Help: Windows cannot load the device driver for this hardware; code 39.

[Spikey00]

I suddenly experienced this issue today, after having a normal run with a new video card.  It was completely fine until today, where it reports in the device manager that:

Windows cannot load the device driver for this hardware. The driver may be corrupted or missing. (Code 39)

I am completely puzzled, as I have:

- Had it working yesterday free of problems with CD-provided drivers,
- Attempted multiple installations of:
   a) CD-provided drivers,
   b) Latest nVidia driver,
   c) Latest tweak driver from Xtreme-G,
   d) Allow Windows Update to locate and install the drivers.
- Also attempted switching back to the old video card and using [different] drivers for that, but it returned code 39; this video card I had no such problems with.

Nothing has changed since the last reboot from yesterday, and the first noticeable problem was Aero was, and still is off and the resolution reset to 640p.  I am unable to run many games as the video card is automatically disabled "because it has a problem".  My video card is an ASUS 240 ENGT 512 DDR5, and the old one is a eVGA 9400 GT.  Yesterday was the first time using the card with this computer, and it was benchmarked with 3D Vantage/real time games.

I cannot do a rollback with the drivers, nor do I have no system restore points.  Everything else is fine apart, and I can still watch videos (assuming the CPU is handling it); I can also run games like Starcraft I, which I am assuming does not require DirectX.


I am out of ideas, so I am seeking external assistance for this issue--I appreciate any information you may be able to provide.

[quickstix]

It sounds like there might be some obscure file remnants left over causing the drivers to not load properly.

There's a free utility just for this called 'Driver Sweeper'. The program has a list of all files used by several different drivers (Nvidia, ATI, Realtek, Creative) and you can use it to scan for stuff that's left over when you uninstall.

http://www.phyxion.net/Products/Products/Driver-Sweeper

It's a good little program. Completely free and well maintained. I'm not sure if it will solve your problem, but it's worth a shot, especially since you are installing a new card and that's the time when stuff usually goes wrong.

[Spikey00]

I've tried driver sweeper, and it still refuses to recognize the drivers--this was done after a complete removal of all nVidia components ("NVIDIA Drivers", PhysX, and NVIDIA Control Panel); however, I still saw nVidia control panel in the control panel of the start menu; my steps were:

1) Uninstall using all uninstallers,
2) Safe mode using driver sweeper,
3) Reboot, again using driver sweeper,
4) Reboot, install drivers.

Nevertheless it still isn't working.  The control panel also continues to say, "You are not currently using a display attached to an NVIDIA GPU."


Looking rather hopeless at the moment.

EDIT:  I forgot to also include that my OS is Windows 7 x64.

[orzelek]

It's a bit of a long shot - but have you tried to re-seat your graphic card in a slot? Maybe something got a bit loose.
Also how long did you run with this new card - it's possible that there was some defect there that took some time to manifest (I know thats not the most optimistic part but I seen error like that only once and it was because graphic card in question was badly flashed by me.. but it was recoverable then).

[IRANianCha0s]

You tried getting the latest drivers from EVGA's website instead of NVIDIA's?

[Spikey00]

I have tried using the old graphic card (eVGA 9400GT) and using drivers for that, and it returns the same problem as the new card (ASUS 240GT).

Since the problem exists with the 9400GT now, I don't believe this is an issue with the new card--I've tried re-seating it a couple times.  I tested the 240GT for at least a couple hours with strenuous load.

EDIT:  Say, is there a way to run games that do require DirectX, as a side-request?  I understand that the Windows 7 "WARP" has the ability to utilize CPU acceleration in turn to run games, but I have yet to find where one could toggle it on.

[dumpsterKEEPER]

What version of Windows are you dealing with? It sounds like something is hosed at the driver level that even the driver removal program isn't completely cleaning up. Based on what you've already done, I'd probably suggest that next you run a repair of the OS and see if that resolves it, and failing that, do a fresh install of the OS.

[Spikey00]

I'm running Windows 7 x64.

[Spikey00]

A short update here that I've fixed the problem by reinstalling Windows--I am still cautious about the same issue arising again, but for the moment it is working as it once did.

EDIT:  Thank you once again everyone for your assistance.

[IRANianCha0s]

Perhaps the already installed drivers were interfering with each other?