Why does Device Manager miscategorize a device?

Verify you're removing the actual device beneath the category. If you remove an icon with a "+", "-", or ">" symbol next to it, you're attempting to remove a category. To remove the category, you must first remove all the devices beneath it.

If it's a device that cannot be removed, it's likely caused by corruption in Windows device drivers or the Windows registry. Because Microsoft has not documented or acknowledged this issue, try the suggestions below.

1. Reboot the computer.

• How to restart Microsoft Windows.

2. Remove any similar device. For example, if the device is a sound device, remove all other Sound devices from Device Manager. Reboot the computer and let Windows re-detect the sound device if it's working properly.
3. Run a registry cleaner.

• Do I need a Windows registry cleaner?

4. If you recently added any computer hardware, shut down the computer and remove it to make sure it is not causing your problem.
5. Finally, if none of the suggestions above help, we suggest reinstalling Windows to resolve the issue.