Why am I not able to install the driver device system?

It can be frustrating when the installation of the device driver system doesn’t go as planned. In many cases, the situation is one that can be resolved readily enough, but in other cases, there’s just nothing that you can do to fix the problem.

Error Messages for Driver Device System Installation Errors

No matter which error message is generated when the installation of a device driver fails, it is a frustrating experience. Common error messages include:

• Driver not found
• Driver install error
• Driver problem
• Driver import error

Typical Scenario for Driver Device System Installation

Typically, the operating system on the computer searches for the driver for the device. Then, it imports the driver and installs it to the proper location after which it is loaded.

Typical Scenario for Driver Device System Installation Failure

When the installation of the driver fails, it is usually occurs because:

• The driver is missing entirely.
• The driver is incompatible with the operating system.

Missing Driver

Today’s plug-and-play devices have made computer users lazy. We simply plug a new device in and wait for it to load the drivers. However, there are a few devices that still require the user to place the installation CD into the drive in order to load the driver for the device. Check to see if maybe this is the problem.

Corrupted Drivers

In rare cases, the driver that has been included with the device is corrupted and therefore, it won’t load. If that might be the case, then the manufacturer of the device should be contacted and a replacement should be requested. You can often find driver downloads on the manufacturer’s Web site.

Incompatibility Issues with Device Drivers

In some cases, a particular device is not compatible with the operating system or other devices on the computer. When it isn’t compatible with the Operating system, the driver simply won’t load on the computer. Check the documentation for the device including the system requirements to determine if that is the problem. For example, a driver designed for Windows XP won’t necessarily work on a Vista computer.

Troubleshooting Failed Driver Installation on Vista

If you are using Windows Vista, you can check for helpful information on the failed driver installation by using the “Problem Reports and Solutions” which you will find in the Control Panel. Once you open it, look for information pertaining to the specific device that you are trying to install.

Troubleshooting Failed Driver Installation with Device Manager

You can access the “Device Manager” for information on the particular device driver that you are attempting to install. To do so:

• Select “Start.”
• Select “Control Panel.”
• Select “Performance and Maintenance.”
• Select “System.”
• Select “Hardware.”
• Select “Device Manager.”

How many Driver updates are available for your computer?

Microsoft Device Manager

Microsoft Windows comes with a useful little utility that most computer users should take some time getting familiar with called the Device Manager.

Let’s face it, computers don’t always cooperate. Devices stop working, programs lock up, memory runs low, and computers crash. Some of these problems are caused by having too many resources running at once; others are the result of virus attacks; others are due to invalid registry entries; and some are because the device drivers are damaged or out of date.

Those are just a few of the dozens of potential causes of system errors. Troubleshooting your computer is an involved process and one of the first steps is to rule out hardware issues as the cause. Once you know that all of your system hardware is fine, you can then move on to other tasks such as virus removal, system maintenance, or registry cleaning. The Device Manager helps you rule out hardware problems; it also features basic troubleshooting tools that you can use should problems be found.

To use Device Manager, go into the Control Panel and find the Device Manager icon. Depending on the current view you have set up, this icon may show up right away or you may need to click the System icon first. Once Device Manager opens, you’ll see a list of hardware categories such as: computer, disk drives, display adapters, DVD/CD-ROM drives, keyboards, monitors, and so on. Each category has a small plus sign to its left. When you click the plus sign, the list expands to show the installed devices that fall under that category. For example, if you click the category called Mice and Other Pointing Devices, you’ll see all installed pointing devices such as your mouse and touchpad.

The list in Device Manager also has tiny icons which give you a visual indication of the installed device. A small image of a keyboard is next to the Keyboard category; a speaker icon is next to the category for sound cards. If a device is experiencing some sort of problem, you’ll see a bright yellow triangle with an exclamation point inside. This indicates that the device is malfunctioning.

Okay, so you now know that a device is malfunctioning. In fact, you may have already known that based on the fact that it hasn’t been working properly (like no sound coming out of the sound card). Now what?

If you double-click on the device that has the yellow triangle, you’ll see a dialog box with several tabs. The General tab should show an error code inside explaining the problem. For example, it might say something like “the device driver is damaged or missing” or “the device is disabled.” Depending on the nature of the error, a button may appear that you can use to remedy or troubleshoot the error. For example, if the device has been disabled, you’ll see a button that says “Enable Device.”

The Driver tab is an important feature of Device Manager. Here, you’ll see options for updating and rolling back the driver. If you ever need to install or update device drivers, this is where you do it. You have several different ways to obtain driver updates. One way is to click the Update Driver button and then choose the “Search Automatically” option. Device Manager then searches for updates on the Internet and then automatically installs any update found. Another way is to manually obtain driver updates from the manufacturer and then use Device Manager’s “Browse My Computer” option. A third way is to use third party device driver tools.

No matter which way you choose to update your drivers, it’s important to do so periodically because even if your device is currently running fine, updated drivers often address known issues and repair bugs. By keeping your devices current, you’ll prevent many potential problems. When your devices are acting up, updating or reinstalling the device drivers may solve your problems. At the very least, use Device Manager as a tool to rule out device problems when troubleshooting system errors.

• List of Driver Update Tools
• Recommended Driver Tool