When you encounter the "Windows cannot initialize the device driver for this hardware. (Code 37)" error, it is usually because the driver file is corrupt, missing, or incompatible with the system. The solution is as follows: 1. Reinstall or update the driver, uninstall the device through the Device Manager and check delete driver software, then scan and detect hardware changes, or manually download the latest driver installation; 2. Use the commands sfc /scannow and DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth to check and repair system file integrity; 3. Roll back the driver or disable the latest update. If the problem occurs after the update, you can roll back the driver in the Device Manager or temporarily disable the update; 4. Clear the driver cache or use special tools such as Driver Store Explorer, DSEO, etc. to clean the old driver package or reset the driver. In most cases, the problem can be solved by gradually troubleshooting starting from updating/reinstalling the driver.

The error "Windows cannot initialize the device driver for this hardware. (Code 37)" usually means that the system cannot load the driver for a hardware device. This problem is common in devices such as sound cards, graphics cards, USB controllers, etc., especially when updating the system or drivers, it is more likely to trigger. The main reasons are usually corrupted, missing, or incompatible with the system.

Here are some common troubleshooting and solutions that you can try step by step:

1. Reinstall or update the driver

This is the most direct and most commonly used method. In many cases, the problem is simply because the current driver is corrupted or the version is incompatible.

• Open Device Manager (you can search in the Start menu)
• Find the device that reports an error (usually there will be a yellow exclamation mark)
• Right-click to select "Uninstall Device" and check "Delete Driver Software for this Device" (if this option is available)
• After the uninstallation is complete, click "Operation" > "Scan to detect hardware changes" to let the system reinstall the driver

If the drivers that come with the system are still not good, it is recommended to go to the official website of the device to download the latest version and install it manually.

2. Check the integrity of the system file

Sometimes system files are corrupted and drivers can fail to load, especially after forced shutdown, system update interruption, etc.

You can repair system files by following the following command:

 sfc /scannow

If this command does not find any problem, you can also run:

 DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

These two commands can help you fix the underlying problems of the system and may solve the Code 37 error by the way.

3. Roll back the driver or disable recent updates

If you only encounter this problem after a system update or driver update, you can consider rolling back the driver.

• Right-clicking a device with a problem in Device Manager
• Select "Properties"
• Switch to the Driver tab
• Click "Rolling Driver" (provided that the old version has been installed before)

If there is no rollback option, you can also try temporarily disabling the recent Windows updates to see if they can restore normalcy.

4. Clear the driver cache or use special tools

Windows sometimes retains old driver caches, causing conflicts. You can try to manually clear these caches:

• Use a tool like Driver Store Explorer to view and clean old driver packages
• Or use tools like DSEO (Driver Signing Enforcement Overrider) to manually add and remove drivers

In addition, some brand computers (such as Dell and HP) also have their own driver management tools, which can be used to reset related drivers.

Basically these are the methods. In most cases, start with the simplest update/reinstallation of the driver, and then gradually troubleshoot system-level problems. Although this error looks scary, it is generally not caused by hardware damage. Patiently trying several methods can basically solve it.

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