Device Manager "This device cannot start (Code 10)": how to fix it

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Code 10 means Windows tried to start the device and one of its drivers failed the start request. Microsoft's recommended fix is to update the driver for that device, using the vendor's latest driver if Windows can't find one.

Applies to:Windows 10Windows 11

What it means

Code 10 is a status that Device Manager shows next to a device when it could not be started. Internally it is called CM_PROB_FAILED_START. Windows sets it when one of the drivers in the device's driver stack fails the request to start the device. A device can have several drivers stacked together, so the message doesn't tell you which one failed.

The text you see is usually "This device cannot start. Try upgrading the device drivers for this device. (Code 10)". Some devices show their own wording instead, because a driver can supply a custom failure message. So the exact text may differ from what is quoted here.

Code 10 is a general symptom, not one specific fault, and Microsoft's documentation gives one fix: update the driver. That is what the steps below cover.

Symptoms and causes

You are likely dealing with this problem if:

  • The device has a yellow exclamation mark in Device Manager.
  • Properties, on the General tab, shows "Device status: This device cannot start (Code 10)".
  • The device itself does not work.

The usual causes, most common first:

A driver in the stack failed to start the device
Microsoft describes the mechanism: one of the drivers for the device failed the start request. Its pages don't give a ranked list of reasons why, so the underlying cause depends on the device and driver.
A user-mode (UMDF) driver process ended
Microsoft's driver reference notes that if a UMDF driver's host process terminated, the problem status would read STATUS_DRIVER_PROCESS_TERMINATED. Fixing that is up to the driver's author.

How to fix it

Work through these in order. They start with the quickest, safest checks and move to deeper repairs; stop as soon as the problem is gone.

1.Update the driver in Device Manager

Easy

This is the fix Microsoft recommends for Code 10, since a driver in the stack is what failed.

  1. Right-click Start and open Device Manager.
  2. Double-click the device with the yellow exclamation mark.
  3. Open the Driver tab and click Update Driver.
  4. Follow the Hardware Update wizard.

2.Install the latest driver from the hardware maker

Easy

If the wizard asks you for a driver location, Microsoft says to use the latest driver from the hardware vendor's website.

  1. On the hardware maker's own website, find the device and download the latest driver for your version of Windows.
  2. In Device Manager, double-click the device, open the Driver tab and click Update Driver.
  3. When the wizard asks for a driver location, point it at the driver you downloaded and finish the wizard.

Check that it worked

  • The yellow exclamation mark is gone from the device in Device Manager.
  • The General tab of the device's Properties no longer shows Code 10 and the device works.

If it still fails

  • Code 10 is a generic start failure, and the driver comes from the device's maker, so the maker's support is the next place to ask.
  • Give them the exact device name, your Windows version and the full status text from the General tab.
  • If the device is an NVIDIA graphics card showing Code 43 instead, see NVIDIA GPU error Code 43.

Questions

Why does my Code 10 message look different from the standard one?

If the device has a FailReasonString value in its hardware registry key, Windows shows that text instead of the generic message. The driver or enumerator provides it, so wording varies by device and vendor.

Sources

  1. Error codes in Device Manager in WindowsOfficial · Microsoft Support
  2. CM_PROB_FAILED_START (Code 10)Official · Microsoft Learn

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