Windows 8 Device Manager

Hello,

Apparently the tweak used to show the super hidden devices in device manager for both Vista and 7 does not work with Win8 (or at least I have not been able to get it to work on my system). I have googled and binged but can find no answer. Does anyone know this tweak and are able to explain to me what I need to do (or I may be doing wrong) in order to get these super hidden devices to show in device manager?

 

Device manager in Win8 shows hidden devices when I click on Show hidden devices under View. You don't have that option?

 

I can get the regular hidden devices but cannot bring up the "non plug and play" devices which are super hidden. This is where you find drivers from softwares like security apps and often are remnants left behind from uninstalling sofwares. Most security softwares when uninstalled leave remnants there.

Here is the tweak that works for Vista and 7:

 

Hello,

Thanks for finding that and posting. IMHO not a smart thing since that is where you find most of the left behind driver bits, but at least now I know the tweak does not work ...

 

Interesting info, thank you! So I found Avast and ZoneAlarm files that are now gone. There are four files that start with asw. It's one of those things that is at the tip of your tongue but you just can't remember. Anyone have an idea what app that might have been? Thank you!

 

If the item is "greyed" out, it means it is not active and that can be an indicator that driver has been left behind. Your best bet to be sure is to google the item and see if it belongs to something you have uninstalled. Google works most of the time. Once you are sure you have uninstalled the software it belongs to, you can right click the item and uninstall. Just be sure you know what software it came from and that you did uninstall it.

 

Avast files start with the prefix asw (for Avast Software).

 

Thanks vlk! I thought I remembered asw relating to avast! but was not sure of it (I did not want to give bad advice). Since ratchet did not give the full file names, I could not do an accurate search for the files he was referring to. Thanks again!

 

Does devmgmt.msc work from a Run Box ? It did under Win XP | Win 7.

 

It is working here on my Win8Pro install. Is it not working for you?

 

Did a bit of a test with my Webroot on windows 8 pro to see if any driver was left behind like in windows 7 after uninstall of WSA.Typically in windows 7 after an uninstall of WSA and reboot a driver would still be running in the non plug and play driver in hidden devices.It's actual location would be in the system 32 driver folder.File name WRkrn.sys.IN windows 8 there is no way to expose that hidden list anymore,but at least in WSA's case,if you uninstall,rebbot,and migrate to the system 32 drivers folder,the file in question is not there.Nothing left behind.Don't know why this is,but it is what it is.Just a little tidbit,Don't know if it would pertain to other security software like it did with WSA,but it appears in windows 8,the uninstall process gets everything driver wise.Maybe we just don't need that non plug and play driver folder anymore.