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I have quite a few drivers that are out of date and I don’t know how to get them updated or were to look.

Out of Date Device Drivers

Devices with out of date device drivers benefit from updated drivers because the updates often repair known bugs as well as add additional features. By updating the device driver, you’ll be able to take advantage of these enhancements and may even notice that your computer runs more smoothly as a result. For example, if your graphics card manufacturer realized after the fact that the graphics card had a major problem with DVD movies and later repaired that bug through a driver update, your out-of-date device will continue having problems whenever you play a DVD movie despite the fact that this problem has been acknowledge and repaired. By updating your device drivers, many computer errors may potentially disappear.

Free Download - Fixes Windows Driver Problems and Errors!

Updating Device Drivers

Windows Update includes device driver updates for a number of common device drivers. If you don’t have Windows Update enabled, consider enabling it so that you get the benefit of automatic updates on a portion of your device drivers.

The Device Manager

Now, let me introduce you to the Device Manager. This is a useful utility built into the Windows operating system. Device Manager is found in the Control Panel, often under the System icon though it depends on your version of Windows and the view you choose. In Windows Vista, you can simply type Device Manager in the Search bar and the icon will appear.

Once launched, Device Manager lists categories of device types. Click the plus sign next to the category that you wish to work with. If a device is malfunctioning, you’ll see a yellow warning icon next to it. Double click the device that you want to update. The Properties box has several tabs, one of which is the Driver tab. Click the Driver tab and jot down the information provided such as: driver provider, driver version, driver date, and digital signer. You may need this information later if you have to manually search for driver updates.

Now, click the Update Driver tab and follow the prompts to automatically search for new device drivers. Pretty easy so far! If updated drivers are found, Windows will install them. Reboot the PC, even if you are not prompted to do so.

Manually Searching for Device Drivers

The automatic update feature doesn’t always find updated drivers. When none are found, check either your computer manufacturer’s Web site or the manufacturer of the device that you want to update for the latest drivers. For example, if you have a Toshiba laptop, head to Toshiba’s Web site, enter your laptop model number, and view the available downloads for your exact computer.

Free Download - Fixes Windows Problems and Errors!

If searching a hardware manufacturer’s Web site for driver updates, make sure to select drivers designed for your exact model of device and your exact operating system. Drivers are written for specific operating systems and are not necessarily interchangeable.

Using Device Driver Updating Software

Since a computer has dozens of devices, manual updates are time consuming. Many users prefer an automated solution. We recommend Driver Detective and Driver Cure. Both of these products are good choices that will find the exact driver for your computer’s hardware and peripheral devices.

Windows could not start: file software39/driver pci is corrupt or missing. It says I should use the boot disk but I don’t have one. What can I do?

This error message most likely means that there is a device driver missing or corrupted. Devices are all the hardware components that your computer uses - some are external and removable, like printers and monitors; others are internal, like sound cards. Device drivers are small software programs that your computer needs in order to properly communicate with and use your devices. According to your error message, there is an issue with one of your drivers.

Since Windows is not starting normally, try booting in Safe Mode. Reboot your PC and press the F8 key. Pick Safe Mode when given a choice and then follow the instructions below.

Run Full System Virus Scans

Before we get to troubleshooting the device driver, I should point out that there are several user reports indicating that this error message might be caused by a virus. At this point, if you can access your computer, you should update your antivirus and malware programs and run full system virus scans as soon as possible.

Using Device Manager to Locate Problem Devices

To troubleshoot the driver, first open Device Manager so that you can locate the problem device. Right click on My Computer, then choose Manage, and then click Device Manager. Look for any yellow ! signs beside listings to find the device problem.

Reinstall the Device Driver

Once you find the problem, you can reinstall the driver to resolve any corruption issues.

1. On the right side of the window, click the + beside the categories to expand them and find the device that isn’t working properly.
2. Right click the device and then click Uninstall.
3. In the confirmation box, click OK
4. Click Yes to restart your computer or reboot manually
5. When your computer restarts it should automatically detect the device and reload the driver

Update the Driver

If this doesn’t do the trick, you might need to update your driver. You can see the name and manufacturer or the device that is giving you problems in Device Manager, then visit the manufacturer’s website and look for downloads and drivers. Find the appropriate one for your device and operating system and follow the instructions for installation.

Registry Edits and Further Assistance

If you are still having problems, you might need to edit a corrupt registry key but - in order to give you directions - I first need to know which device we are dealing with. If you need further help, please write again with as much information as possible about the device that you are troubleshooting as well as your operating system details and we can take it from there. Good luck!

Hi, I’m not getting any sound though my speakers when using YouTube or MediaPlayer. It’s not the ports on the hard drive as sound check works. Help?

Troubleshooting Sound Problems

Before beginning, please reboot your computer and test your sound, especially if you have automatic Windows Update set up. What occasionally happens, is Windows updates the sound card’s drivers but in doing so, the sound stops working until the computer has been rebooted and the new drivers loaded.

Update your Sound Card Drivers

It is possible that you need to replace or update your sound card drivers to support the websites and online media sources that you want to use.

