How To Fix Code 32 Errors

"A driver (service) for this device has been disabled. An alternate driver may be providing this functionality. (Code 32)"

Code 32 errors are usually caused when the start type for the hardware device's driver is disabled in the registry.

Error Code 32 Troubleshooting

1. Restart your computer if you haven't already restarted it at least once after seeing the Code 32 error. There's always the chance that the error Code 32 you're seeing on a device was caused by a temporary problem with the hardware.
   
2. Did you install a device or make a change in Device Manager just before the Code 32 error appeared? If so, it's likely that the change you made caused the Code 32 error.
   
   Undo the change if you can, restart your computer, and then check again for the Code 32 error.
   
   Depending on the changes you made, some solutions might include:
   
   • Remove or reconfigure the newly installed device.
   • Roll back the driver to a version prior to your update.
   • Use System Restore to undo recent Device Manager related changes.
    
3. Delete the UpperFilters and LowerFilters registry values. One common cause of Code 32 errors is the corruption of two registry values in the DVD/CD-ROM Drive Class registry key.
   
   
   
   1. Click on the Start button. If you're using Windows XP, also click on Run.
   2. In the search box (Windows 7 and Windows Vista) or the Run text box (Windows XP) type regedit and click OK or press the ENTER key. This will open the Registry Editor program. Important: Changes to the registry are made in these steps. Take care in making only the changes outlined below. While it's not a necessary step to complete this process, I recommend that you play it safe by backing up the registry keys you're modifying.
   3. Locate the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE folder under Computer/My Computer and click the |> or (+) icon next to the folder name to expand the folder.
   4. Continue to expand folders until you reach the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class registry key.
   5. Click on the |> or (+) icon next to the Class key to expand it. You should see a long list of subkeys open up under Class that look something like this: {4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}.
      Note: Each 32-digit subkey is unique and corresponds to a particular type, or class, of hardware in Device Manager.
   6. Determine the Correct Class GUID for the Hardware Device. Using below table, find the correct Class GUID corresponding to the type of hardware that you're seeing the Device Manager error code for.
      
      Popular Device Class GUIDs
      
      

      Class	GUID	Device Description
      CDROM	4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318	CD/DVD/Blu-ray drives
      DiskDrive	4D36E967-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318	Hard drives
      Display	4D36E968-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318	Video adapters
      FDC	4D36E969-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318	Floppy controllers
      FloppyDisk	4D36E980-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318	Floppy drives
      HDC	4D36E96A-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318	Hard drive controllers
      HIDClass	745A17A0-74D3-11D0-B6FE-00A0C90F57DA	Some USB devices
      1394	6BDD1FC1-810F-11D0-BEC7-08002BE2092F	IEEE 1394 host controller
      Image	6BDD1FC6-810F-11D0-BEC7-08002BE2092F	Cameras and scanners
      Keyboard	4D36E96B-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318	Keyboards
      Modem	4D36E96D-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318	Modems
      Mouse	4D36E96F-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318	Mice and pointing devices
      Media	4D36E96C-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318	Audio and video devices
      Net	4D36E972-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318	Network adapters
      Ports	4D36E978-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318	Serial and parallel ports
      SCSIAdapter	4D36E97B-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318	SCSI and RAID controllers
      System	4D36E97D-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318	System buses, bridges, etc.
      USB	36FC9E60-C465-11CF-8056-444553540000	USB host controllers and hubs

      
      
      For example, let's say your DVD drive is showing a Code 39 error in Device Manager. According to the list above, the GUID for CD/DVD devices is 4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318. Once you know this GUID, you can continue to Step 7.
   7. Click the registry subkey corresponding to the device's Class GUID that you determined in the last step.
      
      In the results that appear on the window on the right, locate the UpperFilters and LowerFilters values.
      
      Note: If you don't see either registry values listed, this solution isn't for you. Double check that you're looking at the correct device class but if you're sure you are, you'll have to try a different solution: How to Fix Device Manager Error Codes.
      Note: If you only see one or the other value, that's fine. Just complete Step 9 or Step 10 below.
   8. Right-click on UpperFilters and choose Delete.
   9. Choose Yes to the "Deleting certain registry values could cause system instability. Are you sure you want to permanently delete this value?" question.
   10. Repeat Step 9 with the LowerFilters value.
       
       Note: You might also see an UpperFilters.bak or LowerFilters.bak value but you do not need to delete either of these. Deleting them probably won't hurt anything but neither one is causing the Device Manager error code you're seeing.
   11. Close Registry Editor.
   12. Restart your computer.
   13. Check to see if deleting the UpperFilters and LowerFilters registry values solved your problem.
   
   If you've completed these steps due to a Device Manager error code, you can view the device's status to see if the error code is gone. If you're here because of a missing DVD or CD drive, check Computer or My Computer and see if your drive has reappeared.
   
   Important: It may be necessary to reinstall any programs designed to utilize the device you've removed the UpperFilters and LowerFilters values for. For example, if you removed these values for the DVD/CD device, you may have to reinstall your DVD burning software.
   
   Tips:
   
   Do you still have a yellow exclamation mark in Device Manager even after removing the UpperFilters and LowerFilters values in the registry?
   
   I recommend returning to the troubleshooting information for your error code and proceeding with some other ideas. Most Device Manager error codes have several possible solutions.
   
   Having trouble using the registry, finding the correct Class GUID for your device, or deleting the UpperFilters and LowerFilters values? See Get More Help for information about contacting me on social networks or via email, posting on tech support forums, and more.
   
   
   
4. Reinstall the drivers for the device. Uninstalling and then reinstalling the drivers for the device is another likely solution to a Code 32 error. This should correctly reset the start type in the registry.
   
   Important: If a USB device is generating the Code 32 error, uninstall every device under the Universal Serial Bus controllers hardware category in Device Manager as part of the driver reinstall. This includes any USB Mass Storage Device, USB Host Controller, and USB Root Hub.
   
   Note: Correctly reinstalling a driver, as in the instructions linked above, is not the same as simply updating a driver. A full driver reinstall involves completely removing the currently installed driver and then letting Windows install it over again from scratch.
   
5. Update the drivers for the device. Installing the latest drivers from the manufacturer for a device with the Code 32 error is another possible fix for this problem.
   
6. Manually change the driver's start type in the registry. This is the most direct solution to the Code 32 error and should fix the problem if the previous three troubleshooting steps didn't work.
   
   Note: This will likely be the fix if you find the driver's start type in the registry as 0x00000004 which means that it's disabled. The correct start type depends on the driver. For example, cdrom should have a start type of 0x00000001.
   
7. Replace the hardware. As a last resort, you might need to replace the hardware that has the Code 32 error.
   
   While not very likely, it is also possible that the device is not compatible with your version of Windows. This might be an issue if the hardware with the Code 32 error was manufactured many years ago or if your operating system is several versions old. You can reference the Windows HCL if you think this might be a possibility.
   
   Note: If you're sure that the hardware itself isn't the cause of this particular Code 32 error, you could try a repair install of Windows. If that's not successful, you could then try a clean install of Windows. I don't recommend doing either of those before you try replacing the hardware, but you may have to give them a shot if you're out of other options.