Disable a device

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

To disable a device

Important

If you disable a device that is required to start the system, such as your hard disk drive, these devices will not work, and your system might not start.

Notes

To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Administrators group on the local computer, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. If the computer is joined to a domain, members of the Domain Admins group might be able to perform this procedure. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure.
To open Device Manager, click Start, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, double-click Computer Management, and then click Device Manager.
When you disable a device, the physical device stays connected to your computer, but the device driver is disabled. The drivers are available again when you enable the device. It can be useful to disable devices if you want to have more than one hardware configuration for your computer, or if you have a portable computer that you use at a docking station.
If you are prompted to restart the computer, the device will not be disabled and will continue to function until the computer is restarted.
After you disable a device and restart your computer (if necessary), the resources allocated to the device are free and can be allocated to another device.
Some devices cannot be disabled, such as devices for disk drives and processors.

Your server might function differently based on the version and edition of the operating system that is installed, your account permissions, and your menu settings. For more information, see Viewing Help on the Web.