Help With Drivers

What is a driver?

A driver is a small program that tells the main part of your computer how to communicate with other parts of your computer (such as the network card or video card), or devices connected to your computer (such as a printer or keyboard). Since all hardware is different, it is important for your computer to have the right drivers.

How do I check the drivers?

For Windows 2000 and XP:

1. Right-click My Computer, select Properties and click the Hardware tab
2. Click the Device Manager.
3. If you see any devices with a (?) or an (!) next to them, there is a problem with the driver.
4. Even if a driver isn't having an obvious problem, its a good idea to check and make sure that it is the latest driver provided for that device. Make sure to update the drivers for the display adapters, nNetwork adapaters, and any multimedia drivers. Getting the latest update is especially important before updating or changing your operating system.
5. Select any device you want to check, right-click on it, and select "Properties".
6. Click the Driver tab - it will list the Provider, and the date of the current driver.

How do I update drivers?

Now that you know the driver's Provider, or manufacturer, the best way to check for updates is to check on their website. Most, if not all, manufacturers will have a Support site linked off the main page of their website. From there, look for links toward downloading Drivers - they should be easy to find. Just download drivers for the name of whatever hardware you found listed in the Device Manager, and once downloaded, double-click the file to install it.

If you are unable to connect to the Internet from your own computer, use a computer that has a connection and copy the drivers to some type of portable device (such as a pen drive) or portable media (such as a floppy disk or compact disk).

Contact us at any point if you have questions or need help.