| Repair and Update a Windows Vista Driver |
 |
If your Windows Vista computer is experiencing hardware errors, chances are the device drivers are out of date, damaged, or incompatible. Windows Vista comes with some built-in utilities that you can use to repair and update your Windows Vista drivers.
You can either set up Windows Update to do this for you, set up Windows to check for recommended updates, or do it yourself manually.
Before trying any of these steps, first check to see if your hardware device is compatible with Windows Vista by going to the Windows Hardware Compatibility List website (http://winqual.microsoft.com/hcl/). This will save you a lot of grief if you find out that your hardware is not compatible.
To repair and update your drivers using Windows Update, go to the Start button, pick All Programs, and select Windows Update. Choose “Check for Updates.” Windows will now search for applicable updates including Windows Vista driver updates. You can check to see if any Vista driver updates are available by clicking “View available updates.” When you find device drivers that you’d like to install, click Install.
You can also set up Windows to do this for you automatically. Go back into Windows Update and this time click on Change Settings. Click the option called “Install updates automatically.” At the bottom of this dialog box, you’ll find a check box that says, “Include recommended updates when downloading, installing, or notifying me about updates.” Go ahead and place a checkmark in this box.
If you want to update your device drivers manually, you can do so using Device Manager. However, it’s generally easier to automate this task using the other options. To open Device Manager, go into the Control Panel and choose Device Manager. Depending on your Control Panel View, you might need to first select System and Maintenance beforehand.
Device Manager contains a list of all installed hardware devices (except printers which are found in the Control Panel). Locate the device that you’d like to update and double-click it. Find the Driver tab and choose Update driver. Follow the prompt for updating your Windows Vista drivers.
Additional Tips for Repairing Vista Device Drivers
If the update or process you used to install the device drivers doesn’t seem to have worked, make sure to reboot the system. Sometimes this step is overlooked.
If your device is a USB device and it didn’t install properly, try unplugging it and using a different USB port. Windows will detect it and automatically install drivers for it. If a problem occurs, Windows will let you know.
If your hardware device previously worked but stopped working and you have the original installation disk, try uninstalling and reinstalling the device. Occasionally a new piece of hardware overwrites other device drivers with newer versions that may not be compatible with other pieces of hardware that need that device driver.
You can also restore your driver to an earlier version if the updated driver doesn’t give you the results you expected or if it makes matters worse. Do this by going into Device Manager and double-clicking the device you are working with. Now, click Roll Back. This rolls back the driver to the previous version.
Top pick for the best Driver Update Software:
 |
 |
