Computer Drivers

Are you dealing with computer problems you can’t seem to identify? Do you have difficulties in displaying images, printing documents or hearing your music? If so, you may want to consider the possibility that you actually have driver problems.

A device driver or simply driver is a “small software program that helps your computer identify and run particular types of hardware”. (Tips 4 PC) Drivers exist for numerous devices both internal and external. Many people think of drivers only in relation to printers or digital cameras. However, there are also drivers for floppy disks, modems, hard drives, video cards, CD-ROMs, network and sound cards, keyboards, USB removable drives, monitors, DVDs and more. (Computer Hope) And if a driver is not functioning correctly, it can lead to problems.

Over time, a driver can become corrupted or fall victim to a virus or Trojan. In this case, it will not be able to communicate effectively with the computer’s operating system. You may notice less than optimal performance or you may get a message that a device is not working. “For example, if somehow the driver for your printer becomes unusable and you attempt to print a document in a word-processing program, that program will report an error message, informing you that the printer is offline or unavailable, even though you know that the printer is properly plugged into the computer and powered up.” (Computor Edge)

If you are having problems with a graphics display card driver, you may find that images on your screen display are choppy or difficult to see. Sound card drivers that go bad may lead to erratic sound quality or complete loss of sound. So once you can identify the type of problem you are having, you have a good starting point to consider the driver for that device.

Fortunately, if you are using Windows XP or Vista, it is quite simple to determine what driver you are using for any specific device. You can locate this information through the Device Manager. You just go to My Computer, click on Manage and click Device Manager. Once there, you double-click the type of device you want to check, click on the specific device, click Properties and on the Drivers tab, click Driver Details. (Support. Microsoft) This will display the information about the driver you are using for that device. If you use another system or aren’t sure what drivers are on your computer, you may need to find the manufacturer name and model number of your device and check their website for driver information.

Once you locate the driver information, you will want to copy down the version number you have installed on your computer. Drivers always have version numbers so that you can easily determine if you have the most current version. You can visit the device manufacturer’s website to check if there is a newer version available. “Hardware manufacturers release new versions of their drivers to fix bugs, increase performance and stability on your computer or add new features.”(Bleeping Computer)

If you use Windows XP or Vista, you may automatically receive driver updates through Windows Update. (Microsoft) If not, you may want to check periodically to see if new drivers are available, as they are updated fairly frequently. If you find a newer version, you can download it easily. Even if you aren’t having any problems, it is a good idea to keep drivers updated for efficiency and security.

In many cases, updating drivers will correct the problems. However, sometimes you may need to reinstall the drivers or even roll them back to a previous version if you experience problems after upgrading. Another issue to keep in mind is that when you replace a device, be sure to uninstall the driver for the replaced device, as “having both drivers installed could cause a conflict.” (Geeks 2Go)