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No matter what type of computer you are running or what version of Windows you have, you will eventually need to work with device drivers.
These are programs that identify your hardware and allow your operating system to interact with it.
Generally, when you install a new device, it will come with an installation CD containing the device drivers. When all goes well, installing the drivers isn’t a technical task. Simply follow the prompts. In fact, if your device is a Plug and Play device, Windows will recognize it immediately and load the required device driver.
However, drivers can conflict with other devices or fail altogether for a variety of reasons including viruses and system crashes. When this happens, you may need to find a new Microsoft device driver in order to restore functionality of your device.
Finding Microsoft Device Drivers
Whether you’re looking for a specific Microsoft device driver or a driver for another brand of hardware, it’s important to know where to go for help. The Windows operating system provides native support for numerous devices ranging from mainboards, graphics adapters, network devices, sound cards, storage devices, and so on. Microsoft’s website has an Update Catalog that you can use to search for supported device drivers.
For example, let’s say you need a new device driver for your Realtek sound card. Use Device Manager to identify the exact device driver you currently have.
Next, go to Microsoft Update Catalog and enter the terms “Realtek high definition audio” into the search box. While Realtek devices use their own drivers, not Microsoft device drivers, Microsoft provides these device drivers in their catalog. You’ll see a list of all related device drivers as shown below:
Find your operating system in the list and then search for the most recent device driver. If found, you can download the driver from the catalog.
Another way to find a device driver is to go to the manufacturer’s website. You’ll need to know the exact model and operating system version you have.
You can also use the Update Driver function found in Device Manager to automatically search for updated device drivers.
Simply click the Update Driver button and then let the Device Manager search automatically for new device drivers.
Maintaining Microsoft Device Drivers
If you have Windows Update enabled on your computer, it will automatically download a Microsoft device driver update whenever one is released. Depending on your settings, it may or may not be installed especially if it is an “optional” driver.
To set up Windows Update, go to the Control Panel and choose Windows Update. Click on Change Settings and make your choices.
You should enable “Install updates automatically” and “Include recommended updates when downloading, installing, or notifying me about updates.”
Original Microsoft Device Driver versus Updated Driver
When you need to reinstall a Microsoft device driver, you can often do so using the original installation disc. However, updated drivers are usually the better choice. While the original driver can repair a damaged device driver, the updated drivers usually feature improvements and address known issues. Before searching your office for the installation CD, do a quick search on either the Microsoft
Update Catalog or the manufacturer’s website to see if an update has been released. If so, install the updated version. By picking the updated manufacturer’s or Microsoft device driver, you will have the best version available for your computer.
When choosing any driver, whether it’s an update or not, it’s critical that you pay attention to the specifics. Downloading a driver designed for XP when you have Vista is asking for trouble. Many drivers are OS-specific. Installing the wrong one could cause your hardware to fail. If you have Vista, you may have several choices as well since Vista comes in multiple editions.
It’s not difficult to find an updated Microsoft device driver, especially if you let Windows Update take care of that for you automatically.
Several tools such as Device Manager and Windows Update are built into your PC. Use these tools to troubleshoot hardware issues as well as periodically to ensure that you have the most current versions possible.
constant-content.com | April 7th, 2008
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My software for my audio is not installed.