HRESULT 0x800F0202 (SPAPI_E_DUPLICATE_FOUND): meaning and diagnosis

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Description:

A manually installed device duplicates an existing device instance.

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SPAPI_E_CLASS_MISMATCH	SPAPI_E_NO_DRIVER_SELECTED

SPAPI_E_DUPLICATE_FOUND

SPAPI_E_DUPLICATE_FOUND (0x800F0202) is a Windows SetupAPI driver-installation error. This code means the manual installation path found an existing device that represents the same hardware. It often appears when stale or hidden instances exist after a device was moved, reconnected, or reinstalled.

What to check

Compare the target device instance ID and hardware IDs with the existing instance before installing another package.
Use Device Manager with hidden devices enabled or list devices with PnPUtil to find stale instances.
Remove only the duplicate device instance after confirming it is not the currently active device.

pnputil /enum-devices /connected

Microsoft: PnPUtil command syntax

Microsoft: SetupAPI device installation log

Microsoft: Troubleshooting device and driver installations

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