How to Update Any Device Driver

Driver software tells a computer how to communicate with and control peripheral devices, such as scanners and printers. Upgrading to a new operating system or other software may cause conflicts with existing drivers. Sometimes device manufacturers create new drivers, which can solve problems when installed.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Computers

1. Figure out which driver version you currently have. On a Windows computer, right-click My Computer and click Properties; select the Device Manager tab. Click the plus sign to the left of a specific device to find the drivers that are currently installed for it. On a Macintosh, use the Apple System Profiler program to check driver versions. (If the Profiler doesn't list a device, check the Extensions Manager control panel.)

2. Find out whether a newer driver exists by visiting the Web site for the manufacturer of your device. A newer driver will have a later creation date than the one you have.

3. Follow instructions to download a newer driver.

4. Make sure you have the original drivers. If there are problems with the new driver, you want to be able to restore the old one.

5. Double-click the icon for the downloaded driver.

6. Follow installation instructions that appear. Look for a file named readme.txt or readme.doc.

7. If the installation didn't remove the old driver, remove it. On a Windows computer, right-click the driver in the Device Manager and select Remove. On a Macintosh, drag the old driver file out of the Extensions folder in your System Folder, and either save it elsewhere or delete it.

8. Restart the computer.

Tips & Warnings

• If upgrading the driver doesn't solve problems with the device, replace the device or remove the new software from your system.
• Attempting to change video drivers could make your computer inoperable. Get professional help if you need it.
• These instructions are intended for Windows 95/98 and do not apply to Windows NT or Windows 2000.