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This article was excerpted from: Windows XP Headaches: How to Fix Common (and Not So Common) Problems in a Hurry, Second Edition

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Cause At some point, you may want to uninstall a device from Windows XP. For example, let's say that you replace your keyboard with a newer model. Windows XP should detect that the old keyboard is no longer attached to the system and remove it. Sometimes, though, Windows XP may not get the message that a hardware device has been removed, and the device may keep showing up on your computer. This is an easy Headache to fix, however.

The Pain Killer To manually uninstall a device, follow these steps:

1. Log on with an administrator account.
2. Make sure the device you want to uninstall is physically removed from the computer.
3. Click Start | Control Panel | System.
4. Click the Hardware tab, and then click the Device Manager button.

5. In Device Manager, expand the category of your hardware device, as shown in the illustration. You'll see the device in that category. Right-click the device's icon and click Properties.

   

6. On the device's properties pages, click the Driver tab, and then click the Uninstall button.
7. Click OK and close Device Manager.

Keep in mind that the driver is the clue to many device problems. For a device to work, you must have a proper driver. If you want to remove the device from the computer, first remove the device, and then uninstall the driver.

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