Everyone who has ever used a computer is aware of the dangers of driver failure. Instead of calling your tech-savvy brother-in-law at 11 p.m. to help you solve the current problem on your PC, understanding how to fix driver problems on your own can help you get your computer up and running again faster in the future.
STEP 1
To troubleshoot, use the device manager. You’ve definitely deduced that there’s a driver fault based on the error messages you keep getting while attempting to finish a given job, but the Device Manager can give you a clearer understanding of what you’re looking at. Right-click the “My Computer” icon on your desktop and choose “Properties.” On the Hardware tab, choose “Device Manager.”
STEP 2
Locate the yellow triangle. The Device Manager window displays a list of all the devices that are connected to your computer. In the left column, problematic devices will have a yellow triangle next to their name.
STEP 3
Right-click on the faulty device and select “Properties,” which should have tabs at the top. To prevent driver conflict issues, select “Resource Allocation” and “Modify Resource Settings” under the “Resources” tab. If the driver is out of date, click the “Update Driver” option and then install the updates.
STEP 4
If the driver is fully corrupted, uninstall it. After removing the driver, reinstall it. If you wind up with a bad driver, you may revert to the original by clicking the “Roll Back Driver” option.
STEP 5
If the Device Manager technique does not work, use the Recovery Console by inserting the Windows installation CD and restarting your computer. Log in by selecting R on the Welcome page (you must be an administrator). Enter “CD Windowssystem32drivers” and press Enter.
STEP 6
Continue in Recovery Console mode by typing “Ren Driver Name.sys Driver Name.old,” then pressing “Enter,” followed by “copy CD-Drive:i386 Driver Name.sys” and pressing “Enter” once more. The original driver will be copied to the driver’s folder as a result of this. When you’re finished, quit Recovery Console, remove the CD, and restart your computer.
STEP 7
If this way of fixing the drivers does not work, see a specialist. If the device itself is corrupted, you may be dealing with a far greater issue.