Device Manager Error Code 31 pops up when Windows prevents the driver for a particular hardware device from loading. The error code 31 is almost always presented in the following format:
“This device is not working properly because Windows cannot load the drivers required for this device.” Code 31
This error can occur with any hardware device; however, in most cases, it occurs with Ethernet cards. The good news is that it belongs in the easy-to-resolve category. So repairing it should not be difficult.
Error CausesError code 31 is related to driver problems, and the most common causes include:
To resolve error code 31 on your system, try the methods given below. We have listed down some of the most effective and easy-to-perform DIY methods for fixing Device Manager code 31 on your PC.
This simply means to return the driver back to its previous state - to the version last installed. Try this method to resolve error code 31. This is probably the easiest way to return your PC to its previous working state.
However, by doing so, you will not be able to update your drivers and run new driver versions on your system. In other words, this is a temporary method to fix this issue.
You may still want to try other methods given below to ensure you have the latest drivers installed on your system.
You can roll back the driver to its previous version by accessing the Driver Rollback feature located in the driver settings within the Device Manager. Or another way to perform a rollback is to use the Windows System Restore Utility.
It is a recovery tool built-in the new Windows versions. To access it, simply go to the start menu and type System Restore Utility in the search menu.
Access it and pick a point in the past, also referred to as the restore point, to return your PC to its previous state before the error code 31 occurred.
However, to resolve the problem permanently, try method 2.
Error code 31, as discussed above, may occur due to outdated, misconfigured, or corrupted drivers. Whatever the reason may be, to ensure the proper functioning of your hardware device, it is important to update the drivers on your system frequently.
To start driver updates, first, it is important to find out and identify problematic drivers. You need to identify the drivers that are corrupt, misconfigured, and outdated. For this, go to the Device Manager and then look for devices with yellow exclamation marks.
The yellow exclamation marks next to the devices show that these device drivers are problematic. Once you’ve identified the problematic drivers, simply update them by finding the latest and compatible versions on the manufacturer’s website.
This process is time-consuming and can be frustrating at times, especially when doing it for the first time.
Also, once you’ve updated the drivers, you need to update them from time to time to ensure they don’t get outdated, or else you will have to encounter Device Manager error codes again.
Method 3 - Download DriverFIX to Update Drivers Automatically
To avoid the hassle and stress involved in updating drivers manually, it is advisable to download and install DriverFIX.
DriverFIX is a smart, innovative, and feature-filled software embedded with an intelligent algorithm that quickly detects problematic drivers, matches them with the latest and compatible versions, and updates them immediately and automatically in just a few seconds and a couple of clicks.
It’s as simple as it can be. Furthermore, with this software installed on your PC, you don’t have to stress and worry about when your drivers need to be updated again.
DriverFIX ensures all drivers are continuously and regularly updated before they become outdated.
Click here to download DriverFIX to repair Device Manager error code 31 and update drivers automatically and regularly.

chkdsk /f /r
Upon updating to Windows 10, some users might encounter a blinking or flashing desktop after logging in. This will result in a repetitive restarting of explorer or you won’t be able to make the start menu and shortcut keys work. In addition, the network icon might not appear in your taskbar as well. Other Windows 10 error messages include error code 0xc000021a.
Error CausesYour blinking or flashing desktop after logging in might be the result of problems with the bushell.dll shell extension, which is a part of the Norton Security Suite. Another possible cause for this annoying problem is an issue with your display driver since not all systems will use the same display driver and will depend on what graphics card you use.
In fixing the bothersome blinking or flashing desktop after logging in problem, you can do a manual repair method to address the root problem. You need to be familiar with the Windows command line to successfully go through the process. However, if you are not knowledgeable or confident enough to do this on your own, it would be best to seek help from a professional. Or, you might want to consider using an automated tool to solve the issue.
You need to identify first what’s causing the blinking or flashing of your desktop after login to properly address the issue. The following methods can be done if your issue is caused by bushell.dll shell extension issue:
NOTE: Text input is most probably affected by the explorer restarts so you might need to repeatedly type some letters or to carefully input texts.
NOTE: You might need to download the latest Video Driver on a working computer. Save it in a thumb drive then copy and install it on your computer. If in case there is no native Windows 10 driver, you can also download the latest Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 video driver. Afterward, install it in compatibility mode.
chkdsk /f /r
AMD and ATI Technologies ULC have filed a complaint in the United States International Trade Commission against Realtek Semiconductor and TCL Industries Holdings claiming that they have violated five patents.

The complaint has automatically triggered an investigation from USITC which has responded that they will look into certain graphics systems, components thereof, and digital televisions with components from Taiwan-based Realtek and the China/Hong Kong-based TCL Industries Holdings (and its subsidiaries).
AMD and ATI are seeking an exclusion order and cease and desist orders for the sale of the products. The investigation officially started on July the first. AMD and ATI claim that Mediatek and TLC Industries violated five patents on various technologies used in graphic cards.
The ATI patents include texture decompression techniques, a graphics processing architecture with a unified shader, and a multi-threaded graphics processing system (patents 7,742,053 claims 1-9, 8,760,454 claims 2-11, and 11,184,628 claims 7-12). The AMD patents cover a method and system for synchronizing thread wavefront data and events. A patent covers a processing unit that enables asynchronous task dispatch (patents 8,468,547 claims 16-21, and 8,854,381 claims 15-20).
