Remove "Ghost Devices" from Device Manager...


Ghot

Ghot

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Over time, attaching and then removing things like USB sticks, Controllers, Phones, Mice, Keyboards, etc.,
will leave you with a lot of Ghost Devices in Device Manager.

When you open Device Manager and choose: View > Show Hidden Devices, you will see them as "greyed out" devices.

They are harmless, but after a while they tend to make a mess of Device Manager.
This can be a problem when you're troubleshooting, for example.



Anyway, here's the fast, easy way to remove them with just a few clicks.

Go here and download Device Cleanup Tool v1.2.1... Windows Tools

1. Run the x64 Tool... as Admin.
2. It will show all the ghost devices (greyed out items).
3. Click on Devices > Select all
4. Click on Devices > Remove selected.

That's it.
You've just removed ALL the ghost entries in Device Manager. :-)



Generic pic of Device Cleanup Tool showing "ghost entries"...

Image1.png

Thanks to @Ed Tittel for finding this.


@Brink If this is already somewhere else... feel free to delete this topic. :-)
 
Last edited:

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I think that calling them "ghost devices" is rather melodramatic & is unnecessary given that they are already known as Hidden devices or even more simply as disconnected devices.

Why not simply avoid displaying Hidden devices unless & until there is some point in doing so?
Hidden devices are merely devices that have been connected at some time but are not connected now.


All the best,
Denis
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home x64 Version 23H2 Build 22631.3447
Try3 said:
I think that calling them "ghost devices" is rather melodramatic & is unnecessary given that they are already known as Hidden devices or even more simply as disconnected devices.

Why not simply avoid displaying Hidden devices unless & until there is some point in doing so?
Hidden devices are merely devices that have been connected at some time but are not connected now.


All the best,
Denis
Click to expand...


Actually that's not quite accurate.
There are Hidden Devices, and there are Ghost Devices.

The difference being that the Ghost Devices will be greyed out.

For example...
In my Device Manager I show three devices under the "Software Devices" heading.
But when I choose "Show hidden Devices", I show four devices under the same heading. (none greyed out)

Image3.png

There are other examples, but this is just the first one I found.

So... BOO !! 👻
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦26100.2605 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦24H2 ♦♦♦non-Insider
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 4702)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
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    Antivirus
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    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1
  • Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
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    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 13 years?
Ghot said:
Over time, attaching and then removing things like USB sticks, Controllers, Phones, Mice, Keyboards, etc.,
will leave you with a lot of Ghost Devices in Device Manager.

When you open Device Manager and choose: View > Show Hidden Devices, you will see them as "greyed out" devices.

They are harmless, but after a while they tend to make a mess of Device Manager.
This can be a problem when you're troubleshooting, for example.



Anyway, here's the fast, easy way to remove them with just a few clicks.

Go here and download Device Cleanup Tool v1.2.1... Windows Tools

1. Run the x64 Tool... as Admin.
2. It will show all the ghost devices (greyed out items).
3. Click on Devices > Select all
4. Click on Devices > Remove selected.

That's it.
You've just removed ALL the ghost entries in Device Manager. :-)



Generic pic of Device Cleanup Tool showing "ghost entries"...

View attachment 72601

Thanks to @Ed Tittel for finding this.


@Brink If this is already somewhere else... feel free to delete this topic. :-)
Click to expand...
Thank you, man. I just wanted to ask a quick question.
Is this a one-time deal?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    MSI
Firas said:
Thank you, man. I just wanted to ask a quick question.
Is this a one-time deal?
Click to expand...


I'm not sure I understand the question.
The program is free.

But over time, the Ghost Devices will re-appear as you connect and then disconnect peripherals.
The Device Cleanup Tool program is portable, so you you can stick it anywhere for re-use at some other time.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦26100.2605 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦24H2 ♦♦♦non-Insider
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 4702)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Internet Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1
  • Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 13 years?
Ghot said:
I'm not sure I understand the question.
The program is free.

But over time, the Ghost Devices will re-appear as you connect and then disconnect peripherals.
The Device Cleanup Tool program is portable, so you you can stick it anywhere for re-use at some other time.
Click to expand...
ok that's what i was asking do i need to redo it again?
ok man thanks (y)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    MSI
Ghot said:
In my Device Manager I show three devices under the "Software Devices" heading.
But when I choose "Show hidden Devices", I show four devices under the same heading. (none greyed out)
Click to expand...
Mike,

Thanks.
I have misunderstood this topic for twenty years or more.
Since some of the Hidden devices are not greyed out, there must be a device property Hidden that is set or unset by, say, the driver.
I'm rather astounded.


I'll log off & take some medication [Bailey's],
Denis
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11 Home x64 Version 23H2 Build 22631.3447
Try3 said:
Since some of the Hidden devices are not greyed out, there must be a device property Hidden that is set or unset by, say, the driver.
Click to expand...



That would be my guess as well.
I did have to double check though, after reading your post.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

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    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦26100.2605 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦24H2 ♦♦♦non-Insider
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    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 4702)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
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    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
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    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
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    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 13 years?
Firas said:
I would like to point out that the Driver booster does the same thing.
Click to expand...



Yes, but...

MONK - Blank.png


A lot of times, driver updaters cause serious problems.
A lot of folks tend to avoid them for that reason.
 

My Computers

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    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦26100.2605 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦24H2 ♦♦♦non-Insider
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    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 4702)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Internet Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1
  • Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 13 years?
Wow. You've got a lot of ghosts there Ghot. Good one. Thanks.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11/Linux Mint
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 960
    CPU
    Intel Core 2 Duo CPU E8400 @ 3.00 GHz x 2
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP x22LED
    Hard Drives
    Crucial 250 GB SSD, HD 1Tb
mackie said:
Wow. You've got a lot of ghosts there Ghot. Good one. Thanks.
Click to expand...


That's not a pic from MY comp. It's just a generic pic.
If I had had that many I'd think my comp was... haunted.

I don't have the energy to connect and disconnect that much stuff. :-)



 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦26100.2605 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦24H2 ♦♦♦non-Insider
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 4702)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Internet Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1
  • Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 13 years?
My hunch is that they work their way to the Cloud and back to Microsoft Heaven.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 11/Linux Mint
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Optiplex 960
    CPU
    Intel Core 2 Duo CPU E8400 @ 3.00 GHz x 2
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel 4 Series Chipset Integrated Graphics Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    HP x22LED
    Hard Drives
    Crucial 250 GB SSD, HD 1Tb
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