[Fix] Windows Has Stopped This Device Because It Has Reported Problems (Code 43)

The error code ‘’Windows has stopped this device because it has reported problems (code 43)” occurs when there’s something wrong with the hardware or the software of any of the devices connected to the computer. It could be a new USB that you just plugged in.

Everything from faulty hardware to non-compatible drivers could trigger Windows to display this message. And once you see this error, the affected device will stop working. For instance, if the error code 43 shows up on your video adapters, it’s likely that you won’t be able to play any games or carry out any GPU-intensive tasks.

The error code 43, however, is easy to fix and unless there’s some faulty hardware involved, you would easily be able to fix this problem on your computers.

Causes of Error Code 43 on Windows

The error code 43 is generally caused by non-compatible drivers as well as a problem with the hardware itself. Here are the most common causes for Error Code 43 on Windows:

Incompatible Drivers: Installing incompatible drivers for any of the connected devices could trigger this problem. In the device manager, users can identify the driver version that’s currently installed on their computer. In case you’ve recently updated the drivers on your computer, rolling back to an earlier version is likely to fix the issue for you.

Outdated BIOS: Outdated BIOS that’s not picking up on the configuration of the device might be causing the error code 43. When the BIOS couldn’t pick the configuration of specific devices, it might trigger the Windows in thinking that there’s something not right with one of the installed devices.

Hardware Issues: If the devices that you’re trying to connect to the computer are faulty, you’re likely to face the error code 43. This error code could also mean that the connected device is broken and isn’t working. To make sure that it’s a hardware issue, we recommend plugging the device into a different computer. If the error persists, it’s definitely because the device (GPU, USB, printer, etc) is broken.

No Internet Connectivity: If you’ve installed a new device on your computer, Windows would automatically try to locate the device drivers. However, if the computer is not connected to the internet, Windows won’t be able to locate the right drivers. And when the device drivers are not installed, the error code 43 would appear. Try connecting the computer with the internet and then try to locate the device drivers.

Outdated Windows: In case you’ve installed new drivers but haven’t updated the Windows in a while, the computer could not recognize the device, and the error code 43 could show up. Before proceeding to any extreme troubleshooting steps, it would be wise to download and install the Windows Updates to rule out the outdated Windows as the cause of this problem.

Faulty I/O Panel: The I/O panel that consists of USB ports and headphone jacks connects the external devices to the computer. However, if any of these ports are out of order, the error code 43 appears. The best way to solve this problem is to plug the USB or the headphones at the back I/O panel of the motherboard.

Incompatible Device: Incompatible Device The device that you’ve installed on your computer could be incompatible with Windows. This would only happen if you’re on an extremely outdated version of Windows. To further investigate, refer to Microsoft’s HCL.

Disabled by Power Supply: The eco-friendly power supplies often disable certain I/O ports that haven’t been in use for a long while. If that’s the case, the device won’t be detected properly by Windows and the error code 43 would appear.

Fixes for Error Code 43

The error code 43 is easy to fix. The first step would be to reinstall the drivers or roll back to an earlier version of the drivers. If that didn’t fix the issue for you, keep on reading to find more potential fixes for this error.

Reinstall Drivers

The first step towards troubleshooting the error code 43 is to uninstall the current drivers of the device that was disabled by Windows. Afterward, Windows will automatically install the drivers when you reboot the computer.

And also, you can manually download and install the drivers to fix the underlying issue. To reinstall the current drivers, perform the following steps:

Press the Windows + R button and write devmgmt.msc and hit Enter.
Locate the device that was disabled by the Windows (It will have a small hazard sign along with it).
Right-click on the device and select Properties.
Click on the Driver tab and then select the Uninstall option.

Afterward, reboot the computer and Windows would automatically install the device drivers.

Rollback/Update Drivers

The error code 43 is mainly related to device drivers and if you haven’t updated the drivers in a while, this error could appear. In such a case, it’s best to update the device drivers to the latest version. To update the drivers of the affected device, perform the following steps:

Open Device Manager.
Right-click on the stopped device and select Update Driver.

On the contrary, installing non-compatible drivers could also lead to this error. In such a case, roll back the drivers to an earlier version to fix the problem. To do so, perform these steps:

Open Device Manager.
Right-click on the affected device and select Properties.
Navigate to the Driver tab and select Roll Back Driver.

