Checking for Correct Drivers

Checking for Correct Drivers - Intro 

Sometimes a piece of hardware on you PC might start to misbehave, or perhaps it doesn't work properly from the outset. A common cuase is incorrect drivers. A driver is a small piece of software that help you operating system undetsand what a particular bit of hardware does.

Checking for Correct Drivers - Download Fresh Drivers

Before you start the reintsall process check that you have the correct drivers to hand. For example for a graphics card made by nvidia or perhaps ATI vists there website and download a fresh set of drivers. You then have 2 options.

Find out which drivers to download can be tricky and you may need to open up you PC case, which is fine if done carefully, and write down the part number on your hardware. 

SO above we have a graphics card and you can find out which driver you will need by do a google search for part number.

So if I search for 180-10283-A02 on google it will tell be that the video / graphics card is an NVS 285, so type "NVS 285 driver" back in to google and you should have some good results.

MAKE SURE YOU ONLY DOWNLOAD DRIVERS FROM THE GENUINE MANUFACTURERS WEBSITE


You now have 2 options.

Option 1 - Run Intstaller

In the file you dowenloaded there may be am install file, this may install the driver for you (just follow the on screen prompts). or

Option 1 - Install Maunaully

Sometimes the drivers will not be installed and just "unzipped" to a director somewhere on your PC. In this instance you will have to make note of where there are stored durung the unzipping process.

For example when you unzip drivers sourced from the HP website, the are normally stored in a folder called "SWSETUP" found in the root of the "C" drive (My Computer > C:).

So once you have figured out where the drivers have been stored open device manager.

(Start > Control Panel> Device Manager)

Right click on the hardware you are having trouble with (it may have a yellow question mark next to it), and choose update driver software. Some people say uou should unistall the drivers before updating.

Choose browse computer, and then navigate to the folder where the drivers were unzipped to.

Then click next. 

One of twop thing will happen, either you will see so animated incons saying install is happening, and you will have to restart computer (perhaps), or you will see a message saying that you drivers are already OK. If it is the later then perhaps somthing else is the matter and not your drivers.

Environmental Consultants

Environmental Permitting

Desktop Study