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Storage devices are now capable of storing huge amounts of data … 

When you consider the term “mass storage device,” the first thing to pop into your mind might be a 500GB external hard drive or a 100GB USB flash drive.While these are certainly mass storage devices, the mass storage class also refers to smaller storage devices including floppies, CDs, and camera memory cards. Think of it in these terms: if a storage device is capable of transferring files to and/or from a computer, it’s a mass storage device.

Most mass storage devices show up as a drive letter under My Computer when connected to the PC. These devices generally use a file system which allows the operating system to understand the contents and lets the users move, copy, and delete files.

In order for this all to work, a mass storage device driver is required. The device driver explains the hardware to the operating system and gives instructions so that everything works as it should. For example, if you have a digital camera that stores photos on a Sony Memory Stick, the first time that you insert the stick into the memory card reader, your computer won’t necessarily know what to do with it. How will it know that there’s a set of photos stored in a folder?

The mass storage device driver explains it to the operating system. Device drivers are either installed via a disc when you add a new device or pre-installed with the operating system. When you have a Plug and Play device, the New Hardware wizard will immediately recognize it and load the appropriate mass storage device driver.

Occasionally, the system fails. Suddenly, you can no longer see your external hard drive when connected or your MP3 player no longer shows up as a drive letter under My Computer. This can happen for a variety of reasons. Just like any file on your computer, mass storage device drivers are susceptible to file corruption and accidental deletion.

Device drivers are actually programs with many of them containing multiple required files such as DLL files. If your system shuts down unexpectedly, one of these files could be destroyed. Spyware or a computer virus could also damage these files. Another common problem involves uninstalling software and all of its “unnecessary systems files.” Suppose you allow the uninstall program to remove an unnecessary DLL only to find out later that the deleted DLL was in fact a DLL file that was part of the mass storage device driver?

When device drivers are missing vital parts or are damaged, the device no longer works as expected. If you can see the device as a drive letter under My Computer, it should show up under Device Manager as well. Use Device Manager to update the mass storage device driver or troubleshoot the problem. To open this utility, go to the Control Panel and click System, Device Manager. A list of installed devices will show up. Look under Disk Drives to find your storage device. If you are troubleshooting a CD or DVD drive, these are listed under DVD/CD-ROMs.

It’s a bit trickier to troubleshoot removable storage devices because if they are not recognized when inserted into the USB port or card reader, they won’t be recognized by the Device Manager. For example, if you have an MP3 player that connects to your computer using a USB cable and it no longer shows up as a drive letter, it won’t show up under Device Manager either. First, double check your connections. If that doesn’t work, try a different USB port. If that doesn’t work, try launching the New Hardware wizard which is found in the Control Panel under Add Hardware. You may also need to reinstall the software that came with your MP3 player.

You can also try restoring your Windows XP or Vista computer’s device drivers and other settings to a previous state using System Restore. This tool is found under the Start button, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Restore.

The manufacturer of your device may also have issued a new mass storage device driver that updates issues or adds new features. Even if your device is working fine, it’s not a bad idea to check for updates periodically as part of a preventative maintenance routine.

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If you have an Acer computer or notebook and are experiencing issues with device drivers …

sometimes it’s easier to use the Acer driver installation disc that came with your computer rather than trying to hunt down each driver individually.
 
If you can’t find your Acer driver disc, don’t despair, you can also download drivers from the Acer website.

How do you know that your Acer computer needs its drivers replaced? Device drivers are small programs that Windows uses to communicate with the hardware installed. Like any program, device drivers can get damaged. They often contain multiple files including DLL files that often get overwritten, deleted, or replaced by other applications.

Free Download - Fixes Windows Drivers Problems and Errors!

For example, when uninstalling unwanted programs, you’ll often be prompted to remove “shared” system files that are no longer needed. However, those shared files could very well be part of a device driver. When the files are removed, the device no longer functions properly.

Device drivers also occasionally conflict when new applications or devices are added to the system. When this happens, your computer may crash or the device may malfunction. Replacing the Acer driver can resolve these issues.

