HP Drivers

Working with your HP drivers

If you own an HP printer, digital camera, computer, monitor, scanner, or other device, you will need HP drivers. HP drivers are files that are normally included with the installation disc. These files explain to the operating system what the device is, its features, and how to interact with it. Without HP drivers, your computer and the HP device wouldn't be able to communicate. When you purchase a new HP product, the drivers are included on a CD-ROM or floppy disk.

In addition to specific hardware devices like HP printers, if you have an HP built computer, your computer also requires device drivers for the installed non-HP devices such as graphics cards or motherboards. In most cases, these HP drivers are stored on the recovery CD that came with your computer.

While your computer and its related hardware devices may be fully functional right now, it's smart to hang on to your installation discs and recovery CD. After all, if the drivers become corrupt or you later upgrade your operating system, you'll need access to your device drivers. Otherwise, your hardware won't work.

Signs that your HP drivers have been corrupted

Yes, drivers can become corrupt just like any file or program on your computer. Viruses, spyware, power surges, unexpected shutdowns, and accidental deletion are all common causes of file corruption. How do you know you have a corrupt HP driver?

Your first clue will be when the device no longer functions as it should. For example, if your HP scanner no longer works or isn't recognized, chances are good that it's the driver's fault, not a mechanical problem. Try reinstalling the HP driver that came on the installation disk and see if that solves your problem.

Better yet, head over to the HP Web site and download an updated driver if one is available. HP regularly updates its drivers to address known flaws with the device or incorporate new technology. For example, if your old HP printer doesn't work after you've upgraded your operating system to Windows Vista, check to see if HP has released a device driver update adding Vista functionality to your particular printer. Instead of shelling out a hundred dollars or more for a new printer, all you need to do is download a free HP driver update.

Updating device HP drivers "manually"

Updating HP drivers is fairly straightforward though there are two techniques depending on if the driver is for a standard device or a printer. Standard device driver updates are done by using Device Manager which is found in the Control Panel. Simply open Device Manager, located the HP device in the list, right-click it, click the Driver tab, and click Update Driver.

HP printer drivers are updated using the Printer icon in the Control Panel. This takes you to a screen where you select HP from the list and then select the HP printer model in the resulting list before clicking OK.

HP's Support and Drivers section of the HP.com Web site has an automatic HP product detection tool that you can use to automatically detect any installed HP product. This involves downloading and installing a small program on your computer. Once installed, follow the prompts on the Web site to detect your device and locate the appropriate device drivers.

Managing and updating your device HP drivers automatically

An easier way to manage HP drivers, or any drivers for that matter, is by choosing DriverCure, a device driver updating utility. This program automates the process of identifying your hardware devices and locating the most current drivers for each device.

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Drivers

HP Drivers

Working with your HP drivers

Signs that your HP drivers have been corrupted

Updating device HP drivers "manually"

Managing and updating your device HP drivers automatically