In all supported versions of Windows, uninstalling a driver through device manager may not remove associated files or applications with that driver

This article provides help to solve an issue where uninstalling a driver through device manager doesn't remove associated files or applications with that driver.

Applies to:   Windows 10 - all editions
Original KB number:   2278714

Symptoms

Consider the following scenario:

• You have a third-party driver installed on a system via the third-party installation.
• The driver installer also installs a third-party application or applications.
• You try to uninstall the driver through the Device Manager.

In this scenario, the driver files, as well as the third-party application are not removed. Each time you reboot the machine, or any other action that forces a re-enumeration of plug and play devices, it will try to install the drivers.

Cause

Microsoft has confirmed that this behavior is by design.

Resolution

If you have installed a third-party driver via a third-party installation, it is recommended that Add and Remove programs is used to uninstall third-party driver packages.

Data collection

If you need assistance from Microsoft support, we recommend you collect the information by following the steps mentioned in Gather information by using TSS for deployment-related issues.