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Many people want to know more about how to Fix ‘Error Code 22: This Device Is Disabled’ issue. Getting the Windows 11/10 message “This device is disabled”? Can’t your system find a device that’s already there or that you just connected? Well, it means that the drivers for the gadget are either out of date or not there. In technical terms, this mistake is also known as the “Code 22” error.
So, what can you do to fix this? Don’t be afraid. When you add a USB or wireless device to your computer, Windows installs the driver that works with it. A device driver is a piece of software that lets the hardware talk to the operating system. It helps the computer’s operating system figure out what kind of device is connected to it so that the device works as expected. If the drivers for a USB or wireless device get damaged or turned off by accident, the device won’t work right. If you want to know more information about this Visit Official Microsoft Website for further Support.
In this case, you can look at the state of the device in Device Manager. For a device to work well, a driver that is made just for it must be installed on the machine. So, whenever the system finds an exterior or internal piece of hardware, it tries to find a driver for that piece of hardware. This is also true for Bluetooth devices that link wirelessly. We mentioned below are the ways to Fix ‘Error Code 22: This Device Is Disabled’ issue.
Causes of ‘Error Code 22: This Device Is Disabled’ issue
- The device is disabled: By far, the most common reason you will see this mistake is because the device you are looking into has been turned off, either by a user or by an app that optimizes resources. In this case, you should be able to re-enable the device by going to Device Manager.
- The device driver is deprecated: Sometimes you’ll see this error because Windows knows that the driver for this device is deprecated and stops it from working. In this case, you can get around this rule by changing the driver to the most recent version.
- Common gadget glitch: It’s also possible that the problem you’re having is a common one that Microsoft already knows about. In this case, you can fix the problem by running the appropriate built-in troubleshooter and making the fix it suggests.
- 3rd party conflict: If you’re having this problem with webcam services, microphones, or other devices that need special rights, you may have a conflict between a 3rd party driver and the one that Microsoft tries to use by default. In this case, you can use System Restore to go back in time to a time when this problem wasn’t happening.
- Bad data stored by the CMOS battery or memory chip: Some people who have had this problem say that cache data can also cause it, especially if you’re using a desktop computer and getting this error. If this happens to you, try clearing the CMOS battery or memory chip so that bad data doesn’t stay on the computer between starts.
Common Devices Affected by Error Code 22
- Error Code 22: can happen with a graphics card if there are problems with the drivers or if the card itself is broken.
- Network Adapter: Error Code 22 can be caused by a driver for the network adapter that is broken or out of date. This can make it hard to join to the network.
- USB Devices: Error Code 22 can happen with USB devices like external hard drives, printers, and scanners if there are driver conflicts or if the devices are not identified correctly.
- Sound Card: Error Code 22 can be caused by problems with the drivers for the sound card or by issues with other devices. This can cause audio problems or no sound to come out of the computer.
- CD/DVD Drive: Error Code 22 can happen if the CD/DVD drive’s files are missing or broken, which stops the drive from working properly.
- Error Code 22 can happen with a number of PCI cards: like wireless adapters, RAID controllers, and expansion cards, if the drivers are not suitable or are out of date.
Ways to Fix ‘Error Code 22: This Device Is Disabled’ issue
Update the Device Driver
A deprecated driver that Windows won’t use is common thing that can cause this problem. In this case, you can fix the problem by causing the Device Manager utility to update the current driver to the latest version that your Windows version can handle. If you can’t fix the “This device is disabled” (Code 22) error by re-enabling the service, try updating the driver and see if the problem goes away by itself. If this sounds like your situation, take the steps below to update the driver for the problem device through Device Manager:

- Press the Windows key and the letter R to bring up the Run box.
- Type “devmgmt.msc” into the text box and press Enter to open Device Manager.
- Scroll down through the list of devices in Device Manager and right-click on the one that is giving you this problem.
- Click Properties on the menu that just popped up when you right-clicked.
- Once you’re in the Properties screen, use the menu at the top to select the Driver tab, then click the Update Driver button.
- Click Search instantly for updated driver software when you get to the next screen.
- After you do this, wait until the first scan is done.
- If a better version of the driver is found, follow the on-screen instructions to install it on your computer.
- Restart your computer and check to see if the problem is fixed when it starts up again.
Using System Restore
If none of the above solutions worked, it’s possible that a recent change or a disagreement between a third-party service and a native equivalent is messing with the device’s state and causing the “This device is disabled” (Code 22) message. If you find yourself in this position, one way to fix the problem is to use System Restore to bring your computer back to a time when the conflict wasn’t happening.
