"Found New Hardware" Balloons - Enable or Disable

How to Enable or Disable "Found New Hardware" Balloons During Device Installation​

   Information

When a PnP device is first connected to a run-time image, the run-time image typically displays a Found New Hardware balloon pop-up that reports detection of the device and, when applicable, begins the driver installation process.

This will show you how to enable or disable the Found New Hardware notification area balloons like Installing device driver software from displaying while a device is being installed in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8.

You must be logged in as an administrator to be able to do the steps in this tutorial.

EXAMPLE: "Installing device driver software" notification area balloon message

OPTION ONE

Enable or Disable "Found New Hardware" Message using REG File

1. To Enable "Found New Hardware" Balloons
NOTE: This is the default setting.
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 3 below.
Enable_Found-New-Hardware_Balloons.reg


Download


2. To Disable "Found New Hardware" Balloons
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 3 below.
Disable_Found-New-Hardware_Balloons.reg

Download


3. Save the .reg file to your desktop.

4. Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.

5. Click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC-Windows 7/8) or Continue (UAC-Vista), Yes, and OK when prompted.

6. When finished, you can delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.

OPTION TWO

Enable or Disable "Found New Hardware" Message using Group Policy

1. Open the Local Group Policy Editor.

2. In the left pane, click on the arrow to expand Computer Configuration, Administrative Templates, System, then click on Device Installation. (see screenshot below)

3. In the right pane of Device Installation, double click/tap on Turn off "Found New Hardware" balloons during device installation. (see screenshot above)

4. To Enable "Found New Hardware" Balloons
A) Select (dot) Not Configured or Disabled, and go to step 6 below. (see screenshot below step 6)
NOTE: Not Configured is the default setting.
5. To Disable "Found New Hardware" Balloons
A) Select (dot) Enabled, and go to step 6 below. (see screenshot below step 6)
6. Click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)

7. Close the Local Group Policy Editor.
That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Change the Device Driver and Information Installation Settings in Windows 7
• Turn Off Windows 7 Automatic Driver Installation
• How to Hide or Show System Icons and Notifications in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Enable or Disable Balloon Notifications in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8
• How to Change How Long Notifications Stay Open in Windows 7
• How to Change How Long Notifications Stay Open in Windows 8

 

[panais]

As always perfect tutorial Shawn!!

 

[Brink]

Thank you Panais.

 

[panais]

You are welcome!

 

[StalkeR]

Nice tut Shawn!

 

[Brink]

Thank you Boshko.

 

[A Guy]

Another great tute Shawn. Thanks for all your work here

A Guy

 

[Brink]

You're welcome Bill, and thank you.

 

[Britton30]

Another really good one Shawn!

Will this disable the automatic install of drivers? When using Revo uninstall to upgrade a GFX driver for example, Windows will try to install what is had availble. I'd like to be able to disable that "helpfullness".

 

[Brink]

Hello Gary.

Nar, it will only disable the notification balloon message from appearing. That's all.

To disable automatic driver update and installation, you would need to select the Never install driver software from Windows Update option in the tutorial below instead.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2803-device-installation-settings.html

 

[Britton30]

Cool, Thanks Shawn, I found it in steps 5 & 6.

 

[Brink]

Great news. You're welcome mate.

 

[soewhaty]

Hello Gary.

Nar, it will only disable the notification balloon message from appearing. That's all.

To disable automatic driver update and installation, you would need to select the Never install driver software from Windows Update option in the tutorial below instead.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2803-device-installation-settings.html

Hi Brink

When you say

To disable automatic driver update and installation, you would need to select the 'Never install driver software from Windows Update' option in the tutorial below instead.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2803-device-installation-settings.html

do you only mean that this prevents Windows from finding drivers from Windows Update or does it also prevent Windows from finding drivers on the local hard disk?

Correct this if it is wrong but I read in another forum that if a device is missing drivers Windows 7 automatically starts looking over the hard drive if you're not connected to the internet to find a compatible driver for a device on the PC. When I say a device I kinda mean GPU, as that's the main target of my query now. I feel that this is exactly what windows is doing cos i totally clean my GPU drivers and then windows finds something again and installs it. As I understand, your tutorial http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/2803-device-installation-settings.html solves my problem on the online side, but does your tip also prevent Windows from searching for drivers on my local hard disk?

Thanks in advance! Help will be greatly appreciated!

 

[Brink]

Hello soewhaty, and welcome to Seven Forums.

This tutorial would only enable or disable the Found New Hardware balloon pop-up from displaying whenever a PnP device is first connected to your computer. It doesn't stop it from searching for and installing any new drivers if needed.

The other tutorial is for automatically downloading needed or new drivers through Windows Update or not.

 

[soewhaty]

Hello soewhaty, and welcome to Seven Forums.

This tutorial would only enable or disable the Found New Hardware balloon pop-up from displaying whenever a PnP device is first connected to your computer. It doesn't stop it from searching for and installing any new drivers if needed.

The other tutorial is for automatically downloading needed or new drivers through Windows Update or not.

Hi

Thank you for the reply! My question was indeed targetet at the other tutorial, not this one. Could you still answer it, please?

As I said:

Correct this if it is wrong but I read in another forum that if a device is missing drivers Windows 7 automatically starts looking over the hard drive if you're not connected to the internet to find a compatible driver for a device on the PC. When I say a device I kinda mean GPU, as that's the main target of my query now. I feel that this is exactly what windows is doing cos i totally clean my GPU drivers and then windows finds something again and installs it. As I understand, your tutorial http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials...-settings.html solves my problem on the online side, but does your tip also prevent Windows from searching for drivers on my local hard disk?

Thanks in advance! Help will be greatly appreciated!

 

[Brink]

That is correct, but the other tutorial is only for allowing Windows to automatically install drivers from Windows Updates. It doesn't stop Windows from searching for drivers in other locations.

 

[soewhaty]

That is correct, but the other tutorial is only for allowing Windows to automatically install drivers from Windows Updates. It doesn't stop Windows from searching for drivers in other locations.

OK, thank you for the reply! That is what I was asking. I was exactly asking if your other tutorial prevents Windows from automatically searching by itself in other locations. Sad to hear it doesn't but now I tested it and it seems it does. Back in the days, as I said, Windows used to auto-find drivers somewhere from my PC (I think, but it might have also been from the net) and install them without my knowledge or permission. Now when I followed your other tutorial it kinda seemed it does not do that any more. I set the settings to - Never install driver software from Win Update. So for now it seemed as though it did the trick. Do you concur or I am missing something here?

Thanks in advance!

 

[soewhaty]

That is correct, but the other tutorial is only for allowing Windows to automatically install drivers from Windows Updates. It doesn't stop Windows from searching for drivers in other locations.

and so if you say your method from the other tutorial does not solve my problem, then is there another way to STOP AND PROHIBIT Windows from searching for drivers in other locations on my hard disk?

 

[Brink]

I'm not aware of a way to completely prevent Windows from searching for drivers.

 

[soewhaty]

I'm not aware of a way to completely prevent Windows from searching for drivers.

10x! your other tutorial is probably the only way to somewhat achieve that ... it's uncertain as to whether or not it fully prevents Windows from searching elsewhere for drivers. To me it seems that it DOES, but cannot speak for certain. It's only a trial and error situation so far so I dare not say anything big. But since my GPU now does not automatically pick up any of the existing drivers in my hdd, then that makes me think your other tutorial was the key ... who knows.