What is CODE-10-DEVICE-CANNOT-START?
CODE-10-DEVICE-CANNOT-START shows up as a medium-severity system driver fault. Windows Device Manager reported that the device could not start due to a failure to load or a faulty driver. Another common trigger is incompatibility with the. See the troubleshooting steps below for the fix.
Common Causes
- Bad, missing or outdated driver
- Incompatibility with the
- system Physical device failure (eg sound cards, Bluetooth)
Step-by-Step Fix Guide
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1
Reinstall the driver via Device Manager
Reinstall the driver via Device Manager is the first thing worth trying, since it resolves CODE-10-DEVICE-CANNOT-START for most affected systems.
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2
Try the Hardware Troubleshooter
A second occurrence often means a less common drivers instability cause is at play, which later steps address.
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3
Install an older working version of the driver
This step, "Install an older working version of the driver", specifically rules out bad, missing or outdated driver.
Commands & Diagnostics
devmgmt.msc
Frequently Asked Questions
The leading cause of CODE-10-DEVICE-CANNOT-START is bad, missing or outdated driver, though incompatibility with the and system Physical device failure (eg sound cards, Bluetooth) also show up in our reports.
Most CODE-10-DEVICE-CANNOT-START reports resolve after "Reinstall the driver via Device Manager". The rest of the guide above is there for the cases that don't.
CODE-10-DEVICE-CANNOT-START is a medium-severity issue. It can affect system stability, but the fix steps above typically resolve it without lasting damage.
In most cases, yes — the guide above resolves CODE-10-DEVICE-CANNOT-START without a clean install. Treat a reinstall as the last resort, not the first move.
Sometimes. Microsoft regularly releases patches that fix known BSOD triggers including CODE-10-DEVICE-CANNOT-START. Make sure Windows is fully up to date via Settings → Windows Update before attempting more advanced fixes.
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