| How to Update Device Drivers |
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Occasionally, hardware devices need to be updated for a variety of reasons ranging from compatibility issues to manufacturer’s updates. For example, you might need to update your device driver after installing a new piece of hardware which could have overwritten the existing driver for a different piece of hardware or simply conflicts with it. As problems become known to manufacturers, they issue new drivers that address known issues. Updating your device drivers could solve many of your hardware problems. How do you update a device driver?
One of the easiest ways to update a device driver is through the Device Manager. This is a utility that is built into Windows. There are several easy ways to launch this utility. One is to simply go into the Control Panel and select Device Manager from the list. You can also access Device Manager through the System icon in Control Panel or by right-clicking My Computer and choosing Properties. In Windows Vista, simply type in the words Device Manager into the Search box and click the Device Manager link that appears after the search.
No matter how you launch it, the Device Manager lists all hardware found on your computer. If you see a device listed with a yellow warning triangle on it, that device is not functioning properly.
Right click on the device that you want to update and choose Update Driver Software from the sub-menu. You can either choose “Search automatically for updated drivers” which will search both your hard disk as well as the Internet for updated device drivers or “Browse my computer for driver software” which is useful if you have the updated driver on a disk or stored in a folder.
Make your selection and follow the prompts. If you would prefer to view the driver’s details before updating, hit Properties just after right-clicking the device. Now, go to the Driver tab. You’ll see information about the driver, options for updating the driver, disabling (and re-enabling) the driver, uninstalling the driver, and rolling back the driver. The roll back feature is useful if the update doesn’t work as expected.
If you want to update a device driver manually, you will need to create a backup copy of the original driver and find a copy of the new driver. You can buy software for backing up device drivers or you can look up all of the device driver files in the Driver Details section of the Driver tab of a particular device in Device Manager. Write down their locations and copy those files individually to disc or folder.
Warnings and Tips
· Some drivers, particularly video drivers, can cause system instability if not done correctly. You may need professional help in this case.
· Device Manager will tell you if the device is performing properly. If it is not operating properly, Device Manager will display error codes. When this happens, click the “troubleshoot” button to start the troubleshooting process. You can also enter these error codes in the device manufacturer’s technical support website’s search box to see if you can get specific help from your device’s manufacturer.
· If you updated the device’s driver and it didn’t work, try uninstalling the new software. If the software is causing conflicts, check with the software developer to see if a patch or update to the software exists to address this conflict. If not, you may have to give up either the software or the hardware device.
Top pick for the best Driver Update Software:
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