How to Update Any Device Driver

[Lyte]

How to Update Device Driver

Device drivers are a piece of software that tells your computer how to communicate with a control peripheral devices, such as scanners and printers. Upgrading to a new operating system, hardware or other software may cause conflicts with old (current) driver on your computer. Sometimes device manufacturers create new drivers, which can solve problems when installed. So...

Instructions

1. Identify which driver version you currently have. On a Windows computer, right-click My Computer --> click Properties --> select the Device Manager tab. Click the plus sign to the left of a specific device to find the drivers that are currently installed for it.

2. Find out whether a newer driver exists by visiting the manufacturer's website for your device. A newer driver will have a later creation date than the one you have.

3. Follow instructions to download a newer driver.

4. Before you install the new driver, make sure you have a copy of the original driver! This is so if there are problems with the new driver you'll be able restore (re-install) the old ones.

5. Double-click the icon for the downloaded driver and look for a file named readme.txt or readme.doc. Now, follow installation instructions provided.

6. If the installation of the new driver didn't remove the old driver, remove it. On a Windows computer, right-click the driver in the Device Manager and select Remove.

7. Now, restart the computer.

NOTE: Changing video drivers can be more complicated and make make your computer inoperable. Be certain of what you're doing or seek professional advise.

These instructions are intended for Windows 95/98 and do not apply to Windows NT or Windows 2000.