To check your Acer devices, you can use the built-in Device Manager utility. This utility is found in the System section of the Control Panel. If you have Windows Vista, simply typing “Device Manager” into the Search Bar will call up this small program. When you open Device Manager, you’ll see a list of all of the installed devices on your Acer computer with the exception of printers. If you see any devices with an exclamation point inside of a yellow triangle, then those devices are malfunctioning.

If you have the original Acer driver disc, insert it in the disc drive and instruct Device Manager to install the driver from the disc by double clicking the malfunctioning device, clicking the Driver tab, and selecting Update Driver. Choose Browse My Computer for Driver Software and point to your disc drive.

If you do not have the original Acer driver disc, you’ll need to download the drivers from the manufacturer. You have two choices. You can either go directly to the device manufacturer’s website and download the drivers there or you can go to the Acer website and download devices for your exact model computer.

Acer has sets of device drivers available on their website specifically for each type of computer they make. For example, if you have an Acer Aspire 5602 series notebook, you can download device drivers for hardware specific to your computer including Broadcom 2045 Bluetooth 2.0 USB drivers, Agere Systems HDA modem drivers, and many others.

The advantage of getting Acer drivers from the Acer website is that you don’t have to do as much investigative work. All you need to know is what model computer you have and which device is malfunctioning (which you’ve identified by seeing the yellow symbols in Device Manager). Acer has already selected the correct drivers for your computer making it a simple matter of downloading and installing.

On the other hand, if you will be downloading the Acer driver from the manufacturer’s website such as the Bluetooth device manager, you will need to know exactly which Bluetooth device you have and what version it is. You may have several different download choices including generic drivers, unsigned drivers, signed drivers, official versions, and drivers for different operating systems. While this isn’t terribly complicated, there’s more work involved.

You can also use Device Manager’s Update Driver function to automatically search for updated drivers online. This option doesn’t always yield results but it’s fairly easy to do. Simply double click the device, choose the Driver tab, and click Update driver. This time, choose the option that automatically searches for updated device drivers. If any are found, they will be installed.

If your Acer computer needs to have its device drivers repaired, you can fix them using several techniques including using the Acer driver disc, downloading drivers from Acer, downloading drivers from individual manufacturers or using the search feature in Device Manager.

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Did your CD-ROM drive stop working? Is it time to upgrade to a rewritable drive? Either way, installing a CD-ROM on a computer isn’t as difficult as you might think.

In fact, if you’re comfortable with opening up your computer case, this is a do-it-yourself job!

But, before you run out and buy a replacement CD-ROM drive for your malfunctioning unity, do yourself a favor and download CD-ROM drivers first. You may be able to revive your failing drive with new drivers. By doing so, you’ll save the cost of a new drive and the efforts of installing it.

Why would a CD-ROM drive suddenly need you to download CD-ROM drivers? Device drivers, including CD drivers, can get damaged like any other file on your system. In fact, device drivers often include entire sets of related files including DLL files. If just one of these gets overwritten or damaged somehow, the device can fail or generate annoying errors. In addition, the manufacturer’s original driver may have bugs in it that have been fixed with recent driver updates. Because updates address known problems and oftentimes add functionality to the device, it’s best to download CD-ROM drivers rather than using the original installation disc.

To download CD-ROM drivers, you’ll need to know exactly what type of drive you have installed and then go to the manufacturer’s website to obtain the related driver. Use the Device Manager to identify your drive by going to Control Panel, clicking System, and then clicking Device Manager. Find the category called DVD/CD-ROM Drives and expand it by clicking the plus sign. Your CD-ROM device should be listed right there. Double-click and go to the Driver tab.
Here, you’ll see all of the pertinent details including the device name (in this case Pioneer DVD-RW DVR-K17A ATA device), driver provider, date, and version. Use this information to go to the manufacturer’s website in search of updated drivers. You can also click the Update Driver button to perform an automatic search. If you already have downloaded the drivers, use the Update Driver button to browse your computer for the downloaded CD-ROM driver.

