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USB Drivers

Working with your USB drivers

Computers running Windows 98 and above provide native support for USB. Computers with USB ports offer what's known as "Plug and Play" compatibility. This means that you can simply plug in a USB device and Windows will recognize it and install the required device drivers. These are usually generic USB drivers.

Depending on your operating system, you may need to install USB driver updates to get the most out of your USB ports. For example, Windows 2000 and Windows XP were released before hardware for USB 2.0 was available. However, computers running Windows 2000 and XP could very well have USB 2.0 capable ports. Microsoft released updated USB drivers in later Service Packs.

How to update USB drivers "the hard way"

Updating USB drivers can be done several ways including using the Device Manager, installing related Service Packs, and through using Microsoft Windows Update.

To update USB drivers with Device Manager, you must first launch Device Manager. Device Manager is found in the Control Panel. Depending on your operating system you may find it listed or you may need to click the System icon first.

Once inside Device Manager, you'll see a list of hardware categories. Down at the bottom you will find Universal Serial Bus controllers. Click the plus sign next to this entry. Now, you'll see a list containing a variety of controllers and hubs such as USB Universal Serial Bus controllers, enhanced host controllers, and USB root hubs. Double click the USB controller or hub that you want to update and then click on the Driver tab. From here, you can simply hit Update Driver and follow the prompts.

If you don't find the USB Universal Serial Bus controllers listed here, click Other Devices. If you see Universal Serial Bus controllers here, it means that you have the USB 2.0 capable ports on your computer but they don't yet have USB drivers associated with them. Double-click the item and then click Reinstall Driver. This launches the Add New Hardware Wizard. Follow the prompts for reinstalling the related USB drivers.

Where to find your USB drivers updates

You can visit the Microsoft Web site in your quest for Service Packs and USB driver updates. If your operating system qualifies for a service pack, by all means, install it. Service packs are major operating system upgrades that greatly enhance your operating system.

Windows Update provides one of the easier ways to ensure that you have the most current USB drivers for your system. Windows Update is located in the Control Panel. Enabling this feature provides you with the latest security updates for your operating system along with recommended and optional updates. You can set Windows Update to automatically and regularly check for updates. You can further customize the installation of discovered updates. For example, if you want to review them first, you can set it up for that purpose.

Updating your device USB drivers "the easy way"

Updating USB drivers using these various options can be a do-it-yourself job. If you'd rather let software do the work for you, give DriverCure a try. Not only will you have access to the latest USB drivers, you will also have access to updated drivers for every piece of hardware installed on your computer.