Moving a hard drive to new hardware - Knowledgebase

Here's a PowerShell script that resets Windows drivers after moving a hard drive to new hardware. It forces Windows to detect and install the correct drivers by removing non-present devices and resetting the Plug and Play (PnP) configuration.

# Run this script as Administrator

Write-Host "Resetting Windows drivers for new hardware..."

# Remove all non-present devices
Write-Host "Removing non-present devices..."
$NonPresentDevices = Get-PnpDevice | Where-Object { $_.Status -eq "Unknown" -or $_.Status -eq "Error" }
foreach ($device in $NonPresentDevices) {
    Write-Host "Removing: $($device.FriendlyName)"
    pnputil /remove-device $device.InstanceId
}

# Reset the Plug and Play configuration
Write-Host "Resetting Plug and Play configuration..."
pnputil /scan-devices

# Refresh the device manager
Write-Host "Refreshing Device Manager..."
Start-Process "devmgmt.msc" -ArgumentList "/refresh"

# Restart Windows to apply changes
$choice = Read-Host "Do you want to restart the computer now? (Y/N)"
if ($choice -match "^[Yy]$") {
    Write-Host "Restarting in 10 seconds..."
    Start-Sleep -Seconds 10
    Restart-Computer -Force
} else {
    Write-Host "Please restart your computer manually to complete the process."
}

Write-Host "Driver reset process completed."

How It Works:

Removes Non-Present Devices – Uninstalls ghost devices from the previous hardware.
Rescans for Devices – Forces Windows to detect new hardware and install appropriate drivers.
Refreshes Device Manager – Ensures immediate application of changes.
Restart Prompt – Gives the user an option to restart for a full reset.

Run the script as an Administrator after moving the hard drive to new hardware.

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