Base System Device driver: how to identify and fix it

Updated Sep 17, 2026

Base System Device is the name Windows uses for a device of the “base system peripheral” PCI class when no driver is installed. It is listed under Other devices with a yellow warning sign. The class is broad, but in practice the device is almost always one of these:

• a built-in SD / MMC card reader (O2 Micro / BayHub, Ricoh, JMicron, Broadcom);
• an Intel chipset or processor component, such as the Gaussian Mixture Model device, power management or Serial IO controllers;
• the VMware VMCI device when Windows runs inside a VMware virtual machine.

Step 1. Find out what the device is

1. Right-click Base System Device → Properties → Details → Hardware Ids.
2. Read the VEN_ and DEV_ codes (how to read hardware IDs):
   • VEN_1217 — O2 Micro / BayHub card reader → card reader driver
   • VEN_1180 — Ricoh card reader
   • VEN_197B — JMicron card reader
   • VEN_14E4 with a card reader device name — Broadcom card reader
   • VEN_8086 — Intel chipset/processor component → Intel drivers
   • VEN_15AD — VMware → install or repair VMware Tools inside the virtual machine

If several Base System Devices are listed, check each one — they can be different components.

Step 2a. SD card readers

Card readers are the most common cause. Install the driver for your reader’s hardware ID; after installation the device moves to SD host adapters or Memory technology devices.

Recent O2 Micro / BayHub packages:

• BayHubTech Integrated MMC/SD controller(Generic) Driver 2.1.101.10740 (Mar 5, 2026, Windows 10, 11)
• O2Micro BayHubTech Integrated MMC/SD BH-778 controller Drivers 2.1.101.10700 (Apr 9, 2024, Windows 10, 11)
• O2Micro BayHubTech Integrated MMC/SD BH-778 controller Driver 2.1.101.10690 (Jan 15, 2024, Windows 10, 11)

More in card reader drivers. On laptops, also check the laptop maker’s support page — card reader drivers are often listed under “Chipset” or “Storage”.

Step 2b. Intel components

Most Intel base system devices are identified by Intel Chipset Device Software:

• Intel Chipset Device Software Driver 10.1.20003.8622 (Nov 5, 2024, Windows 10, 11)
• Intel Chipset Device Software Driver 10.1.19900.8599 (Jul 20, 2024, Windows 10, 11)
• Intel Chipset Device Software Driver 10.1.19913.8607 (Jul 9, 2024, Windows 10, 11)

A few devices need their own package from the laptop or motherboard maker:

• PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_1911 — Intel Gaussian Mixture Model (used for low-power voice wake-up on Skylake and later). Install the chipset package; if it remains unknown, the model-specific audio or chipset driver from the laptop maker covers it.
• Intel Serial IO controllers (I2C, UART, GPIO) — the Intel Serial IO driver; without it touchpads and sensors on some laptops do not work.

Step 3. Restart and verify

Restart the computer after installing drivers and open Device Manager again. If the device is still listed, right-click it → Update driver → Search automatically for drivers. As a last resort, check Settings → Windows Update → Advanced options → Optional updates, where Windows offers drivers from hardware makers.

Related: PCI Device without a driver · SM Bus Controller · PCI Data Acquisition and Signal Processing Controller

Related guides

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• Unknown USB Device (Device Descriptor Request Failed)
• Code 43: device reported problems
• Code 10: this device cannot start
• SM Bus Controller driver
• PCI Simple Communications Controller
• PCI Data Acquisition and Signal Processing Controller
• PCI Device driver missing