This Device Cannot Find Enough Free Resources That It Can Use (Code 12) Error Fix

One of the Windows 10 errors that have been troubling many users is the “This device cannot find enough free resources that it can use (Code 12)”. This error usually shows up in the Device Properties window under the Device status section. Whenever a single I/O (Input/output) port  is assigned to two or more devices, a hardware conflict arises, causing this error to sow up. There are other reasons as well that could lead to this error message to show up. Whatever be the case, we are going to take a look at the solutions that have helped many users to get rid of this issue.

Do note that both regular users as well as advanced users could be troubled by the same issue but the reasons could be different. Advanced users like Crypto Miners make use of multiple GPUs on their systems, and dealing with issues related to it could be a tad bit different. Although this guide covers solutions for all the users, a couple of them are exclusive to advanced users. Let us take a look.

Solution 1: By Deleting PMCIA Driver File

If you have PMCIA Card installed on your PC, you can get rid of this error by deleting the associated driver files.

Step 1: Open File Explorer on your PC and navigate to the following location: C:\WINDOWS\System32

Step 2: In the System32 folder, look for pmcia.sys file. When found, right click on the file and select Properties. In the Properties window that opens, go to the Security tab. There, click on the Advanced button.

 

Properties Advanced

 

Step 3: A new window will open. Here, click on the Change option under the Owner section.

 

Change Owner

 

 



Step 4: The Select User or Group window will open. Here, click on the Advanced option.

 

Advanced User Group

 

 

Step 5: In the new window that opens, click on Find Now and from the Search results section, select the your user account and click on Ok. You will be taken back to the previous screens; keep clicking Ok till you are on the Properties window. Now close this window.

 

Add User Min

 

 

Step 6: Right click on the pmcia.sys file and select the Properties option again. Go to the Security tab. Here, click on the Edit button.

 

Edit Permission

 

 

Step 7: On the next screen, select the Full Control option and click on Ok. Once done, save the changes and exit the Properties window.

 

Allow Full Control

 

 

Step 8: Now, go back to the File Explorer and rename the pmcia.sys file to pmcia.sys.old.

After making the above changes, restart your PC and after it boots, check if the error is still showing up.

Solution 2: Set TOLUD Parameters in BIOS (only for Crypto Miners)

A PC setup that is wired to accommodate multiple GPUs is generally used by Crypto Miners. If you are a miner and facing the same issue, you can get rid of it by changing TOLUD (Top Of Lower Usable DRAM) parameters in the BIOS settings. Here are the steps to follow:

Step 1: Shut down your PC. Restart it and as soon as the startup screen appears, press the key that is assigned to enter BIOS setup. It could be any of the following keys: Del, Esc, F1, F2, or F10. You will find that mentioned on the startup screen as “Press Esc to enter SETUP”.

Startup Enter Boot

 

Step 2: In the BIOS settings, look for Top Of Lower Usable Dram option. You will be able to locate it under the Memory Management or Advanced settings section. This depends on the manufacturer of your PC’s motherboard and if you are unable to find it, refer to its user manual.

Step 3: Once you find the TOLUD option, you will need to make sure to change its state to 3.5 GB instead of Automatic or Disabled.

Step 4: While you are in the BIOS settings, you are advised to make changes to 4G Decoding setting. The 4G Decoding option can be found under Peripherals, Boot or Advanced tab. Again, if you cannot find it, checkout the Motherboard’s user manual. When found, make sure to set it as Enabled.

After making the above changes in the BIOS, save the settings and exit the BIOS settings screen. When you boot your PC now, check if the This device cannot find enough free resources that it can use (Code 12) error is still showing up.

Solution 3: Add a new DWORD Key in Registry (only for Crypto Miners)

Here’s another solution that Miners can try if they are getting the above error message. This method requires you to access the Registry Editor on your Windows 10 PC. Follow the steps:

Step 1: Open Registry Editor on your PC. For this, press the Win + R keys to open the Run box. There, type regedit and press the Ok button.

Regedit Run

 

Step 2: When in Registry Editor, go to the left pane and navigate to the following Registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\PnP\Pci

Step 3: When there, go to the right pane, make a right click, and select the DWORD (32-bit) Value or QWORD (64-bit) Value. You can select between these two depending upon whether the Windows’ architecture is 32 bit or 64 bit. You can find that out by checking out your PC’s Properties. For that, go to Desktop, right click on This PC and select the Properties option.

 

Registry Pci

 

 

Step 4: Rename the newly added key as HackFlags, then make a right click on the key and select the Modify option.

 

Hackflags Modify

 

Step 5: Here, set the Base option as Hexadecimal and assign the value as 600.

 

Edit Hackflag Value

 

After saving the above settings, close down the Registry Editor and give your PC a restart. See if this helped you get rid of the issue.

Solution 4: Uninstall PCI Drivers

The Code 12 error can be fixed by uninstalling the PCI drivers on your PC. The PCI drivers are associated with the motherboard. Uninstalling these drivers will ensure reinstallation of fresh drivers which will eliminate any possibility of BIOS driver issues. You just have to make sure your PC has active internet connection.