Check your Sound Card Details

Before you download a new driver you might need to check what kind of sound card your have installed:

1. Click Start, then Programs
2. Choose Accessories, then System Information
3. In the System Information window, click the + sign beside Components
4. Now, choose Sound Device - you might need to select Multimedia first, and then Sound Device
5. On the right side you will see the information listed about your sound card

Remove your Existing Sound Card Driver

Now that you have this information you can remove the old sound card driver and install a new one. To remove the old driver you can first open Programs - click Start, then Control Panel, then Programs - find the listing for your sound card and see if there is a dedicated program to remove it. If there is an uninstall tool, use this. If not:

1. Click Start, then Control Panel, and then System
2. Choose Hardware, and then Device Manager
3. In Device Manager find the Sound, Video and Game Controllers listing, then locate your Sound Card
4. Choose Driver, and then Uninstall
5. Reboot your computer

Download and Install the New Driver

Now you can add the new driver. With the sound card information that you gathered in the first step, go to the manufacturer’s website. Find a page or a link to the Downloads and Drivers section, which might also be called Software, Updates, Drivers, Downloads etc… Choose the appropriate download for your operating system and follow the directions for installation provided. Reboot your system and check the sound.

Disable your Onboard Sound Card and Further Assistance

If you have recently added a new sound card, there might be an interference with the onboard sound card and the new card. If this is the case, you will first need to disable the onboard card to enable the accessory. If you are still having problems after updating the sound card, or if you need advice on disabling the onboard card, let us know. Good luck!

I have a Dell Desktop. I was trying to connect an IBM Scanner. Is this possible? How?

Connecting IBM Scanner to Dell Desktop Computer

About Scanner Drivers

There is no one reason why you wouldn’t be able to connect an IBM scanner to a desktop Dell, but there could be driver compatibility issues depending on the model of the scanner and the operating system that you are running. Drivers are small software programs that need to be installed on the computer in order for it to properly recognize and communicate with external and removable devices.

Scanner Models - Connecting a USB Scanner

There are a few different types of scanners, and installation will vary depending on the type that you have. If there is a USB cord included with your scanner, then this is the most straightforward variety. It is ok for your computer to be running, but close and exit all your programs. Plug the scanner into the USB port and wait a minute for Windows to launch the Hardware Wizard. The wizard will ask you to load the CD to install the driver. If your scanner came with a CD, then the drivers are loaded there, insert the CD when the Hardware Wizard asks for it. If you have another type of scanner, consult the manual and follow the directions to connect it.

Visit the IBM Website for Drivers

Most scanner connection issues have to do with drivers, and there are times when the CD that the scanner came with is not up to date with your operating system. If you think this might be the case, check and make a note of your scanner model number, then visit the IBM website and look for a page called Downloads and Drivers. Make sure you find the right driver for your operating system.

Seek Personalized Assistance

If you are still having problems, please write again and include your operating system - Vista, XP etc. - and the model of your scanner and I can give you more precise instructions and troubleshooting tips. If you are having issues connecting the hardware, let me know what kind of scanner it is and we can go through those steps as well. Good luck!

Locating Vista Ethernet Driver: Contact the Manufacturer

Try contacting the manufacturer of the computer that you purchased and ask for the Ethernet Driver. Perhaps if you explain the situation, they will provide the driver that you need. Just make sure that you have all of the important information handy.

Locating Vista Ethernet Driver: Visit Manufacturer’s Website

If you can borrow a computer, you should be able to visit the manufacturer’s website and download the driver for your Ethernet card. Just make sure that you download the driver that is compatible with your operating system.

Locating Vista Ethernet Driver: Search the Computer

Before doing anything else, you should try to locate the Vista Ethernet Driver on the computer. Vista comes installed with quite a few drivers. One of these should be “Generic Marvell Yukon.” You won’t need to be connected to the Internet to look for it. To do so, follow these directions or some variation of them:

1)      Open the “Device Manager.”

2)      Expand “Network Adapters.”

3)      Select the Ethernet driver or just “driver” if it is listed.

4)      Right-click and select “update.”

5)      Select “Browse my computer for driver software.”

6)      Search for “Marvell” “Generic Marvell Yukon” and click it.

7)      Click next and click ok.

Locating Vista Ethernet Driver: Visit Website with Alternative Computer

If you cannot find the driver on your computer’s hard drive, then you need to borrow a computer that has Internet access to download a generic Ethernet driver. Visit the following link to download a generic Ethernet driver onto a flash drive or CD that you then take and download onto your original computer: Drivers.

I checked the Acer Web site once again and was disappointed as before. The site only lists a few drivers for the Acer Aspire 5100, and as before none appear to be for CD-ROM or DVD drives. Next, I downloaded the user’s manual in hopes of identifying the brand and model number of the drive. No luck. The manual refers to the optical drives quite generically. If we knew the brand and model number, we could go to the manufacturer’s Web site and see if drivers were available there. Normally, the Device Manager would tell us this information, but it isn’t detecting your drive.

Detect Hardware Changes

Since the CD-ROM is not showing up in the Device Manager, try forcing Windows to detect it by going back into the Device Manager, right-clicking the DVD/CD-ROM category, and choosing Scan for Hardware Changes. Still no luck? Next, go into the Control Panel and find Add Hardware (or New Hardware Wizard depending on your operating system). From here, let’s see if we can’t manually add the CD drive to your computer. This will be tricky and may not work since your drive isn’t currently showing in Device Manager. However, if it shows up in the Add Hardware wizard, we may be able to force Windows into searching for compatible drivers.

Delete Upper and Lower Filters in the Windows Registry

Microsoft offers a fix for problems where the CD/DVD drives no longer appear. You can either follow the written instructions on the site are allow Microsoft’s Fix It program to do the fix for you.

Acer Aspire 5100 Driver Recovery CD

Apparently you can download a driver recovery CD that contains all Acer Aspire 5100 device drivers for Windows XP. This product claims to repair problems such as this.

Contact Acer Technical Support

Acer’s Web site lists many different phone numbers that you can call for support. You may be able to obtain the appropriate device drivers directly from Acer’s technical support department.