating that a problem exists with the device; disabled devices are displayed with a small red "x" over the icon.

Figure 6-3. The Device Manager snap-in.

On the far right side of the toolbar, icons are available according to the device you've selected. In Figure 6-3, they are the following buttons (reading from left to right):

• Scan For Hardware Changes Click this button to tell the system to look for changes in hardware. Use this button after adding new PnP devices or after swapping hardware.
• Disable/Enable Select a device and click this button to disable it or enable it, depending on its current status. When a device is disabled, its resources are freed and its drivers remain but are not loaded during startup. Take care not to disable something you need to start the machine.
• Uninstall Select a device and click this button to uninstall it. This should only be necessary for non-PnP devices. You can uninstall a PnP device by simply removing it from the computer. Uninstalling a device doesn't remove its drivers from the hard disk.

To change the Device Manager display, choose a setting from the View menu (see Table 6-1). Use the different view settings for Device Manager to organize your system's devices in a way that makes it easy to find the information you need.

Table 6-1. View settings

Setting	Description
Devices By Type	Shows devices categorized by device type; usually the most useful view (also the default)
Devices By Connection	Shows all devices in relation to how they're connected to other devices
Resources By Type	Shows all system resources, organized by type of resource
Resources By Connection	Shows all system resources, organized and grouped by the device to which they're connected
Show Hidden Devices	Includes devices that are not PnP plus devices that might have been physically removed but still have their drivers installed

Working with Device Properties

To display a device's properties (Figure 6-4), select the device, and then click the Properties toolbar button or double-click the device. In the Device Properties dialog box, there might be several tabs. You can view the status and configuration information, as well as the device manufacturer, device type, and location, in the upper portion of the General tab.

The device name shown in Device Manager is the name of the driver that Windows 2000 is using for the device and can actually be incorrect if the wrong driver is loaded for the device.

The Device Status box in the middle of the General tab displays the status of the device, including any errors. If the device has any problems, the Device Status box briefly describes the problem, and usually it also describes the appropriate course of action to correct the problem. Click Troubleshooter to use the built-in mechanisms for detecting the nature of the problem.

Figure 6-4. The General tab of the Device Properties dialog box.

More Info

If you need additional information about a message displayed in the Device Status box, check Microsoft support at http://support.microsoft.com.

Other tabs include the Driver tab, which displays the details of the driver being used. This tab also lets you update or uninstall the driver. The Resources tab displays the hardware resources being used. This tab allows you to see and resolve any conflicts caused by non-PnP devices. Along with these tabs, some devices have additional advanced settings or tabs for device-specific settings.

Device Manager works on remote computers in read-only mode. You can use Device Manager to diagnose problems, but you must make changes locally.

Troubleshooting Devices

Troubleshooting devices is not an exact science. Devices in Windows 2000 usually work with minimal installation headaches. If they don't, it's often difficult to make them work. With that said, here are some of the troubleshooting techniques we've learned from our many years of device-induced headaches:

• Open the properties for the device and see if the cause of the problem is listed in the General tab or the Resources tab. If there are any conflicts, remove or disable the conflicting device, or plug the device into a different slot (if possible).
• Select the device in Device Manager and click the Uninstall toolbar button. Click Scan For Changes and let Windows redetect the device. Hopefully it will install properly. You can also uninstall the device and then reboot Windows for a more thorough but time-consuming attempt.
• Try plugging external devices into a different port, or directly into the computer instead of through a hub. Only connect high-power, bus-powered Universal Serial Bus (USB) or Firewire devices such as scanners without external power supplies to self-powered hubs (hubs with external power supplies). To check the power consumption of USB devices, open the device properties for the USB hub and click the Power tab.
• If the problem is persistent, remove all unnecessary devices from the system and see if the device works. If not, you've got real problems (try the device in another system to see if it's faulty or if there is a conflict unique to your system). If the device works, add the removed devices back one by one until something doesn't work, and then assess the situation (you might need to leave some cards or devices unplugged).

If you disable something essential—like the mouse or keyboard—you can return to the previous hardware profile by rebooting. When the Loader menu appears, press F8, and choose Last Known Good Configuration. Then choose the version of Windows you have installed from the Loader menu and press Enter. This action enables the last good hardware profile.

More Info

For more in-depth troubleshooting advice, consult Windows Help, or perform a search on the Microsoft Knowledge Base, accessible from Help or from http://support.microsoft.com.