Home

Services

Contact

F.A.Q.

Links

Traverse City Computers

Custom Computers

Website Hosting & Design

Rent A Geek Traverse City Computer Repair Service and Training

F.A.Q.

Updating Drivers (Windows® 2000/XP)

Programs sometimes experience difficulties with sound, video or the CD-ROM drive. These sound, video and CD-ROM drive issues can result when the software that controls these devices (called drivers) becomes corrupted or outdated. The following article describes collecting driver information.

Before calling technical support, verify that the drivers for the sound card, video card and CD-ROM drive are up to date. It is possible that a recently purchased computer may require driver updates.

Review the driver date on the following devices to confirm the most current driver revision:

* Video Card
* Sound Card
* CD-ROM (and/or DVD) drive

The current date of the drivers can be found using the Device Manager. To reach the Device Manager and determine the driver date in Windows®, complete the following steps:

1. Click Start, select Settings (Windows® 2000/Windows® XP Classic Start Menu) and click Control Panel. The Control Panel window will appear.
2. Double-click the System icon (Windows® 2000/Windows® XP in Classic View). The System Properties window will open.

NOTE: For Windows® XP, if the System icon does not appear in the Control Panel, click Classic View (on the left) and then double-click the System icon. The System Properties will open.

3. Click the Hardware tab.
4. Click the Device Manager button. The Device Manager window will open.
5. Click the plus (+) sign next to the computer component [display (video), sound, DVD-CD-ROM, etc.] to expand the list.
6. Double-click on the device driver name that appears in the list. The Properties window will open listing the driver information.
7. Click the Driver tab and record the driver date.

NOTE: Do not click the Update Driver button. The Update Driver wizard searches the system (not the Internet) for drivers to the selected device.

8. Click OK to close the window.

NOTE: Once the driver date is obtained, contact the computer or hardware manufacturer to determine if the driver is up to date and if a newer driver is available. Driver information is typically available at the manufacturer's web site.