The Add Hardware Wizard Won't Start

By Melly Parker

Windows' Add Hardware Wizard helps walk you through the process of installing hardware like drives, USB devices or keyboards. It locates or prompts you to select drivers, walks you through the installation of the software and prepares the device for use. If the wizard isn't starting automatically, you can use a command to get the process going.

Remove the device you're attempting to install.

Open "Start" and click "Shut Down."

Press the power button to power on the computer.

Plug in the hardware and wait two minutes for the wizard to start. If it doesn't, proceed to the next step.

Click "Start" and type "Run" in the search box. Select "Run" from the menu.

Type "cmd" in the dialog box. Hit "Enter."

Type "hdwwiz.exe" on the command prompt line and press "Enter" to start the Add Hardware Wizard.

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