9 Best Fixes For Hardware Device Is Not Connected (Code 45) Error

The code 45 error is a rather common error that most Windows users have faced at some point. You might have connected an external hardware device like an external mouse or keyboard and Windows has failed to recognize it. After that, an error message arises to let you know about the same. The message looks something like this:

“Currently, this hardware device is connected to your computer (Code 45).”

Another scenario could be that the error doesn’t pop up but when you access the Properties window of the troublesome hardware device, the error message comes up. In the latter situation, the message looks like the following:

“To fix this problem, reconnect this hardware device to the computer.”

This article will discuss different ways to fix the “Currently this hardware device is not connected” error. 

Causes Behind The Hardware Device Is Not Connected Code 45 Error

Code 45 comes up as an error message if the Windows OS fails to recognize a connected device. This mostly occurs when the hardware in question has been previously connected to your computer, disconnected, and then, connected again.

Sometimes, your Windows system fails to recognize the hardware device and the code 45 error message comes up. Some of the reasons why you get the error 45 are:

1. Irregularities in the Windows OS environment.
2. A system glitch or a malfunction.
3. Corrupted or outdated drivers

Solutions To Fix “Currently This Hardware Device Is Not Connected” Error Code 45 In Device Manager

Given below is a list of all the solutions you can try out to fix the Error code 45. We recommend that you start with the first fix. If it fails to get rid of the error code 45, move on to the next fix and so on.

1. Check The Physical Connection Between Device And Computer
2. Check Hardware for Issues
3. Update The Problematic Device Driver
4. Uninstall And Reinstall Problematic Device Driver
5. Run the Hardware And Devices Troubleshooter
6. Run The SFC Scan
7. Run A DISM Scan
8. Run The CHKDSK Scan
9. Update Windows 10 Version

Solution 1: Check The Physical Connection Between Device And Computer

We recommend that you begin the troubleshooting procedure by checking the connection between your PC and the external device. The connection is supposed to trigger the recognition system. Hence, if the connection is not good enough, the software checking won’t make any difference.

Follow the steps given below to check the state of the device connection:

1. Disconnect the problematic hardware from your computer.
2. Check the connecting cable, ports, and run some tests to confirm they are working fine. For example, connect the hardware to another computer or use the cable to connect another device and check if that works fine.

If the problem still exists with the second machine, there is a high chance that perhaps something is wrong with the cables. Try changing the cables and connecting the device.

On the other hand, if the second PC can recognize the external hardware, then, the cables are probably working fine. The problem could be software-related. Follow the steps below to continue troubleshooting:

1. Reconnect the device to the computer again
2. Wait for the Windows to detect and recognize the device.
3. If the system doesn’t recognize the device, right-click on the Windows icon and click on Device Manager
4. Look for the Device Category that houses the driver for the hardware device. Click on the expansion icon.
5. If the problematic hardware device comes up in the Device Manager window, double-click on it.
6. In the device Properties window, the troubled hardware device will show up.
7. From the General tab, check the box under the Device status. 

If a message “This device is working properly” comes up, your issue has been resolved.

Solution 2: Check Hardware for Issues

If the error message “Currently, this hardware device is not connected (Code 45)” does not get resolved, check your hardware for any physical damage. Also, check the connecting cable and the ports. If the problematic hardware device works fine with another PC, the issue is with your system. If not, the issue is with the hardware.

Solution 3: Update The Problematic Device Driver

It is also possible that a device driver associated with the problematic device is outdated. Or perhaps, the driver has certain inconsistencies or irregularities. The driver update will bring in new settings and code to the old version of the driver. So, it is a good measure to try and update the problematic device driver. 

Follow the steps given below to do so:

1. Press Windows + R keys on your PC to open the Device Manager. The Run utility will open up. Type in devmgmt.msc in the given field and click the OK button.
2. In the Device Manager window, look for the problematic device and click on it to expand the list of drivers.

3. Right-click on the problematic device driver and click the Update Driver Software option from the dropdown menu. The update driver dialog will open up asking you how you wish to proceed with the driver update.
4. In the new window that comes up, click on Search automatically for the updated driver software option. Your system will search for the required driver online. If it finds an update, that will be downloaded and proceeded to install.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to start the driver update.
6. When you have successfully updated the device driver, restart your system to apply the changes. 

Note: If you find that the device driver is already up to date, reinstall the device driver.

Solution 4: Uninstall And Reinstall Problematic Device Driver

Another way to fix a hardware issue is reinstalling the device driver. The problematic device might have something wrong with its settings, code, or setup. The reinstallation operation includes uninstalling and reinstalling the driver. This means that a huge number of changes occur in the driver’s code.

