"Ghost" devices

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  1. Posts : 20
    Windows 10 Pro
       #1

    "Ghost" devices


    EDIT to save you time:
    This thread has some useful tools to help rid your computer of old driver packages and ghost devices.
    Turns out my issue was a registry problem, that was resolved on the 2nd page.




    ORIGINAL POST:
    Hey guys,

    I have this problem where a previously used device (a long time ago) keeps showing up under devices on My PC, but without being shown in Device Manager nor under Devices and Printers.

    Any tips on how to remove this?

    I've used the "show hidden devices" in Device Manager to see if it would show up but it doesn't.

    Any help appreciated. Thanks.


    The "nexus 7" device may be leftover from my old Windows 7 install. I've deleted the old Windows installation.

    "Ghost" devices-image.jpg
    Last edited by ajtronic; 04 Jan 2016 at 16:48.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 13,898
    Win10 Version 22H2 Pro and Home, Win11 Pro and Home
       #2

    ajtronic said:
    Hey guys,

    I have this problem where a previously used device keeps showing up under devices on My PC, but without being shown in Device Manager nor under Devices and Printers.

    Any tips on how to remove this?

    I've used the "show hidden devices" in Device Manager to see if it would show up but it doesn't.

    Any help appreciated. Thanks.


    http://s12.postimg.org/rdeerzq31/image.jpg
    The "nexus 7" device may be leftover from my old Windows 7 install. I've deleted the old Windows installation.
    I see that now and then when I take one of my Notebooks to another location, just today I had one in our church and it picked up and started to install a networked Ricoh Printer/Copier so I canceled it. After I returned home I just deleted the device in Control Panel, Device and Printers.
      My Computers


  3. Posts : 20
    Windows 10 Pro
    Thread Starter
       #3

    The unwanted device that shows up on my PC is constant, I believe I installed it via Bluetooth to share files back and forth.
    I haven't used it in about a year, but I just now got motivated to remove it if possible.

    This Nexus 7 device doesn't show up in Device Manager nor Devices and Printers.
    Pretty annoying.
    Last edited by ajtronic; 31 Dec 2015 at 23:54. Reason: Elaborating
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 13,898
    Win10 Version 22H2 Pro and Home, Win11 Pro and Home
       #4

    ajtronic said:
    The unwanted device that shows up on my PC is constant, I believe I installed it via Bluetooth to share files back and forth.
    I haven't used it in about a year, but I just now got motivated to remove it if possible.

    This Nexus 7 device doesn't show up in Device Manager nor Devices and Printers.
    Pretty annoying.
    It may work to turn your Bluetooth off then try again. Or it may be necessary to uninstall your Bluetooth drivers then install them again.
      My Computers


  5. Posts : 20
    Windows 10 Pro
    Thread Starter
       #5

    I'll try to uninstall the bluetooth adapter and see what happens.

    EDIT: that did nothing, the ghost device still remains even when the bluetooth adapter is uninstalled and also when it is disabled.
    Last edited by ajtronic; 01 Jan 2016 at 01:37.
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 20
    Windows 10 Pro
    Thread Starter
       #6

    I found the device in the registry under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{ca4fe134-f2ae-4594-b009-08cb336539be}

    If I delete the registry GUID subkey it deletes the "Nexus 7" from showing up under My PC, but it is replaced by an empty sheet of paper icon.

    It seems to be a registry issue. It would be nice to get rid of it completely.

    "Ghost" devices-img_1439.jpg

    I obviously made a backup of my registry before editing in case something happens.
    Last edited by ajtronic; 01 Jan 2016 at 02:06.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 138
    Windows 10 Pro - 15063 / 7 Pro
       #7

    Clearly seems to be a registry bug, and I wouldn't suggest combing through the registry unless you really know what you're doing...

    This may be extremely incorrect, and I apologize in advance, but have you tried turning off Show Hidden Folders?
      My Computers


  8. Posts : 2,799
    Linux Mint 20.1 Win10Prox64
       #8

    Normally the device is listed under: Device Manager->Portable Devices. Did you check there ???
    Download DriverStore Explorer [RAPR]. Unzip and right click to run as Admin->Enumerate.
    Go thru the list to see if the driver is there. Put a check mark to select, put a check mark on Force Deletion then click Delete Package

    EDIT:
    While in this program, if your current Windows is running good. You can also delete all the old drivers such as NVIDIA etc... to free up some space.

    "Ghost" devices-.jpg
    Last edited by topgundcp; 01 Jan 2016 at 12:49.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 20
    Windows 10 Pro
    Thread Starter
       #9

    topgundcp said:
    Normally the device is listed under: Device Manager->Portable Devices. Did you check there ???
    Download DriverStore Explorer [RAPR]. Unzip and right click to run as Admin->Enumerate.
    Go thru the list to see if the driver is there. Put a check mark to select, put a check mark on Force Deletion then click Delete Package

    EDIT:
    While in this program, if your current Windows is running good. You can also delete all the old drivers such as NVIDIA etc... to free up some space.

    "Ghost" devices-.jpg
    Thanks for that application. I like cleaning out old stuff.
    I used it, as deleted a lot of old driver packages.

    As for the problem at hand, I did not find the "Nexus 7" device under Device Manager->Portable Devices in device manager.
    This is still a mystery.
      My Computer


  10. Posts : 20
    Windows 10 Pro
    Thread Starter
       #10

    Michaelvas17 said:
    Clearly seems to be a registry bug, and I wouldn't suggest combing through the registry unless you really know what you're doing...

    This may be extremely incorrect, and I apologize in advance, but have you tried turning off Show Hidden Folders?
    The "ghost" device is not hidden, so toggling that is not a all useful.
    Categorize this under "annoying Windows stuff" haha
      My Computer


 

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