PC Forums

Many times after you install a new device, the Device Manager tells you there's a problem. Sometimes, it may not show the new device at all. In that case, your first step should be to verify that you inserted the device properly and that the device has power, if it needs it. Next, run the Add/Remove hardware wizard and see if Windows recognizes the device. If the Device Manager still doesn't recognize the device, you have one of two problems:

1. The device is physically damaged and you will have to replace it, or
2. The device driver is incorrect or has a problem.

The Device Manager rarely fails to see a device. more commonly, device problems manifest themselves in the Device Manager via error symbols: a black !, a red X, a blue I, or a green ? or yellow ?.

A black "!" on a yellow circle indicates that a device is missing, that Windows does not recognize the device, or that there's some sort of device driver problem. The device may still work with this error.

A red "X" indicates a disabled device. This usually points to a system resource conflict or a damaged device. The device will not work with this error. You should have a professional computer technician to fix it.

A blue "I" on a white field indicates a PnP device for which someone has configured the system resources manually. This symbol merely provides information and does not indicate an error.

A green "?" indicates that Windows does not have the correct driver, but has successfully installed a compatible driver. The device will work but may not perform certain functions. This error symbol appears only in Windows ME.

A yellow "?" means that Windows sees that the device has been installed, but the correct driver isn't installed. The yellow "?" is usually accompanied by a black "!" symbol. This error often appears when something goes wrong during the driver installation.

I think this is useful for users who wants to hide or not to display the name of a program in Add/Remove Programs. One advantage is to avoid users to uninstall programs. This is for malilikot na mga kamay. I always advice my friends and aquiantances that if they want to avoid users from uninstalling programs then remove the program from the list in the Start Menu as well as in Add/Remove Programs. In this way, we are preventing them to uninstall programs.

Here’s how to hide a program from “Add/Remove Programs”:
1. Start > Run > Type “regedit”
2. Navigate this path below:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall
3. Click the folder of a program that you want to remove from the “Add/Remove Programs” list.
4. Find the “DisplayName” and modify and erase the Value Data.
5. Click OK.

That’s it!