SPAPI_E_NO_INF (0X800F020A) – Missing Driver INF File

What You're Seeing

You get a SPAPI_E_NO_INF (0x800F020A) error when trying to install a driver — maybe for a graphics card, a network adapter, or a USB device. The exact message reads: "The INF from which a driver list is to be built does not exist." This is Windows telling you the driver's .inf file is missing or corrupted.

I've seen this mostly after a Windows Update that replaces a driver mid-install, or after someone deleted files from the DriverStore to free up space. You can't just ignore it — Windows won't load the hardware until this is fixed.

Fix 1: Quick Reboot & Re-detect (30 seconds)

Sounds dumb, but this works more often than you'd think. Sometimes the driver file is in a temporary folder that Windows hasn't cleaned up yet, and a reboot resets the install state.

1. Close everything. Reboot your machine. Not a shutdown — Windows 10/11's fast startup skips the full reset. Use Restart from the Start menu.
2. After reboot, open Device Manager (right-click Start > Device Manager).
3. Find the device with the yellow exclamation mark. Right-click it and choose Scan for hardware changes.
4. If the driver installs clean, you're done. If you still get the error, move on.

Fix 2: Manually Point to the INF File (5 minutes)

When Windows can't find the INF in its store, you can give it the exact file path. This assumes you have the driver already downloaded (e.g., from the manufacturer's site).

1. Download the driver as a .exe or .zip. If it's an executable, run it but choose "Extract only" (or use 7-Zip to open it). You want a folder with .inf and .sys files.
2. In Device Manager, right-click the problem device, choose Update driver > Browse my computer for drivers.
3. Click Browse and navigate to the folder you extracted. Do not check the subfolders box unless you're sure the INF is buried deeper.
4. Click Next. If Windows finds the INF, it'll install. If it still errors, the INF itself is bad.

Fix 3: Clear the Driver Store & Reinstall (15+ minutes)

This is the nuclear option. The DriverStore (C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore) holds cached driver files. If that store is corrupted or missing an INF, Windows can't build the driver list. You'll need to clean it out and let Windows rebuild it.

Warning: This removes all third-party drivers. Have the drivers for your network card and storage controller downloaded on a USB stick before starting — or you'll lose internet access.

1. Open an elevated Command Prompt (right-click Start > Command Prompt (Admin) or Terminal (Admin)).
2. Run this to delete the entire DriverStore (Windows will recreate it on next boot):

   takeown /f C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore /r /d y
   icacls C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore /grant Administrators:F /t /q
   rmdir /s /q C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore

3. Reboot. Windows will recreate the DriverStore folder and populate it with essential drivers from the system's recovery partition.
4. Now install the problem driver again — either through Device Manager or by running the manufacturer's installer.

If you still get 0x800F020A after this, the hardware itself might be faulty. Try the device on another PC to confirm.

One More Thing — Check for Corrupt System Files

Sometimes the driver store is fine, but sfc or DISM can fix underlying corruption that breaks INF parsing. Run these in an admin CMD:

DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
sfc /scannow

That's it. Start with Fix 1, escalate as needed. Nine times out of ten, Fix 2 or Fix 3 will get you back online.