Finding and Configuring Device Drivers

Updated June 6, 2008

No matter what kind of hardware you have (or need to support), sooner or later, hardware compatibility issues are likely to arise. Older hardware might exhibit compatibility problems with a new operating system (or vice-versa!), or might require special configurations to function. In many cases, devices such as printers, graphics adapters, sound cards, network devices, USB peripherals, mainboards, storage devices, and so on, will be supported natively by newer versions of the Windows operating system and may be found using the searchable Microsoft Update Catalog. In some cases, however, your device may require an additional "device driver" (which, of course, is usually supplied along with the device that needs it).

The most common problems are as follows:

• The supplied driver doesn't work with your operating system. It's a good idea to use Windows Update to see if an updated driver is available from Microsoft. This is usually the fastest and easiest way to update a device driver.
• You can't find the disc with the driver or a support page with a link to a downloadable driver. If a visit to the manufacturer's Web site doesn't yield the link you are looking for, try searching for the exact model number of your device, plus the words update, download and/or support.
• You don't have administrative authority to install or configure the driver. You may need the administrative password to your system, or you may need to ask someone who does.

Another common scenario is that a new driver becomes available that adds or enhances features of the device. Thus, the new driver may be more desirable than the one previously installed or delivered with your operating system.

Popular Device Manufacturers

The most important details you need to know about a device are its manufacturer (which is not always the same as its distributor) and its exact name and model number. Be sure to make note of revision numbers where applicable. For example, there can be significant hardware differences between version 1.0 of a device and version 2.0. To check drivers for your manufacturer's hardware, try our summarized hardware driver directory—or the more detailed Microsoft Update Catalog.

How to find a device driver not listed at either of the above sites

Here are a few ideas to help you find an elusive device driver:

Step 1. Identify the exact model name and, if appropriate, the chipset used by the device
Most devices have a "friendly" name—usually concocted by a marketing department, and a hardware device name (often, based wholly or partly upon the chipset used by the device). For example, a particular version of a product by ECS ® known as an "IC Card Reader" is more easily found if you know that it's also known as the "UCR-61S2B."

Step 2. Determine if the device driver is already provided by Windows
Refer to the Windows Hardware Compatibility List and Windows Server Catalog for a comprehensive list of supported devices.

• If the driver is listed in Device Manager but has an "alert" symbol next to its name or causes some other problem, then the driver has a problem. Try removing it, then restarting your computer. If it still fails, you may need to change hardware settings (e.g., change BIOS or jumper settings—refer to your computer's technical documentation) or try an updated driver.
• If Windows can't find a driver on the OS installation disc, be sure to use Windows Update or Microsoft Update to check for updates available online.
• Be sure that the driver you select exactly matches the model number or your device. If multiple matches are shown, pick the newest one.

If the above steps result in no matching drivers, you'll have to look on the Internet or find the original driver disc.

Step 3. Look on the Internet

• Quite often, you will find that there are communities "unofficially" supporting older devices. These enthusiast groups sometimes call their site the "unofficial home page" of the device. Searching for the device name and the word "unofficial" or "problem" is usually a good way to find information not offered by resellers.
• Note that there may be some results returned by a search engine that, for various reasons, do not deliver the information described. If the description of a site or page returned by your favorite search engine seems suspicious or nonsensical (for example, a page that purports to deliver both "mind reader" and "card reader" information), use extra caution. In general, the original equipment manufacturer is your best and most reliable source for driver updates.

Original versus updated drivers:

• Generally, updated drivers are preferable, as they usually fix problems and improve performance or compatibility.
• If you choose to use the driver supplied with a device, be sure that it supports your operating system. Device drivers designed for Windows 98, for example, will seldom work on systems running Windows XP or newer releases.
• Even if a device driver is found by Windows, there may be benefits to installing an updated driver. You are unlikely to encounter problems updating to a newer compatible driver. If problems do occur, it is usually easy to roll back to your original driver version (see "System Restore" or "Roll back" in Windows Help topics.)