How to update device drivers in Windows 7

Updating your pc's device drivers can help resolve some hardware and device manager error code problems. It also allows you to enjoy updated functionality of your hardware devices. Updating hardware device drivers in windows 7 is almost the same as updating software drivers in Windows Vista and XP. There is a few slight differences though. However, computer users that have tried updating device drivers on previous Windows operating systems would recognize some of the steps below.

Always download the latest versions of your hardware device drivers directly from the hardware manufacturer. For example, if the embedded webcam on your HP laptop was manufactured by Chicoly, the best place to do the downloading should be from chicoly's website. I am aware computer manufacturers usually provide all required device drivers for every computer models on their offerings, however, many a times these device drivers on their websites are outdated. Note: If you are not a power computer user stick to the main drivers available on your computer manufacturer's website.

Many hardware device drivers can install automatically on your computer like regular software immediately after you click on run. Sometimes this is not the case and if you find yourself in such situation you need to perform a manual updating of your hardware device driver. The steps below will help with the process.

1. Download the device driver from your hardware manufacturer's website. Avoid third party so-called 'automatic software driver detectors' like plague.
2. From the control panel, open the device manager
3. Identify and right-click the icon for the hardware in question and select properties
4. Now, you are looking at the properties window. Click on the driver tab. Next, click on update driver.
5. Right now, 'How do you want to search for driver software?' will pop up; click on Browse my computer for the driver software.
6. Step 5 leads you to 'Browse for driver software on your computer' window. Click on 'let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer' followed by the 'Have Disk' button
7. On the Install From Disk box, click on Browse
8. Click the INF button followed by the Open
9. On the Install From Disk box click on OK
10. Now you are almost there. Click on the new hardware on the box and click Next
11. At this stage, instructions from the driver installation wizard can easily be followed to successfully install the hardware device driver.

If you enjoyed this post, please Tweet or

-By Dominic
TAGS: Windows 7 Tips

Web site and all contents © Copyright ComputerTooSlow.com 2012, All rights reserved.