Quick answer for pros
Run pnputil /enum-drivers to find corrupted third-party drivers. Delete them with pnputil /delete-driver followed by the INF. Then rescan hardware in Device Manager.
What's going on here?
This error shows up when Windows tries to install a driver and hits a line in the INF file that isn't formatted right. The culprit is almost always a partial driver download, a corrupted USB stick, or leftover driver files from a previous failed install. I see this most often on Windows 10/11 machines after a user plugs in a cheap USB-to-serial adapter or a printer that was yanked out mid-install. The error code 0x800F0001 is specific to the Device Install Service (Device Setup Manager). It's not a hardware fault, it's a file structure problem.
Fix steps (do in order)
- Run the Windows PnP utility — Open Command Prompt as admin. Type
pnputil /enum-drivers. Look for any driver marked with 'Published Name' and a date that's today or yesterday. Third-party drivers (especially from companies like Prolific, FTDI, or Realtek) are the usual suspects. Note the INF filename, likeoem123.inf. - Delete the bad driver — Run
pnputil /delete-driver oem123.inf /uninstall /force. Replaceoem123.infwith the actual name from step 1. Say yes when prompted. This removes the corrupted INF and its binary files. - Rescan hardware — Open Device Manager, click 'Action' > 'Scan for hardware changes'. Windows will re-detect the device and ask for the driver again. Point it to a clean download from the manufacturer's site. Don't use the original file you downloaded earlier unless you re-downloaded it.
Alternative fixes if the main one fails
- Clean up Driver Store — Run
dism /online /cleanup-image /scanhealththensfc /scannow. Sometimes the driver cache gets corrupted. This won't fix the INF directly but can clear underlying corruption. - Manually delete INF cache — Go to
C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository. Sort by 'Date modified'. Look for folders with a recent timestamp and a name matching the device. Delete the whole folder. Be careful here — don't delete system drivers (like those from Microsoft). Only delete third-party ones. - Use Device Manager removal — If pnputil fails, right-click the device in Device Manager, choose 'Uninstall device', and check 'Delete the driver software for this device'. Then unplug the device, reboot, plug it back in.
- Disable driver signing — This is a last resort. Use
bcdedit /set testsigning onat an admin command prompt to enable test mode. This skips signature checks but also makes your system less secure. Revert withbcdedit /set testsigning offafter install.
Prevention tip
Always download drivers directly from the chipset manufacturer's website. Sites like 'drivers.com' or 'driverupdate.net' often serve partial or repackaged INF files that break. If you're using a USB device, don't unplug it during the driver install — wait for Windows to finish or cancel it properly via Device Manager.
Also, keep your system updated. Windows 10 22H2 and Windows 11 24H2 have better handling of broken INF files, but they won't fix a file that's already corrupted. If you see this error repeatedly with the same device, bin the device. Cheap hardware often ships with sloppy INF files that don't follow Windows driver specs.
When to give up and reinstall
If you've tried everything above and the error persists, it might be a system file corruption deeper than the driver cache. Run a Windows 11/10 repair install (in-place upgrade) using the Media Creation Tool. That preserves your files but replaces all system files including the Driver Store. Takes about 45 minutes but saves you from a full wipe.
One more thing: check the Windows Event Viewer under 'System' for source 'DeviceSetupManager' with ID 131. That log entry will tell you the exact INF file path that caused the error. Saves you guessing.