Windows Device Manager: Show hidden devices

To remove old driver bodies from your system, you can display hidden devices in the device manager. We explain how this works in this practical tip.

Show hidden devices under Windows

For old devices that do not support Plug & Play, you may have had to manually install drivers. If you want to get rid of these old drivers, you have to display the inactive drivers. It works like this:

• Press WINDOWS + R and type "devmgmt.msc" in the field. Confirm with Enter.
• The device manager opens. Click the "View" option at the top, then choose "Show Hidden Devices".
• Now the inactive devices appear grayed out in the tree structure. You can now delete the drivers concerned.

This practical tip shows you how to switch off unnecessary services under Windows 8.