If you're receiving the Code 48 - The Software for This Device Has Been Blocked From Starting Because It Is Known to Have Problems With Windows. Contact the Hardware Vendor for a New Driver error, here's how you can fix it.

Windows is most likely reporting that you have hardware lacking drivers for your current operating system. We've seen this error when upgrading from one operating system to a newer one (Windows 7 - Windows 10, for example) and leaving you with an outdated driver. We can try and update your drivers or even remove and reinstall the device in Device Manager. If all else fails, your hardware may be incompatible and need to be replaced.

1: Update Your Drivers

Many of these errors are hardware problems and can be fixed by just updating your device drivers. We'd try Driver Booster first, reboot, and see if your problem is solved.

2: Remove and Reinstall the Device

Press the Windows Key + S and begin typing in device manager and click on device manager. Windows 7 users can go to Start, Control Panel as well. Find the hardware that's giving you trouble. For this example, we'll use Realtek High Definition Audio. Right-click and select Uninstall.



You will receive a warning that says You are about to uninstall this device from your system. Also, check the box that says Delete the driver software for this device. If you see two devices and already rebooted, you won't know which one caused the error so remove both.



Reboot after Windows is finished. Windows will not redetect and reinstall the device you removed. You might want to update your drivers now with Driver Booster.

If you have a different Device Manager error code, here are all the device manager error codes and solutions.

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