DeviceCleanup V1.0.

0 - Removes non-present devices from the Windows device

management
Freeware by Uwe Sieber - www.uwe-sieber.de

Works under Window 2000, XP and higher

On x64 Windows only the x64 release can delete devices.

All devices listed by DeviceCleanup are currently not present, usually they have
the problem
code 45 which is CM_PROB_PHANTOM, "The devinst currently exists only in the
registry".

You can select one, multiple or all devices and remove them by pressing the Delete
key or
right-click and select "Remove Device". If the device is attached again it will be
detected as new.

The 'last used' time comes from the write time of the device's registry key
under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum

On some Windows the times are set on startup or even while it is running every few
hours,
so all devices seem to have the same age. On a Windows 7 the Sysinternal
ProcessMonitor
shows a recurring RegSetKeySecurity caused by a svchost.exe hosting the PlugPlay
service
every 11 hours 45 minutes. No idea what is causing it. I you want to check
yourself:
Set a filter "operation is RegSetKeySecurity" and set the option "Filter -> Drop
filtered
events", otherwise your pagefile (or other backing file) gets flooded in no time.

On most Windows the time is set when the device gets active, so it makes sense to
use this as
'last used' time.

If the last device using a certain COM-port is removed then the reservation under
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\COM Name Arbiter
Since Windows 10 version 1903 there is a sub-key "Devices" here where Windows keeps
track of COM-ports
and their devices. Windows uses this toremove the reservation when a COM-port
device is uninstalled.
Finally after 25 years...

For removing devices admin privileges are required, otherwise you get an access
denied error.

A command line version is available too:

http://www.uwe-sieber.de/misc_tools_e.html#devicecleanupcmd

Licence: Freeware
Allowed:
- usage in any environment, including commercial
- include in software products, including commercial
- include on CD/DVD of computer magazines
- making available for download by means of package managers

Not allowed:
- modify any of the files
- offer for download by means of a "downloader" software

Uwe Sieber, mail@uwe-sieber.de

April 2020