If you have broken hardware in your computer and don’t know what it is or who made it, you can use the device’s Hardware ID to figure out what it is and who made it. Even if a piece of hardware on your computer isn’t working, you can use the Hardware ID to find out who made it and what model it is. The Hardware ID is a unique number that is given to every piece of hardware that you add to your system or that is already there. They can also help you find the right driver for your hardware and download it. In this article we will try to teach you how to Check Hardware IDs of Devices on Windows 11.
Every piece of hardware inside and connected to a personal computer has its own unique identifier. This lets the operating system know what the device is and install the software it needs. This usually means that a driver for the hardware has been installed in Windows. To find a driver for a piece of hardware, you can look at its hardware ID. The hardware identifier is made up of the bus type, the manufacturer of the hardware, and the identifier of the device.
In some cases, extra sub-system identifiers and revision information are added so that different versions of a device can be told apart. So, if you want to find a driver for a piece of hardware, it is helpful to know its hardware id. This can help you find a device driver and tell you who made the device. Below we have mention the steps to know Hardware IDs of Devices on Windows PC.
2 Ways to Check Hardware IDs of Devices on Windows 11
Using Device Manager
- Open Windows device manager.
- Open up the device category for the device you want to look up.
- Select Properties by right-clicking on the device.
- device-manager-graphics-properties
- Go to the tab for Details.
- Under Property, click the drop-down menu and choose Hardware Ids.
- The Hardware ID will show up under Value.
Command Prompt
- Enter the following command to list out your devices:
Dism /Online /Get-Drivers /all /Format:Table
- You can get a general idea of your driver by looking at the class name. It will list all the possible drivers. To only list the ones you need, add | findstr “search string” to the command.
- Dism /Online /Get-Drivers /all /Format:Table | findstr “usb” is one example.
- The command doesn’t show the general names, only the Original and Published names. Write the Published Name down or copy it.
- Then, type Dism /Online /Get-DriverInfo /Driver:Published Name>.
- This command shows information about all the devices in the category, not just the ones that are currently connected to your PC. So, carefully look for your device by looking at the Description column.
- Once you know what device it is, you can look at its Hardware ID value.
What is Hardware ID
Windows uses hardware identification as a security measure when it is first turned on. When an operating system is installed for the first time, it makes a string called a Hardware Identifier (HWID). This identifier is sent to Microsoft and shows all the hardware devices that are connected to the host computer. Every 10 days and every time the computer is turned off and on again, a new HWID is made. This HWID is then compared to the one made at the time of installation. If both IDs are close to each other, the operating system thinks it is running on the same device. If not, Microsoft needs to activate the operating system.
The problem with this method is that when a user changes parts like RAM, graphics cards, and sound cards, the next reboot will give a very different HWID. This can stop the operating system from working, and the user will have to call Microsoft’s customer service to tell them about the changes they made. A string that identifies a machine or device in a consistent and unique way. Hardware IDs are usually made up of things like computed fingerprints, MAC addresses, CPU serial numbers, and identifiers for hardware dongles. Most software licences are tied to a particular Hardware ID.
Final Words
We hope you like our article on methods to Check Hardware IDs of Devices on Windows 11 will help your and resolve all your problems. Hardware IDs are names for all of the hardware devices on your PC or connected to it. They give each of these devices a unique name. It makes it easy for the operating system to find the device and install the software that goes with it.
The Hardware ID has the device ID, the type of bus, and the name of the company that made the hardware. Since there may be more than one version of a device in some cases, you may also find sub-system identifiers and revision information along with the usual hardware identifier. If you want to know how to Check Hardware IDs of Devices on Windows PC then follow the steps mentioned above.
I hope you understand this article, How to Check Hardware IDs of Devices on Windows 11.