This is not the first time AMD and ATI have asked for a USITC investigation, in 2017 they were targeting LG, Vizio, Mediatek, and Sigma Designs. The previous investigation has been concluded with the settlement between parties, how this one will go we shall see and keep you updated as we move along.
net stop wuauserv net start cryptSvc net start bits net start msiserver
net start wuauserv net start cryptSvc net start bits net start msiserver
Customers will most likely encounter the “We couldn’t update system reserved partition” error when upgrading to Windows 10 from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. This error may also come with error code 0xc1900104 or error code 0x800f0922.
Error Cause“We couldn’t update system reserved partition” Windows 10 upgrade error is normally caused by too little space on the System Reserved Partition (SRP). The System Reserve Partition is an additional small partition created by Windows, which stores boot files. The SRP can be filled up with security apps and third-party anti-virus. Once this partition has insufficient space, the system will not be able to upgrade to Windows 10.
Caution: The following steps are complex and need to be done by experienced users especially using the command line. Once an error is made in entering commands, there’s a chance that your device can be put in a no-boot situation, or data stored on the device can possibly get lost.
To upgrade to Windows 10, your device needs to have at least 15MB free space on the System Reserved Partition. Follow the procedure below and then try upgrading again.
NOTE: While in Admin mode, some apps like OneNote will not run.
Doing this method will make a permanent, but small increase in the free space of the device’s SRP.
a. Open the Run window by pressing the Windows key + R. Type diskmgmt.msc then hit Enter. b. Select System Reserve partition then right-click on it.
c. Choose Change Drive Letter and Paths then select Add.
d. Type Y for the drive letter then click OK.
e. Click on the Start button and search for cmd. In the results, right-click on Command Prompt then choose Run as administrator. The command prompt window will appear.
f. Type Y: at the command prompt then press Enter.
g. Once you’ve switched to drive Y, type takeown /d y /r /f . then hit Enter.
NOTE: Ensure that the space and period after “f” is included in order for the command to work properlyh. Type icacls Y:* /save %systemdrive%NTFSp.txt /c /t then hit Enter to back up the permission to the drive.
NOTE: Ensure that all files are marked as successful and that no files are marked as failed.
i. Type whoami then hit Enter. Record the username that appears. Afterwards, type icacls . /grant <username you got from whoami>:F /t then press Enter.
NOTE: Ensure that there’s no space between the username and “:F” or the command will not work.j. In the File Explorer, open the SRP drive and select the Boot folder. Choose the language folders you want to permanently delete. Language folders are named with four letters split with a hyphen. For example: de-DE is the German language while en-US is the U.S. English language.
2. Truncate the NTFS Log:
a. Open the Command Prompt then type chkdsk /L Y: to check the size of the NTFS Log. If the NTFS Log size is less than 5000KB, you need not truncate the file.
b. Type chkdsk /L:5000 /X /F then hit Enter to truncate the NTFS Log.
c. Return to Disk Management window. Select Action menu then select Check if the device’s SRP now has a larger amount of free space. Once there’s enough space, right click the System Reserve Partition then select Change Drive Letter and Paths. Choose Y: then select Remove.
3. If there’s still not enough available space after truncating the NTFS Log, resize the USN journal:
a. Open the command prompt then type fsutil usn queryjournal Y: to display the size in hex value. Convert the hex value to decimal then divide it by 1048576. The result you will get will be in MB. If the journal size is 30MB or more, proceed with truncating the file.
NOTE: To convert the Hex value to Decimal, open the Calculator app in Windows then choose View menu. Select Programmer then choose Hex. Type the Hex value then choose Dec.
b. Type fsutil usn deletejournal /D /N Y: then hit Enter to delete the journal. Type fsutil usn createjournal m=1500 a=1 Y: to recreate the journal having the new log size value.
a. Type icacls Y: /restore %systemdrive%NTFSp.txt /c /t in the Command Prompt. Check if the files were successfully processed before proceeding. If you see a message saying some files failed while processing, this is normal since some of the files have already been deleted before performing a backup. However, if there are no successful files indicated, the command was not properly executed.
b. Type icacls . /grant system:f /t then hit Enter to adjust the ACL back to System. Now, you can set the owner of the drive by typing icacls Y: /setowner “SYSTEM” /t /c then press Enter.
c. Check if the device’s SRP now has enough free space by going back to Disk Management and refreshing the data. If the SRP already has sufficient space, you can now remove the drive letter. Right-click on the System Reserved Partition then choose Change Drive Letter and Paths. Select the Y: drive then choose Confirm deleting the drive letter by clicking OK.
This method makes a larger, but temporary, increase in the SRP free space.
1. Be sure you have an external drive having at least 250 MB free space and formatted as NFTS.2. Open Run by pressing the Windows key + R. Type mscthen to choose the Recovery Partition. Right-click on it then choose Change Drive Letter and Paths.
3. Select Add then type Y for the drive letter, click
4. Click on the Start screen then type cmd in the search bar. In the results, right-click on Command Prompt then choose Run as administrator. The command prompt window will appear.
5. Switch to another drive by typing Y: in the command prompt. Once you’re in the drive Y, type takeown /d y /r /f .
NOTE: Ensure that space and period after “f” are included in order for the command to work properly.