DeviceInBox

Identifying a "PCI Device" that has no driver

DeviceInBox editorial team · Last updated September 17, 2026

When Windows can't work out even what kind of device it is dealing with, it lists it simply as "PCI Device" under Other devices, with the status "The drivers for this device are not installed. (Code 28)". Other vague names such as "PCI Simple Communications Controller", "Base System Device" or "SM Bus Controller" come from the same situation. Whatever the name, the hardware ID tells you what the device really is.

Other devices showing PCI Device, PCI Memory Controller and Storage Controller
The generic name only says the card answered on the bus.

Copy the hardware ID

  1. Open Device Manager (Win+X, then Device Manager).
  2. Right-click PCI Device, choose Properties and open the Details tab.
  3. Select "Hardware Ids" and copy the first line, for example PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_5229&SUBSYS_....

The Location field on the General tab ("PCI bus 3, device 0, function 0" and so on) only describes where the device sits, not what it is.

General tab of a PCI Device showing the bus location line
The Location line places the card, the hardware ID identifies it.

Search for it

Our search reads the VEN/DEV part and opens the page for that device with all available drivers, newest first. If you'd rather decode the ID yourself, see how to read hardware IDs.

PCI hardware ID split into vendor, device and device class codes
The CC_ part names the device class even when the vendor code means nothing to you.

What "PCI Device" usually turns out to be

VEN codeMakerTypical deviceWhere to look
10ECRealtekPCIe card reader (RTS52xx), network adapterCard readers, LAN
8086IntelChipset functions, Management Engine, Wi-Fi, Serial IOChipset, Wi-Fi
1022AMDChipset functions (PSP, GPIO, SMBus)Chipset
10DE / 1002NVIDIA / AMDGraphics card or its HDMI audio functionVideo cards
14E4BroadcomWi-Fi, Ethernet or card readerWi-Fi, LAN
168C / 17CBQualcomm AtherosWi-Fi adapterWi-Fi
14C3MediaTekWi-Fi 6, 6E or 7 adapterWi-Fi
1217O2 Micro / BayHubSD card readerCard readers
1B21ASMediaUSB 3.x or SATA controllerUSB, SATA / RAID

On laptops, the most frequent "PCI Device" of all is a Realtek PCIe card reader:

Hardware IDDeviceDrivers
PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_5229RTS5229 PCI Express Card Reader3
PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_5227RTS5227 PCI Express Card Reader10
PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_522ARTS522A PCI Express Card Reader10
PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_5249RTS5249 PCI Express Card Reader10
PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_524ARTS524A PCI Express Card Reader10
PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_525ARTS525A PCI Express Card Reader10
PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_5260PCIE CardReader9
PCI\VEN_10EC&DEV_5287Realtek PCIE CardReader10

Install the driver

  1. On the driver page, check that your hardware ID is in the supported list and that the driver fits your Windows version.
  2. Run the installer as administrator. For packages without an installer, use Update driver and "Browse my computer for drivers" in Device Manager.
  3. Restart the computer.
Four steps from copying the ID to the device getting its real name
The ID carries you through all four steps.

If nothing matches

  • Install the chipset driver for your platform first. It often clears several unknown PCI devices at once (see the chipset guide).
  • Check Settings, Windows Update, Advanced options, Optional updates, Driver updates.
  • On a laptop, go to the manufacturer's support page for your exact model. The last four digits of the SUBSYS code tell you who made it: 1028 is Dell, 103C is HP, 17AA is Lenovo, 1043 is ASUS and 1025 is Acer.

More guides