Filetonic / I have bought an MP4 player. However, the driver disc does not automatically install and it’s asking about a .pdr extension. How can I fix this? I’ve tried searching for PDR on Google and am getting nowhere.

I have bought an MP4 player. However, the driver disc does not automatically install and it’s asking about a .pdr extension. How can I fix this? I’ve tried searching for PDR on Google and am getting nowhere.

Celeste Stewart What is the PDR File Extension?

The PDR file extension is a Windows system file known as a Windows Port Driver. This driver is used for recognizing USB devices such as MP4 players, USB flash drives, and so forth. PDR files are a part of the system that allows Windows to recognize and use these USB devices.

Plug and Play Players

Most USB devices such as MP3 and MP4 players are plug and play devices. That is, when you plug them into a USB port, Windows recognizes them and automatically loads the required device drivers. However, since you have a driver disk that you must install, I’m assuming that your player is not a plug and play device.

Installing the Disc

Since the installation disc doesn’t appear to want to run automatically, let’s see if we can’t manually launch the installation program. Insert the disc and the right-click the Start button. Choose Explore and the find the CD drive in the list and click on it. The contents of the disc should show up in the pane. Look for a setup or installation program such as setup.exe or install.exe and double click it. This should launch the installation program. Hopefully, all will proceed normally without the PDR error. If not, let’s try the Add and Remove Hardware option.

Add and Remove Hardware

Go back to the Start button and click on Control Panel. Choose to manually install the hardware when prompted with a choice. Click Portable Device from the list. I would try using the Have Disk option and installing it directly from the CD. Follow the prompts.

Head to the Manufacturer’s Website

If you can’t manually install the MP4 player, then you may want to head on over to the manufacturer’s Web site and visit their tech support section. If I knew the make and model of the MP4 player, that would have been one of my first stops in researching your installation error. While there, double check the system requirements for your device. If you have an older PC, such as Windows 98, USB connectivity is problematic. There’s also a chance that the installation disc is bad or the PDR file on the disc is bad. Look for a replacement download on the site for your particular device and see if you can’t install it using a fresh copy of the installation program.

For further research, try Googling the entire file name, not just “PDR.” Try a few different variations including the product name and exact PDR name. For example, “Sansa MP3 player missing sample.pdr file” may turn up relevant results that related to your specific problem.