How to fix 'Base System Device' error in Device Manager

So what is Base System Device and how can I fix the warning it gives you in Device Manager?

What is Base System Device Error?

The Base System Device is a hardware component that is connected to the PC. For example, it could be a motherboard chipset, a Bluetooth transmitter component, or an SD card reader.

The reason it appears as "Base System Device" is because your system cannot properly interact with the device. This is usually because your computer doesn't have an official device driver to work with.

The Base System Devices that appear on your Device Manager usually have a small yellow exclamation mark and are classified as Other devices.

How to fix 'Base System Device' error in Device Manager Picture 1

How to fix Base System Device errors in Device Manager

You can usually fix Base System Device errors by installing the respective device's driver. This then gives the PC something to work with and allows it to communicate with the appropriate device.

1. Install the driver manually from the manufacturer's website

The first place you must visit to download the correct driver from the device manufacturer. You can tell Windows to find the driver for you, but this is most likely caused by Windows not finding anything to download.

If you don't have the original driver disc for your device, try searching online for the device name or device manufacturer. Then, go to the manufacturer's website and download the relevant drivers. For example, if you want to install drivers for your Intel-based chipset, you can use Intel's Chipset Installation Utility.

When you find the appropriate driver, right click on Base System Device from Device Manager and select Update driver. On the following screen, select Browse my computer for drivers and navigate to the folder where you have stored the driver files.

How to fix 'Base System Device' error in Device Manager Picture 2

Select them and complete the steps to install.

2. Let Windows find and download the driver

If you want to try the automatic Windows update feature, go to the Update Driver menu as above. However, select Search automatically for drivers instead of Browse my computer for drivers.

Windows will then search for an appropriate driver. If it finds it, you can install the driver by following the setup steps that Windows provides. If not, you can try running Windows Update to see if that helps.

How to fix 'Base System Device' error in Device Manager Picture 3

Note that this will identify all available updates to the system. If there are several updates available, you will need to see the list of updates to verify if the driver you are looking for is there.

Hopefully you can determine what the Base System Device is on your PC, find the appropriate driver, and fix the problem.

If the problem can't be fixed, there's likely something wrong with your hardware. You can test using the hardware on another PC. For example, you can plug the SD card into another PC and see if it works fine.

However, if you are having trouble updating or finding the right driver, you may want to try a third-party driver updater.

Kareem Winters

Update 09 December 2021