All About Drivers

What are drivers?
Drivers are mini-programs (instructions) that tell your computer how to
use its hardware. Each hardware device has a driver. Some, like drivers
for a keyboard or mouse, are built into the computer itself. Others,
like video card drivers or modem drivers, need to be installed when you
get a the new hardware device. Without the proper driver, your stuff
won't work.
If you're having trouble with a particular hardware device, chances are
that an updated driver may solve your problem.
Note - updating your drivers is normally a good idea, but in rare cases
it can cause problems. So, as always, do this at your own risk.
If you wish to update your drivers, much depends on the manufacturer
of your computer. The most common as well as the easiest, driver
update is an ".exe" file that runs what is called a "setup" program.
You download it, double-click it, the setup program runs itself and
you are done. At the most, all you will have to do is restart your
computer.
You can also use an "inf" file. When your right-click some of these,
you will get a menu option to install the driver. Others - most in
fact, do not have this, however. You have to update the driver
manually. To do so, follow these instructions:
1. Right-click My Computer, Properties.
2. Next, go to the device manager tab and select the hardware item you
would like to update (Win 2000 users, head to the Hardware tab and hit
the Device Manager button). You'll probably need to click the plus sign
next to each category in order to actually get to a specific piece of
hardware.
3. Right-click the item you want to update and select Properties from
the resulting menu.
4. Click the Update driver button on that tab. A wizard will start and
help you install your new driver. Click the Next button.
5. Click the "Search for a better driver..." radio button. Click Next.
6. Finally, tell the computer where the new driver file is using the
"Specify a Location" drop box and the Browse button. If you're using
Win ME, it will automatically start looking for the new driver at this
point. If it doesn't find it, you'll have to tell it where to look.
Once the driver is located, you'll be able to finish up with the wizard.
You'll probably need to re-start your computer, but that's about it.
Are you in need of a Driver? Or do you think you might be? First,
it is usually best to check with your manufacturer. Most have an
online web site you can use to do this. There is also a web site
that has oodles of drivers for all types of hardware. If you cannot
find your original driver disk, or you cannot find the information on
your manufacture's web site, the following web site can be a lifesaver.
Windrivers.com