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"Why is There a Red X in Device Manager?"

By Tim Fisher, About.com

Red X in Windows XP Device Manager

Red X in Windows XP Device Manager

Question: "Why is There a Red X in Device Manager?"

See a small red x next to a hardware device in Device Manager? You may have made a change on purpose that resulted in that red x showing up or there may actually be a problem.

Don't worry though - most of the time there's one really easy solution to a red x in Device Manger.

Answer: A red x next to a device in Device Manager in Windows XP means that the device is disabled.

The red x doesn't necessarily mean there's a problem with the hardware device. The red x simply means that Windows is not allowing the hardware to be used and that it has not assigned any system resources to be used by the hardware.

If you've disabled the hardware manually, this is why the red x is showing up for you.

To remove the red x from a particular piece of hardware, you'll need to enable the device in Device Manager. It's usually that simple.

If there are further issues with the hardware, the red x will probably be replaced with a yellow exclamation point which you can troubleshoot separately.

Note: Disabled devices also generate Device Manager error codes. The specific error in this case is a Code 22.

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