What does Device Manager Error Code 39 mean?

The short answer

Error Code 39 means Windows found a hardware device but can’t load its driver, so the device won’t work until the driver issue is resolved.

You’ll typically see this in Device Manager with the message: “Windows cannot load the device driver for this hardware. The driver may be corrupted or missing.”

What causes it

This error usually comes down to one of a few things:

  • A corrupted or missing driver file — the driver was partially installed, accidentally deleted, or damaged by a system update
  • A recent Windows update — sometimes updates replace or remove driver files that were working fine
  • A bad driver installation — if you recently installed or updated a driver, something may have gone wrong
  • Registry issues — incorrect or leftover entries in the Windows registry can point to drivers that no longer exist

How to fix it

Work through these steps in order, testing the device after each one:

1. Uninstall and reinstall the driver

  • Open Device Manager (search for it in the Start menu)
  • Find the device with the yellow warning icon
  • Right-click it and select Uninstall device
  • Check the box to delete the driver software if available
  • Restart your computer — Windows will attempt to reinstall the driver automatically

2. Update the driver manually

If reinstalling didn’t work, grab the latest driver directly from the manufacturer’s website (not a third-party driver site). Install it and restart.

3. Delete the UpperFilters and LowerFilters registry entries

This is a common fix, especially for CD/DVD drives and USB devices:

  • Open Registry Editor (search “regedit” in the Start menu)
  • Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class
  • Find the subkey for your device class
  • Delete the UpperFilters and LowerFilters values if they exist
  • Restart your computer

Be careful editing the registry — back it up first or create a restore point.

4. Run System File Checker

Open Command Prompt as administrator and run sfc /scannow. This repairs corrupted system files that might include the driver you need.

When should you worry?

In most cases, this is a software problem and fixable with the steps above. If the error keeps coming back after trying everything, the hardware itself could be failing — consider testing the device on another computer to rule that out.

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