Updating the driver can solve problems that you’re having with the device. The General tab also will help you in troubleshooting the CD-ROM. It may say that the device is disabled or that drivers are missing. Oftentimes, a button will appear that launches the Troubleshooting Wizard. This wizard will offer suggestions for troubleshooting the device.

What if you simply want to install a new CD-ROM? You can do so though it takes a little time. You may still need to download CD-ROM drivers or use the installation disc as part of the installation, especially if the drive is not Plug and Play.

Installing a new drive requires physically unplugging the PC from its power source along with all of its peripherals, removing the cover, sliding out the old drive, inserting the new drive, connecting the drive to the computer’s internal power supply, putting the computer back together, and then installing the device drivers. These drivers often come on a floppy disc. They are also sometimes preloaded with Windows. Once the installation is complete, everything should run smoothly.
However, if you find that the new driver isn’t giving you the results you expected and you want to revert to the old driver, once again, you can use Device Manager. Go into the Driver tab and click Roll Back Driver. This rolls back the changes you recently made.

Not all device drivers require going into Device Manager. Some are installed by Windows automatically; others are installed by an executable file. Whether you need to download CD-ROM drivers to troubleshoot a failing drive, update an existing drive, or as part of a new installation, knowing how to use Device Manager for this task helps. Once you know how to use Device Manager, you’ll find yourself coming back for routine tasks like updating your drivers periodically.

How many Driver updates are available for your computer?

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Will my Driver Downloads work with Vista?

Whenever a new operating system is introduced, an inevitable problem crops up: your hardware doesn’t work. For example, if you recently upgraded to Vista, you may find that your trusty HP printer won’t print.

This is true of when upgrading an existing machine or buying a brand-new machine with Vista already installed.

The problem is most difficult for those who are upgrading their computer rather than those who are buying a new one off the shelf. Upgraders have far more hardware to find Vista drivers for than new purchasers. For example, the motherboard, video adapter, display adapter, CD and DVD-ROM drives, sound cards, hard disk, USB host controllers, keyboard, mouse, and every other piece of hardware must have compatible Vista drivers in order for the computer to run Vista.

Computer users who are buying a new machine have the basics already taken care of though they will likely run into issues with their peripherals like printers, scanners, digital cameras, and external storage devices.

For those who are considering upgrading to Vista, it’s critical that they thoroughly analyze their hardware for compatibility with Windows Vista and obtaining the required Vista drivers before doing so. Microsoft provides an upgrade advisor to help you determine if your computer is ready for Vista or not here:

http://www.microsoft.com/

This upgrade advisor scans your Windows XP computer and creates an inventory of your hardware and software as well as lists known compatibility issues and advice. Use this report to determine whether upgrading to Vista and getting the appropriate Vista drivers makes sense. In many cases, the hardware won’t have Vista drivers available and you will need to replace the device. Keep this in mind as the costs can add up quickly.

Device manufacturers have been releasing Vista drivers for their products so that users don’t necessarily have to go out and buy all new peripherals just because they bought a new Vista computer. If your peripherals don’t work when you install them on your new Vista computer, you’ll need to check to see if Vista drivers have been released yet.

For example, if you have an HP printer, go to HP’s website and search for updated drivers. When entering your search terms, try entering both your product name as well as Vista. Most manufacturers have specific areas dedicated to addressing Vista concerns.

Once you’ve found the device’s Vista drivers, download them and use Device Manager to install them on your Vista machine. Device Manager can be found under the System icon in Control Panel. It shows a list of all devices (except printers and scanners – those are listed in Control Panel). Double-click the device that you are upgrading to a Vista Driver and click on Update Driver. Browse the computer to the driver’s location and install it following the prompts that come up on the screen. Reboot the computer.

If you’re upgrading your XP machine to Vista, you should download the Vista drivers and burn them to CD so that you’ll have them available after you install the new operating system.

If your devices do not have updated Vista drivers, see if you can find out if the manufacturer intends to release any updates. On older products, they may not. You might be able to try a generic Vista driver and see if that works; otherwise, you’ll need to buy a new device.

When buying new devices, look for either the “Certified for Windows Vista” or “Works with Windows Vista” logos.