Drivers are software programs which tell your computer how to "talk to" your hardware and devices, such as monitors, keyboards, scanners and printers. Without the correct version of a particular driver, your hardware cannot communicate with software (Windows) and your hardware can't function properly.
Common Scenarios Where You Need To Upgrade Drivers
Upgrading to a new OS or upgrading from Windows XP to Windows Vista may often cause conflicts with your existing drivers. Sometimes your device manufacturers such as Logitech, HP, Toshiba will create new drivers and these will make the old ones useless. Unless you update your drivers, you might find that your devices don't work.
Installing new software or hardware can also result in the need to update your drivers.
Finally, just plain everyday computer use can cause drivers to become damaged or out of date. This causes the hardware connected to the driver to malfunction.
How to Update Drivers in Windows Vista or XP
Firstly, find out which driver versions you currently have. On a Windows XP or Vista computer, right-click My Computer and click Properties; select the Device Manager. Click the Plus sign to the left of a specific device. This will tell you to the drivers that are currently installed.
Secondly, do a search on the web to see if a newer driver exists by visiting the website of the manufacturer of your device. A newer driver will have a more current release date than the one installed previously. Many people complain that it is very difficult to find driver updates on the manufacturers websites.
If you manage to find it, proceed to download the latest version of the driver you need.
Important Things To Consider
Please be aware that finding the driver you need is not a simple process and can be very frustrating. You will need to know in 95% of cases the model number, serial number, and revision of your device. If you replace the wrong driver, you may damage your hardware.
Needless to say, you need to be 100% certain that these drivers will work and not cause any problems with your computer hardware.
Furthermore, you will need to make sure you download official drivers only. Installing the wrong drivers will crash your system. Also, if there are problems with the new driver, you want to be able to restore the old one.
Finally, if the installation didn't remove the old driver, remove it. On a Windows XP or Vista PC, right-click the driver in the Device Manager and select Remove.
Finally, you may restart the computer and your drivers should be updated.
The Easy Way To Replace Old Drivers
If you don't have time to mess around with searching the internet for drivers and guessing which driver you need for your hardware, there are websites out there which automatically install the latest and official versions of Windows drivers.
They will save you a lot of time and headaches and ensure you don't waste money sending your computer away for repair.