Step 1: Open Device Manager. For this, press the Win + X keys and from the menu that opens, select Device Manager.

 

Win + X Device Manager

 

Step 2: In the Device Manager window, scroll down to System devices option and click on it to expand. In the list of devices, look for drivers starting with the name PCI. Right click on each of the PCI drivers and select the Uninstall option. After doing this, your PC is going to freeze. Hard shutdown your PC now by long pressing the Power button of your PC.

 

Uninstall Pci

 

 

Step 3: Start your PC now. While the system boots, it will download and install the latest drivers of the devices that you just uninstalled and the whole process might take some time, so be patient.

Now, check whether the error is still showing up.

Solution 5: By Updating BIOS

Updating the BIOS of your PC can help you get rid of the This device cannot find enough free resources that it can use (Code 12) error. The process is a bit advanced and differ according to the motherboard manufacturers. In order to update the BIOS, you can refer to the user manual of the motherboard installed on your PC.

Do note that it is extremely important to provide constant power source to your PC while the update process. A power supply break could render your PC useless.

Solution 6: Disable – Enable Network Driver

If the above error is showing up in the Network driver properties, you can fix it by following the steps below:

Step 1: Open Device Manager by following the Step 1 of Solution 3.

Step 2: In Device Manager, click and expand the Network adapters list. Here, right click on the network adapter device that is showing the error message. From the menu, select the Disable option.

 

Disable Network Driver

 

 

Step 3: Wait for about a minute and right click on the device again and select the Enable option.



Now, restart your PC and check if the issue persists with the driver.

Solution 7: Update Windows 10

Updating Windows 10 is sometimes all you need to fix a spectrum of issues and that includes the code 16 error as well. Follow the steps below:

Step 1: Open the Settings app in your PC. To do so, press the Win + I keys at a time. Now, click on the Update & Security option in the Settings menu.

 

Update And Security

 

 

Step 2: A new window will open. Here, make sure that the Windows Update option is selected on the left pane. Go to the right pane now and make a click on the Check for Updates option.

 

Check For Updates

 

Windows will look for latest updates and remind you about the same if found. Proceed with carrying out the update by following the on-screen instructions. Once Windows 10 is updated successfully, check for the error.

 

Solution 8: Run Hardware and Devices Troubleshooter

You can also run the Windows Troubleshooter to to fix the code 12 issue. Here’s how:

Step 1: Open Settings app in Windows by pressing Win + I keys. Here, click on the Update & Security option.

 

Update And Security

 

 

Step 2: In the new window, go to the left panel and select the Troubleshoot option. Now, go to the right pane and select the Hardware and Devices option and click on the Run the troubleshooter option.



 

Hardware Troubleshooter

 

Now, let the troubleshooter diagnose your PC for issues. In case any issue is found, you will be prompted about it. Go ahead and apply the fix. Once the fix has been applied, restart your PC and check whether the This device cannot find enough free resources that it can use (Code 12) error still shows up.

Solution 9: Update Problematic Device Driver

If the This device cannot find enough free resources that it can use (Code 12) error is showing up for a specific driver, you can try to update it in order to fix the issue.

Here’s an elaborate article on How to Update Windows 10 drivers. After updating the driver, do not forget to restart your PC and check for the error message.

Solution 10: Reinstall Problematic Device Driver

You can also try to reinstall the problematic driver to get rid of the issue. In order to reinstall a driver, you will need to uninstall it first. Follow the steps in Solution 3 to uninstall the driver. Once the driver has been removed, you can either restart your PC, or download the relevant driver from the manufacturer’s website of the device. For example, if you are uninstalling the Wi Fi driver, you can download the latest driver for the website of the Wi Fi device’s manufacturer. Install the driver once you have uninstalled the older driver. After reinstalling driver, make sure to restart your PC.

Solution 11: Check for Hidden Devices in Device Manager

You PC may have devices that are not active but could have I/O ports assigned to them that are being used by other active devices. In that case, you will need to disable those devices. But how to identify them?

Step 1: Open Device Manager as shown in one of the above solutions. When in Device Manager, click on the View option and select Show hidden devices.

 

Show Hidden Devices

 

Step 2: This will show all the devices that are not currently active but are installed on your PC. Now, look for the device drivers with an exclamation mark. When found, right click on the driver and select the Disable option.

You can repeat the process for all the drivers with exclamation mark. Once done, restart your PC and check if the issue is still troubling you.

Solution 12: Perform a Network Reset

You can also carry out a network reset. This process has helped many users get rid of the code 12 error showing up with the network adapter device drivers.

Step 1: Press Win + S and in the panel that opens, type network. From the search results, select the Network status option.

 

Network Search

 

Step 2: The Network Status window will open. Here, click on the Network reset option.

Network Reset

 

 

Once the network has been reset, look for the error if its still there.

Solution 13: Do a System Restore in Windows 10

System Restore is an option in Windows that lets you restore your PC’s settings to a state it was in a previous date. Here is how to perform System Restore on Windows 10. Make sure to restore Windows 10 to a restore point when your were not getting this issue.

Also, it is very important for a PC to have restore point created in the past. With no restore point to revert back to, you will not be able to perform a System Restore.