The process of restoring to an earlier version will begin and you will have to reboot your computer after this to work. Hopefully, restoring the device drivers have fixed the issue for you. If not, keep on reading.

Try Disabling and Enabling the Device

One of the easy fixes that often works is to disable the device and enable it again. In case if the device couldn’t start properly at start-up, re-enabling the device might offer different configurations to the Windows which might solve the problem. To disable and enable the affected device, follow these instructions:

Go to Device Manager and select the affected device.
Right-click on it and select the Properties menu.
Navigate to the Driver tab and click on the Disable button.
Once it is disabled, click on the Enable button to restart the device.

Check for Hardware Failures

If you’re trying to install an external input/output device like a mouse or a printer and seeing the error code 43 then it could mean that there’s something wrong with the hardware. To ensure that the hardware is working properly, you will have to plug in the hardware to some other computer.

If the hardware device is still not detected or is showing a similar error code 43 issue then it means that there’s a hardware failure and the device that you’re trying to connect is broken.

Try Restarting/Hard Reset

Strangely, in many cases, restarting the computer seems to have fixed the problem. For PC users, we recommend doing a clean boot-up to try to make the problem go away.

To perform a clean boot, you will have to disable all the 3rd-party applications that come to life when you boot up your computer. To perform a clean boot up, perform the following steps:

Press Windows + R and type msconfig.
Navigate to the Startup tab and uncheck the box for all the applications except for Microsoft services applications.
Press Apply and then reboot the computer.

Note: For windows 8 and later, press Ctrl + Shift + Esc and select startup

For laptop users, do a hard reset to try to solve this problem. To do a hard reset, perform the following steps:

Turn off the laptop.
Remove the charging adapter and also remove the battery.
Press the power button for 30 seconds straight.
Plug back the battery and then start the laptop.

Hopefully, any temporary error that might be causing this problem would’ve been fixed and all the devices should start to work. If not, proceed to the next one.

Install Windows Updates

A potential fix to the error code 43 is to update Windows to the latest version. In case you’ve disabled the automatic Windows Updates, you might be stuck on an outdated version of Windows which might not be compatible with the specific device that’s not working on Windows.

In such a case, download and install the Windows Updates to fix the issue. To get the latest version of Windows, follow these instructions:

Go to Settings.
Navigate to the Windows Update section and click on the Check for Updates button.

After a while, Windows will display the latest version that’s available for your computer. Install these updates and reboot the computer. If this error was caused by outdated Windows, it should be fixed after this.

Disable Power Management

If the PSU has disabled certain USB ports on the computer, the attached device would not work and the error code 43 would appear. You can disable the power management option to make sure that all the USB ports are getting the required power. To disable the power management feature, perform the following steps:

Open Device Manager.
Double click on Universal Serial Bus Controllers to expand it.
Right-click on USB Root Hub and select Properties.
Click on the Power Management tab.
Uncheck the box for the statement: Allow the computer to turn this device to save power.
Press Ok and reboot the computer

Change USB Selective Suspend Setting

Windows uses various methods to save energy and minimize power consumption by disabling devices that aren’t in use. Especially, USB ports that aren’t used in a while.

This, sometimes, leads to code error 43, and hopefully, by disabling these settings, the problem that’s bugging you will be fixed. To change the USB selective suspend settings, perform these steps:

Open Settings.
Navigate to the System section and click on Power & Sleep.
Click on Additional Power Settings and locate the active power plan.
Click on Change Plan Settings and a menu will appear.
Then, click on Change Advanced Power Settings.
Locate the USB Settings from the menu and click on it to expand.
Now expand the USB selective suspend settings and change the status to Disable.
Click on Apply and reboot the PC.

Plug into a Different Port

If after all the troubleshooting steps mentioned above haven’t fixed the issue for you, it could be because the port where you’ve inserted the device is faulty itself.

Try a different I/O port to make sure that it is functional. In case the front I/O panel is completely cut off or is faulty, we recommend using the I/O ports located on the backside of the computer case (on the motherboard).

Update BIOS

Lastly, outdated BIOS could be preventing the Windows from detecting the device and the error could show up. In case you haven’t updated the BIOS in forever, we recommend doing so to fix the error code 43 along with many other underlying errors that might be a cause for concern.