▷ How to remove the message has changed the hardware configuration
Table of contents:
- Solution 1: Update Windows manually
- Solution 2: Reinstall drivers with device manager
- Install manufacturer's driver
- Devices with exclamation marks
- Solution 3: uninstall Windows updates
- Solution 4: Load BIOS factory settings
- Final solution: Restore the computer
After certain updates to the Microsoft operating system, we may get a window with the message " Hardware configuration has been changed." Worst of all, this message will repeat over and over again every time we boot our system and log in with our user. So today we will try to solve it by doing some procedures.
Index of contents
Generally this window of warning or, rather, of error, usually occurs when we have installed new hardware in the computer, either peripherals, or some expansion card and this is not working as it should be.
It is also very common for this message to be played over and over again when we have installed a major update to the system, for example a version change. We will propose a series of solutions based on the conditions in which we have received this message.
Solution 1: Update Windows manually
If, as we have said, this message appears after a major installation, we will have several options available. The first one will be to revert the changes and uninstall the update, but this procedure is risky without the update being one of the important ones. We do not recommend it.
Another possibility, which is the one we will use, is to check Windows Update again to look for new updates in the system or devices that allow us to restore a correct configuration. It is worth trying this, before going to the device manager.
So we are going to open our start menu and we are going to click on the cogwheel to access the configuration. Then we will click on " Update and security " and inside " Search for updates"
At this point, we will install everything that comes out here and we will see if the error is solved. Otherwise, we will go to the device manager.
Solution 2: Reinstall drivers with device manager
Well, this error also occurs after simultaneously updating the drivers of a device and the system itself. In this way they conflict and the result is this annoying message.
Normally, the most conflicting drivers tend to be, those of the graphics card, network card, printer, or other hardware that needs a manufacturer driver.
What we will do is right-click on the start menu to choose the " Device Manager " option. Now we must identify the component that we have installed recently or that we were updating. Let's take the example with a graphics card:
Click on " Display adapters " to open the tree, and right-click on it to choose " Uninstall the device ".
Our device will disappear from the list immediately, but now we are going to reinstall it by clicking on " Action -> Search for hardware changes ".
The graphics card will reappear and be installed with a standard driver.
We are going to perform this procedure with the driver that we suspect is causing problems.
Of course, after doing this, the device will be installed with a basic driver, if we want to extract all the possibilities from it, we will have to go to the manufacturer's page to download the official hardware drivers.
Install manufacturer's driver
If we do not know what device it is, what we could do is search the website of the manufacturer of our laptop / computer / hardware for the official drivers to download and install them.
As usual, we will have to know their brand and model, which we will also have in the device manager.
It is very possible that by reinstalling all the drivers to the latest available version, the error is solved correctly. The work of course will be tedious, but it is the best way.
Devices with exclamation marks
Related to the above, is the fact of finding in the device manager list some elements with the exclamation point. It may be one that we have recently installed and have detected that it is not working, or it may be another that we have no idea what it is.
In this case, we will go to the page of the manufacturer of our equipment, motherboard or hardware that we have installed, to also search for the latest drivers for this.
Solution 3: uninstall Windows updates
If the error continues to occur after this, which we see as unlikely, we will perform the procedure of uninstalling the latest update that would have been installed on our computer.
Visit this tutorial to uninstall a Windows 10 update or another Windows system
Solution 4: Load BIOS factory settings
It is possible, although unlikely, that the error that the system gives us " hardware configuration has been changed ", is due to a bad configuration in our BIOS. It may for example be due to some sudden power failure causing configuration damage to it.
Well, to access the BIOS, we will have to restart our computer, and as soon as we start we will repeatedly press the corresponding key to enter the configuration. We will identify this through the message " Pres
When we are inside the BIOS, we will look for an option that says " Load Default " or some similar message. We can also find this message next to an F key, usually F9.
After performing the procedure, we will restart our equipment and see if the message continues to appear, if so we will try to reinstall the drivers.
Final solution: Restore the computer
It is not uncommon that, after a major update, our Windows is touched for life, and one of the symptoms is precisely this. The best we could do is to completely restore the operating system so that all problems are fixed. Not surprisingly, this will be the last step to take.
Visit this tutorial to factory restore Windows 10 on our computer
We hope that with these solutions you have been able to eliminate the error "hardware configuration has been changed".
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Has your bug been fixed? If not, write us in the comments to try to find another method.
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