Before uninstalling the problematic driver, download the latest device driver on your system. The steps given below will show you how to do the same:

1. Open the Device Manager by pressing the Win+R keys. In the Run box, type in devmgmt.msc and press the Enter key.
2. From the Device Manager window, right-click on the problematic driver and click on Uninstall.
3. Once the driver gets uninstalled from your system, restart your computer. 
4. When Windows is up and running, it realizes that an important driver is missing, it will now proceed to look for and install the missing driver.

Note: If after uninstalling and restarting the Windows system, things didn’t go as planned, connect the hardware affected and allow Windows to detect it.

5. If the above procedure doesn’t happen, run the downloaded driver file and install it.
6. Restart your PC and check if the error is gone or not.

Solution 5: Run The Hardware And Devices Troubleshooter

The Windows OS comes packed with troubleshooters to help you with various issues. You can try using the Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter to fix the code 45 error. Here’s how to use it:

1. Press the Windows + I keys to open the Settings app. Click on the Update & Security option in the Settings app.
2. Now, in the Settings menu, from the right pane, click on the Troubleshoot option.
3. Click on Hardware and Devices from the right panel and then, click on the Run the troubleshooter button.

4. The troubleshooter will now scan the device for hardware issues.

5. If you find that the troubleshooter has found some problems, click on Apply this fix.

After the troubleshooting is finished, you need to restart the computer. Once you have restarted the system, open the Device Manager app and check if the error is gone or not.

Alternate Way to Run the Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter:

1. Type in Powershell in the Windows search bar and right-click when the search result comes up.
2. Click on Run as administrator.
3. When the PowerShell admin window comes up, execute the following command:

msdt exe -id DeviceDiagnostic

4. Now, the Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter dialog will open up. Click on Next
5. Follow the on-screen instructions and perform the recommended tasks.
6. Once troubleshooting is finished, close the troubleshooter window and restart your system
7. Reconnect the problematic hardware and check if it works fine or not

Yet another way to run the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter is as follows:

1. Open the Control Panel.
2. In the Control Panel window, change View By to large icons and click on Troubleshooting

3. Click on Hardware and Sound and click on whichever external hardware device is troubling you to troubleshoot it.

Solution 6: Run The SFC Scan

The System File Checker (SFC) is a tool that can scan your system files for corruption and other issues. It also works to repair all broken or damaged files by replacing them with healthy versions.

If the issues that resulted in the error code 45 are due to corrupted files, then, this scan will get things back up and working again. Follow the given steps to run the System File Checker scan:

1. Press the Windows + X keys and the Windows menu will come up. Click on Command Prompt (Admin) option from the list.
2. Type in sfc/scannow in the Command Prompt window and press the Enter key. The scan will begin.
3. Once the scan is complete, restart your computer and check if the error code 45 is gone or not.
4. Reconnect the hardware you have been facing problems with and check if Windows can recognize it.

Solution 7: Run A DISM Scan

A Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM) utility can check your system files, installation packages, Windows image, and so on. This tool will get rid of all errors and discrepancies. If error 45 has come up due to improper composition of system files, the DISM scan will be able to fix it.

Given below are the steps you need to follow to run a DISM scan:

1. Open the Command Prompt window with admin privileges. 
2. Enter the following command in the Command Prompt window:

Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /ScanHealth
Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth

3. Wait till the scan is completed and exit the Command Prompt.

Solution 8: Run The CHKDSK Scan

The Disk Check tool is used to check file systems and drives for bad sectors, errors, etc. that can affect the integrity of disks. Certain issues with your PC’s hard drive gave rise to the error 45. Follow the steps given below to use the CHKDSK scan to resolve any hard drive issues that your computer may have:

1. Open the Command Prompt in admin mode. For this, type in cmd in the Windows search bar and select Run as administrator.
2. If you are prompted by a User Account Control dialog or window, click on Yes to confirm the operation.
3. Type in chkdsk /f in the command prompt and press Enter key to execute the command.

4. Wait till the scan is completed and restart your PC.
5. Connect the troubled hardware and check if the error persists.

Solution 9: Update Windows 10 Version

Perhaps, your system is unable to recognize the hardware device in concern because it needs to update. Go through the following steps to know how to update your Windows OS:

1. Press the Windows + I keys to open up the Settings menu.
2. Click on Update & Security option

3. In the new window, select the Windows Update option from the left pane and click on Check for Updates.
4. The Windows OS will start searching if an update is available. Follow the on-screen instructions to begin the update process. 

Once the update is complete, restart your device and check if the hardware device is not connected error is resolved or not.

Final Words

The error code 45 is a common hardware issue faced by a lot of Windows 10 users. We hope the above solutions have helped fix the “Currently this hardware device is connected” error. If the above solutions didn’t help, you should try replacing the troubled hardware device.