Fix 0XC00D0072: No Specified Device Driver Found

Quick answer for advanced users: Open Device Manager, find your audio or video capture device, uninstall it (check "Delete the driver software for this device"), then scan for hardware changes to reinstall the driver automatically.

This error — 0XC00D0072, also called NS_E_NO_SPECIFIED_DEVICE — shows up when Windows Media Player, a video editing app, or a recording tool can't find a WDM (Windows Driver Model) driver for your hardware. It's not a codec issue. It's not a file format issue. It's a driver missing or corrupt issue. I've seen this most often on Windows 10 after a driver update failed, or when someone plugged in a USB microphone or capture card while the system was asleep. The device works in Device Manager but the app can't talk to it.

How to Fix 0XC00D0072

1. Identify the failing device – Open Device Manager (right-click Start > Device Manager). Look under Audio inputs and outputs, Sound, video and game controllers, or Imaging devices for anything with a yellow exclamation mark or a device you recently added. If you don't see a warning, that doesn't mean the driver is good — WDM drivers can appear healthy but be mismatched.
2. Uninstall the driver completely – Right-click the suspect device and select Uninstall device. Important: In the pop-up dialog, check the box that says "Delete the driver software for this device." If you skip this step, Windows will just reinstall the same bad driver. After clicking Uninstall, the device should disappear from the list.
3. Reinstall the driver – With the device still uninstalled, go to the Action menu in Device Manager and select Scan for hardware changes. Windows should detect the hardware and install the correct driver automatically. After the scan finishes, you'll see the device reappear, usually with no warning icon. Now test whatever app gave you the 0XC00D0072 error. It should work.

If the main fix doesn't work

Sometimes the automatic driver is still wrong. Here's what else to try:

• Download the driver from the manufacturer's site – Go to the device maker's support page (Realtek, NVIDIA, Elgato, Logitech, etc.) and grab the latest driver for your exact Windows version. Run the installer and reboot.
• Use the generic Windows driver – In Device Manager, right-click the device, choose Update driver > Browse my computer for drivers > Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer. Pick "USB Audio Device" or "High Definition Audio Device" if available. These generic WDM drivers are rock-solid for most microphones and speakers.
• Check for conflicting devices – If you have multiple audio or video devices plugged in, disconnect all but the one you need. I've seen a cheap USB video capture card conflict with a built-in webcam driver, causing 0XC00D0072 on both.

How to prevent this from coming back

• Turn off automatic driver updates via Windows Update – Windows 10 and 11 love to overwrite your working driver with a newer but broken one. Go to Settings > System > About > Advanced system settings > Hardware tab > Device Installation Settings and choose "No (your device might not work as expected)." This stops Windows from pushing driver updates for that device.
• Don't plug in devices while the PC is sleeping – That's a common trigger. If you need to connect a new device, do it while the PC is awake and logged in.
• Keep a backup of your working driver – If you find a driver version that works, use a tool like Double Driver to back it up. Saves you hours later.

One more thing: If none of this works, check if the device is actually plugged into a USB 2.0 port instead of USB 3.0. Some older capture cards and microphones have WDM driver problems on USB 3.0 controllers. Switching ports has fixed 0XC00D0072 for me twice this year alone.