DEVCON

Command Line Utility Alternative to Device Manager

DEVCON is a Microsoft tool that allows "device management" from the command line.

It is available for free from Microsoft Support. This download page also provides detailed help.
More detailed information and command line examples can be found at Microsoft TechNet.

I dedicated this page to DEVCON because I became impressed by its possibilities.
It even allowed me to write scripts to backup drivers without having to search all INF files "manually". This had been on my wish list for a long time.

Another great feature is DEVCON's built-in Reboot command.

Typing DEVCON help or DEVCON /? returns the following help screen:

C:\>DEVCON Help

Device Console Help:
devcon [-r] [-m:\\<machine>] <command> [<arg>...]
-r if specified will reboot machine after command is complete, if needed.
<machine> is name of target machine.
<command> is command to perform (see below).
<arg>... is one or more arguments if required by command.
For help on a specific command, type: devcon help <command>
classfilter          Allows modification of class filters.
classes              List all device setup classes.
disable              Disable devices that match the specific hardware or instance ID.
driverfiles          List driver files installed for devices.
drivernodes          Lists all the driver nodes of devices.
enable               Enable devices that match the specific hardware or instance ID.
find                 Find devices that match the specific hardware or instance ID.
findall              Find devices including those that are not present.
help                 Display this information.
hwids                Lists hardware ID's of devices.
install              Manually install a device.
listclass            List all devices for a setup class.
reboot               Reboot local machine.
remove               Remove devices that match the specific hardware or instance ID.
rescan               Scan for new hardware.
resources            Lists hardware resources of devices.
restart              Restart devices that match the specific hardware or instance ID.
stack                Lists expected driver stack of devices.
status               List running status of devices.
update               Manually update a device.

Use DEVCON Help command for detailed help on command:

C:\>DEVCON Help DriverFiles

devcon driverfiles <id> [<id>...]
devcon driverfiles =<class> [<id>...]
Lists driver files installed for devices that match the specific hardware or instance ID.
This command will only work for local machine.
Examples of <id> are:
*                  - All devices
ISAPNP\PNP0501     - Hardware ID
*PNP*              - Hardware ID with wildcards (* matches anything)
@ISAPNP\*\*        - Instance ID with wildcards (@ prefixes instance ID)
<class> is a setup class name as obtained from the classes command.

The table below lists some of my scripts based on DEVCON, along with the basic command line switches they use.

DEVCON Script Examples
	Name	Description	Switches	Last Modified (dd/mm/yyyy)	Remarks
	BkAllDrv.bat	Backup all Windows 2000 drivers	FindAll * DriverFiles "@hwid"	10/01/2004	The batch, KiXtart and Perl versions can also backup inactive drivers. The batch and KiXtart versions are much slower. The batch, KiXtart and Rexx versions will prompt you to download DEVCON itself or RexxUtill (Rexx only) if missing. The Perl version creates a log file that may help in restores, and an error log, if applicaple.
	BkAllDrv.kix	Backup all Windows 2000 drivers	FindAll * DriverFiles "@hwid"	12/01/2004
	BkAllDrv.pl	Backup all Windows 2000 drivers	FindAll * DriverFiles "@hwid"	14/02/2004
	BkAllDrv.rex	Backup all Windows 2000 drivers	DriverFiles *	30/12/2003
	BkMdmDrv.rex	Backup Windows 2000 modem drivers	DriverFiles =Modem	27/12/2003	These scripts will prompt you for download if DEVCON isn't found.
	BkVidDrv.rex	Backup Windows 2000 video drivers	DriverFiles =Display	28/12/2003
	Drivers.cmd	Display all active drivers (Windows as well as OS/2)	DriverFiles *	21/09/2005	Uses RMVIEW and CUT in OS/2 Warp
	ExpPrnDr.bat	Export Printer Drivers	DriverFiles =Printer	16/12/2009	This script will prompt you for download if DEVCON isn't found.
	GetDevDJ.bat	Check if a HP DeskJet printer is installed	Find *	30/03/2002
	GetDevLT.bat	Check if a Logitech mouse is installed	Find *	30/03/2002
	GetDevSB.bat	Check if a Creative Sound Blaster is installed	Find *	30/03/2002
	HardDisk.bat	List harddisks, their interfaces and revision numbers for any computer on the network	Find =DiskDrive	15/01/2005	This script will prompt you for download if DEVCON isn't found.
	ListHDDs.bat	List all physical harddisk models on a remote PC	Find =DiskDrive SCSI\DISK*	24/11/2009	Requires either WMIC or DEVCON; if neither is available, you will be prompted to open the DEVCON download page
	Modems.bat	List all modems and the resources they use	Resources =Modem	23/12/2003	This script will prompt you for download if DEVCON isn't found.
	RenewUSB.bat	Remove all USB devices and then rescan for new ones	FindAll =USB FindAll USB* Remove "@hwid" Rescan	11/06/2004	Warning: May cripple your OS, use entirely at your own risk, and only after making a full backup. I had to run this script twice before my computer accepted my new USB stick. This script will prompt you for download if DEVCON isn't found.
	RmHidDev.bat	Remove all hidden (inactive) plug&play devices	Find * FindAll * Remove "@hwid"	10/11/2006	Warning: May cripple your OS, use entirely at your own risk, and only after making a full backup. Written to remove "ghost devices" from Ghost images. This script will prompt you for download if DEVCON isn't found.
	ShowPRN.bat	List all printers and their printer ports	FindAll =Printer	17/01/2004	These scripts will prompt you for download if DEVCON isn't found.
	ShowPRNT.bat	List all printers and their printer ports in tab delimited format	FindAll =Printer	17/01/2004

Related Stuff

• Kerem Gümrükcü's powerful DeviceRemover manages devices, drivers, processes and services.
• Nir Sofer's USBDeview allows you to view all installed/connected USB devices on your system.
• To eject PnP hardware devices use C'T's DevEject.
  This powerful tool can eject devices by their description, device ID or drive letter.
• To backup drivers, check for updates and more, use DriverMax and/or Driver Detective
• Find drivers at NoDevice.com
• Microsoft's drivers directory.