How to Fix Error Code 31 in Device Manager for WAN on Windows 8

Error code 31 in Device Manager is an annoying error that occurs on Windows 8 computers. Typically, this error is associated with WAN miniport. The most common error message the user gets is the following:

This device is not working properly because Windows cannot load the drivers required for this device. (Code 31)

When the user tries to update the driver, Windows 8 says that everything is up to date. Luckily, it’s possible to fix this driver error without too much trouble.

Why Does Error Code 31 Appear?

This error happens because Windows 8 cannot load the associated driver for the WAN miniport. And because there is no driver associated with the port, there is no way to remove the error message from the device manager. Microsoft issued a hotfix package for this error, which can be downloaded here. If you can’t download the hotfix or it doesn’t work (or you don’t feel like reinstalling Windows), here is how you can fix this error.

Error code 31 in Device Manager Fix

1. Open the Device Manager.
2. Right-click on the WAN miniportdevice and select “Update Driver Software”.
3. Select “Browse my computer for driver software”.
4. Now select “Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer”.
5. Uncheck “Show compatible hardware”.
6. In the left column, select Microsoft and in the right column select “Microsoft KM-TEST Loopback Adapter”.
7. At the Update Driver Warning dialog box, select “Yes” to continue installing this driver.
8. Once the driver is installed, right-click the device and select “Uninstall”.
9. Once the device is uninstalled, right-click the computer name in Device Manager and select “Scan for hardware changes”
10. From View (on the menu bar), select “Show Hidden Devices”.

11. The WAN Miniport (Network monitor) will be started and there will no longer be a yellow error mark.

For even better results, download and install our recommended Windows error fix software and run a complete scan and fix after following the steps described above. This will make sure there are no more conflicts and all faulty settings are fixed.