Driver Tools

Driver tools 101

Your Windows computer comes with a couple of different driver tools for updating your device drivers including System Restore, Device Manager, and Windows Update. In addition, 3rd party driver tools are also available. Using these tools, or a combination of them, should be a part of your regular computer tune-up routine.

Drivers are used to tell the operating system how to control a particular hardware device. While your devices came with a set of drivers initially, updated versions are often released by device manufacturers. These updated versions contain fixes, improvements, or even new features.

Why updating your device drivers is important

Updating hardware devices allows you to have the most current information for your particular piece of hardware. In addition, if you are having problems or the device has stopped functioning, an updated driver may solve your problems and restore proper function.

The built-in driver tools serve their purpose though they aren't necessarily the best option for regular maintenance. System Restore is a useful driver tool when your device stops working as expected after you've made changes to your system (such as installing or removing hardware or software). System Restore works by making “restore points” periodically. These restore points save your computer's original system settings and drivers. After making a change to your computer and getting undesirable results, you can restore the system to an earlier date. This doesn't affect your data or programs; it simply restores your system settings and drivers.

How to use Device Manager

Device Manager is another one of those driver tools that comes built-in with Windows. This utility is located in the Control Panel. You can also type “Device Manager” into the Windows Vista Search bar and access it that way. Once launched, Device Manager lists all of the devices found on your system with the exception of printers. By double-clicking on a device, the device's Properties dialog box opens. The tabs vary depending on the device type. Usually, a General tab, Driver tab, and Driver Details tab will be visible along with specialized tabs specific to the device type.

The Driver tab of this dialog box contains a series of buttons including one marked Update Driver. Clicking this button allows you to update the driver through either an automatic search or with a disk. Other driver tools found in this area of the dialog box include Roll Back Driver, Disable, Enable, and Uninstall. Rolling back the driver will restore your most recent change back to the previous driver version. Disable and Enable allow you to disable or enable a driver which is sometimes useful when troubleshooting hardware problems. Uninstall removes the device driver. You may need to do this before updating your driver.

Windows Update's main purpose is to update Windows with security patches, hotfixes, and improvements. It also serves as a driver tool in that it also provides drivers and updated drivers to your computer. If you don't have Windows Update enabled, you can do so by accessing this tool through the Control Panel and activating automatic updates. Various settings allow you to customize how these updates are installed.

The fastest way to manage and update your device drivers

3rd party driver tools such as DriverCure are one of the best ways to find and install updates. This utility knows exactly what's installed on your computer as well as the current version of each device driver. With this information and a regular schedule, DriverCure actively seeks out the latest drivers for your computer. Your computer will always be current which improves performance and prevents problems.

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Drivers

Driver Tools

Driver tools 101

Why updating your device drivers is important

How to use Device Manager

The fastest way to manage and update your device drivers