How to Fix Driver Errors

Everyone who has ever used a personal computer understands the perils of driver failure. Instead of having to call your tech-savvy brother-in-law at 11 o'clock at night to help fix the latest problem on your PC, learning how to fix the driver problems on your own can help you to get your computer up and running again faster in the future.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Open the device manager to diagnose the problem. You've obviously figured out that there's a driver error from the error messages every time you keep trying to complete a specific task, but the Device Manager can give you a better idea of what you're really looking at. Right click on the "My Computer" Icon on your desktop and select "Properties." On the Hardware tab, select "Device Manager."
2. Look for the yellow triangle. The Device Manager window will give you a list of all of the devices connected to your computer. Problematic devices will have a yellow triangle next to their name in the left column.
3. Right-click on the problematic device and then select "Properties." The Properties window should have tabs at the top. Under the "Resources" tab, check "Resource Allocation" and "Modify Resource Settings" to stop driver conflict errors. Select the "Update Driver" button and then install updates if the driver is outdated.
4. Uninstall the driver if the driver is completely corrupted. Reinstall after the driver has been removed. If you end up with a faulty driver, restore the original by selecting the "Roll Back Driver" button.
5. Use the Recovery Console if the Device Manager method does not work by Inserting the Windows installation disk and restarting your PC. Select R on the Welcome screen and login (you must be an administrator). Type in "CD Windows\system32\drivers" and select "Enter."
6. Continue in the Recovery Console mode and type in "Ren Driver_Name.sys Driver_Name.old," hit "Enter" then type "copy CD-Drive:\i386 Driver_Name.sys" and press "Enter" again. This will copy the original driver to the drivers folder. Once finished, exit Recovery Console, take the CD out, and restart your computer.
7. Consult a professional if this method of repairing the drivers does not work. If the device itself is corrupted, you may have a larger problem on your hands.

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