Fixed “The Device Cannot Start Code 10” Error

My external storage devices aren’t working since my computer made automatic updates last night. Whenever I try to connect any of my drives like USB, HDD, etc., I get this error message– “This device cannot start. (Code 10). {Operation Failed} The request option was unsuccessful.” Is there any way available to fix this issue? Any help would be appreciated!

-Windows User

When you want to use any internal or external drive on your system, and you get this error message- ‘The Device Cannot Start Code 10’ (See image 1), it means the device management can’t load the specific device drivers due to incompatibility or corruption. Due to this error, you may lose access to the device and data stored on it.

Restore such data using a Professional Data Recovery Software. Read on to know the best methods to fix this error.

Methods to fix ‘The Device Cannot Start Code 10’ Error

Method 1: Update Device Drivers

This error can occur due to corrupt or faulty device drivers. You may try fixing it by updating the driver in the Device Manager with the help of the following steps:

a. Open Device Manager by pressing Windows + X. (See Image 2)

b. Find and select the category of the devices to see the name of the devices and right-click on the one you want to update.

c. Go to Properties and click Driver tab on the open window.

d. There, click Update Driver. (See Image 3)

e. Choose the option Search automatically for updated driver software. (See Image 4)

f. Windows will find the latest driver for the device. Once you update the drivers, close the window, and restart your system to check if the error is fixed.

Method 2: Rollback Device Drivers

You may also try to fix the error ‘The device cannot start code 10’ by rolling back the driver. To do so, follow the given troubleshooting steps:

a. Open Device Manager and select the category to see the name of the devices connected to the system.

b. Right-click on the device you want to take action for.

c. Go to the device’s Properties. Click on Driver tab and then click Roll Back Driver > Ok. (See Image 5)

d. Select a reason to roll back the driver from the open window and click Yes. (See Image 6)

e. Once done with the process, reboot your system and check if the error still persists.

Method 3: Run Hardware and Device troubleshooter

‘Hardware and Device troubleshooter’ is a Windows built-in utility, which lets you get rid of any error related to the system’s hardware, internal or external devices. Follow the below mentioned steps:

a. Open Settings by pressing Windows + I and double-click Update & Security.

b. Double-click Troubleshoot and locate Hardware and Devices.

c. Click on Hardware and Devices and then click Run the troubleshooter. (See Image 7)

d. Close the window once done. Reboot the system and check if the problem is solved.

Method 4: Uninstall then Re-install Driver

You may fix the corrupt or faulty device drivers by uninstalling them and then reinstalling the latest and compatible drivers for the device with the help of the below mentioned steps:

a. Go to Device Manager. Select the device with which you are facing trouble.

b. Right-click on the device. If you see the ‘Uninstall driver’ option available in the list, click on it. (See Image 8)

c. If you see Properties on right-clicking the device, open it. Go to Driver tab and click Uninstall Driver from the available option. Click OK (See Image 9)

d. Delete the driver package from the system. Move to the Action menu of the device manager.

e. Select Scan for hardware changes. It will reinstall the device driver.

f. Once the driver is reinstalled. Close the Device Manager and restart your PC.

Method 5: Delete Invalid Registry Entries

The UpperFilters and LowerFilters values in the registry could be corrupted and may cause the error ‘the device cannot start code 10’. You may try fixing this by deleting these values. To do so, follow the given troubleshooting steps:

a. Open Run window by pressing Windows + R, type regedit and hit Enter to open Registry Editor. (See Image 10)

b. In the left pane, click HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE and select SYSTEM. (See Image 11)

c. Expand SYSTEM and double-click on CurrentControlSet. (See Image12)

d. From the options available, open Control and move to Class. (See Image 13)

e. Select 36FC9E60-C465-11CF-8056-444553540000}, right-click on it and select Delete. (See Image 14)

f. If you see UpperFilters and LowerFilters, delete them and close the Registry Editor.

g. Reboot your PC to see if the error is fixed now.

Method 6: Uninstall Problematic Windows Update

If you start seeing this error after installing certain Windows 10 update, you may fix by uninstalling with the following steps:

a. Go to Settings > Update & Security > View update history and open it. (See image 15)

b. The View update history window will open. Click Uninstall Updates. (See Image 16)

c. Choose the recently installed Windows 10 update, and follow Uninstall > Yes. (See Image 17)

d. On completing this method, restart the PC.

Method 7: Perform System Restore

If the error occurs due to any system changes or issues, you may perform the system restore, which may create checkpoints automatically and fix the issue.

[Caution: Performing System restore will undo all the Device Manager related changes. However, it will affect your system programs, system files, drivers, and registry settings as well, which may eventually result in complete data loss. Hence, it is recommended to have a backup of your files, folders, and other important data stored on your internal hard drives. ]

Follow the given steps to do so:

a. Type Create a restore point in the Windows search box and open it. (See Image 18)

b. Under the System Protection tab, click System Restore and then click OK. (See Image 19)

c. Restart the system to check if the error still persists.

Method 8: Reinstall Windows

If none of the above methods work, you will need to reinstall Windows. You may install Windows 10 using Windows media creation tool. Installing fresh Windows may help you get rid of the error. However, this leads to permanent data loss as it completely wipes out the system and removes all the existing data.

Lost Data due to ‘The Device Cannot Start Code 10’ on Windows 10?

Recover your important data using a powerful data recovery tool such as Stellar Data Recovery Professional. This do-it-yourself software can easily recover files, folders, documents, photos, videos, and more. It supports recovery from formatted, corrupted or encrypted HDDs, SSDs, external USB drives. The data can be retrieved even from lost or deleted Windows partitions and completely formatted, crashed & unbootable systems. It comes with a ‘Create Recovery Drive’ utility, which enables users to restore their crucial data from non-bootable Windows PCs.

Wrapping Up

‘The device cannot start code 10’ error generally occurs due to corrupt, faulty, or missing device drivers. To help you with fixing this error, we have mentioned all the best possible methods in this post. However, a few methods such as Performing System Restore or Reinstalling Windows may lead to major data loss. No need to worry! You may restore data using a powerful data recovery tool such as Stellar Data Recovery Professional. This DIY software is efficient at retrieving data from formatted, corrupted, or even crashed Windows PC and storage devices.

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About The Author

Mansi Verma

Mansi is a seasoned tech enthusiast, holding over a decade of experience in writing blogs, articles, guides, press releases, and tips for different industries, including Data Recovery, IoT, Artificial Intelligence, and Robotics.