- Press the Windows key and the letter R to bring up the Run box.
- Type ‘rstrui.exe’ into the text box and press Enter to open the System Restore tool.
- In the first screen of System Restore, click Next.
- Choose Choose a different restore point.
- Check the box next to “Show more restore points” on the next screen.
- Choose a Restore Snapshot that was made before the 22 error code showed up.
- Click on Next once the right picture is turned on.
- At the last screen of System Restore, click Finish.
- Wait for the tool to use the older restore snapshots.
- Once the older state is enforced, check the device’s status.
- If the “This device is disabled” (Code 22) error is still happening, move on to the next way.
Enabling the Service inside Device Manager
The most clear way to fix this problem is to just use Device Manager to turn the device back on. It might seem like this is the only way to fix the “This device is disabled” (Code 22) problem, but it’s not. Keep in mind that this will only work if the gadget was turned off by the user or by an optimization app. If this is the case, you can fix the problem by going to Device Manager and using the General tab to turn on the device. To do this, follow the steps below:
- Press the Windows key and the letter R to bring up the Run box.
- Type “devmgmt.msc” into the text box and press Enter to open Device Manager.
- Scroll down the list of devices in Device Manager to find the one causing the “This device is disabled” (Code 22) error.
- Right-click on the device and select Properties from the menu.
- In the Properties screen, click on the General tab.
- Under the Device Status box, click on the Enable Device button.
- Click the Next button on the Troubleshooting Wizard.
- Wait for the device to be turned on.
- Restart your computer and wait until it’s done.
- Check the state of the device again after your computer has started up to see if the problem has been fixed.
Clearing the CMOS Battery / Memory Chip
Several users who have had this problem have reported that it can also be caused by cached data that is being kept by the CMOS battery or memory chip in the device that isn’t working. In this case, you can also try briefly removing the CMOS (Complementary Metal-Oxide Semiconductor) battery or memory chip (depending on the situation) to clear any data that might be causing the “This device is disabled” (Code 22) message.
- Turn off your computer and unplug it from the power source it is currently plugged into.
- Put on a static wrist band to ground yourself to the computer’s frame and stop static electricity from accidentally damaging your PC’s parts.
- Take off the cover on the side of your computer to see the motherboard. Once you find it, you can take out the CMOS battery or memory chip (depending on the case) with your fingernail or another screwdriver that doesn’t carry electricity.
- Once you get the battery out, you should wait a full minute before putting it back in.
- Put the back cover back on, reconnect your computer to power, turn it on, and let it boot normally.
- After the startup process is done, check to see if the device’s state has changed to “Enabled.”
Running the applicable Troubleshooter
If none of the above methods worked for you, it’s possible that the device you’re trying to fix is stuck in a state where it’s neither turned off nor turned on. Microsoft has a lot of automatic fixes for this problem that can be used through the Troubleshooters in your OS. If this way works for you, you might be able to fix the “This device is disabled” (Code 22) error by running the built-in Troubleshooter for the device that’s giving you trouble.
- Press the Windows key and the letter R to bring up the Run box.
- Type “control” into the text box and press Enter to open the Classic Control Panel interface.
- In the Control Panel, use the search box in the upper right area to look for “troubleshooter.”
- Click on Troubleshooting from the list of results.
- In the Troubleshooting tab, click on the subheading that matches the device you’re having trouble with. Click on Hardware and Sound and then on the troubleshooter that fixes problems with the device in question.
- Find the right troubleshooter and click on the link for “Advanced.”
- Check the box next to “Apply repairs automatically.”
- Click Next to start the first check.
- Wait while the troubleshooter tries to figure out what the problem is.
- If a fix that could work is found, you will be asked to use it. Click on Apply this fix and wait for it to take effect. Note that you might have to take some steps by hand to make it work, depending on the fix you need to deploy.
- Start your computer up again and check to see if the problem is fixed.
Questions and Answers
One of the error numbers for Device Manager is “Code 22.” It’s made when a piece of hardware is turned off in Device Manager. Most of the time, it means that the device was turned off by hand, but it could also mean that Windows had to turn off the device because it ran out of system resources.
You can also get driver error code 22 if your graphics driver is broken or out of date. You can update your graphics driver in two ways: by hand or automatically. Manual driver update: You can manually update your graphics driver by going to the manufacturer’s website and looking for the most recent correct driver.
Most of the time, these Chrome Error 22 problems are caused by a broken file linked to Google Chrome or by the file being removed by accident or on purpose. Most of the time, replacing a file is the best and fastest way to fix errors with Google Inc. files.