Thursday, July 05, 2007

Windows Vista: Manually Updating Drivers

Are looking for the latest device driver for software or hardware that you already have installed in your computer? Below are a few places you should check to find the latest drivers.
  • Manufacturer's Web Site: This is probably the best place to get the latest drivers for your system. These web sites are generally where a company will post the latest updates for their products. Microsoft keeps a list of popular Manufacturer's web sites on their site.
  • Windows Update: this is a free service provided by Microsoft that has the latest Microsoft application and OS patches, and device drivers for current and legacy hardware.
  • Device Manager: Allows you to check Microsoft to see if you have the latest driver. To manually update a driver in the Device Manager follow the steps below:
    • From the Start menu open the Control Panel folder.
    • Open the System control panel.
    • Click 'Device Manager' link in the left pane.
    • In the 'Device Manager' find the device you want to update, and then double-click the device name.
    • Click the Driver tab, and then press the 'Update Driver...' button.
  • Manufacturer's Driver Disk: This disk will only have the latest version of the drivers that were available for your hardware when the device was manufactured. I would only use this disk to get you started if you have no other way of getting the latest driver.

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