How To Update Driver

If you are having problems with a modem, a printer, or something else that is connected to your computer you might have heard that the solution is to update the driver. If this only leaves you more confused then you are not alone. Plenty of people are clueless as to how they should go about updating the driver.

A driver is basically a file that controls internal and external devices such as a video card, or scanner. Sometimes devices come with CDs or floppy disks that need to be installed first before the device will work properly. When you install these CDs you are installing a driver.

The Easy Way Out

Before you try to manually update a driver there is an easy way out. There are a number of programs you can use that will help you detect drivers on your computer that need updating. Driver Detective is one program you can use; though this is not always work and you may still need to update the driver on your own.

Manually Updating

The first way to update a driver is to go through your control panel. First click on your Start button before choosing Control Panel. You will then come across System and Maintenance, click on this and then look for an icon that says Device Manager.

You might be asked for a password or confirmation that you are an administrator. Either provide the password or confirm that you are an administrator. You will then be able to see a list of devices. If you don’t you will see a plus sign next to Device Manager, click on this and you should see a list of devices on your computer.

Next select the device that needs you to update the driver. Click on this device and click on the driver tab and then choose the option to update driver. All you have left is to follow the instructions to update the driver. This should be fairly easy to follow and you can then see if the same problems come up.

If this does not work then you may have to find a way to update the driver from the manufacturer. To do this you will need to find the manufacturer’s customer service number or website. You want to get the latest driver so simply reinstalling the CD or floppy disk that came with the device may not be enough, though this is also an option.

Look in the manual that came with your device for the exact make or model number. This will help you find the right driver online. If it is an internal device such as a video card then perform the same steps you might to manually update the driver up till you get to devices. Then you can get the exact name or make of the device.

Go to the manufacturer’s website and look for the driver file you need. You will then need to download the driver file on to your computer. Save it to your desktop so that you can find it easily after it has finished downloading.

Make a new folder on your desktop and drag the downloaded file into your new folder. Once you have done this double click on your file.
 

You may notice that it is in ZIP format, you can use a program such as WinZip to open it.

Now go through your Control Panel until you reach the list of devices. Click on the device you want, click on Properties and then on the Driver tab. You should follow the instructions and when you have to choose a list of drivers, choose the option of ‘Have Disk’.

Look for the driver files you just downloaded. You will see an ‘.INF’ file, choose this. You might have to try more than one ‘.INF’ file if there are multiple files like this. It will then install and you can then reboot your computer. You have just managed to update your driver.