How to Reinstall Hardware Drivers on a Gateway Laptop
Most Gateway computers come equipped with a recovery disk that is supposed to be able to reinstall all the software you had when you purchased your laptop. But the process it isn't perfect. In fact, the recovery disks often neglect to reinstall the drivers, or pieces of software, that tell Windows how to run the hardware in your PC. These can include everything from video cards to USB ports to sound cards. However, you can easily reinstall these yourself once the operating system is reinstalled on your system.
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Instructions
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Once you have Windows installed properly, open the Windows Device Manager to see what pieces of hardware are functioning on your machine.
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Make a list of all devices that have a yellow question mark next to them. These are the items that will need drivers installed manually.
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Go to the Gateway hardware-driver download site. (Follow the link in Resources.)
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Enter your serial number in the main box on the website. You can find this number by checking the "Model Number" on the sticker underneath your laptop.
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Locate the type of hardware that's first on the list you made. Click "Download driver" and save it to your Downloads folder. (Note that if your laptop cannot connect to the Internet, you will need to burn these drivers to a CD on another computer and then transfer the files to your laptop.)
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Click on the driver icon after it has downloaded. The files will automatically be unzipped and installed to the right places. Some drivers may ask you to restart your system.
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Repeat this download process for every piece of hardware on your list.
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Tips & Warnings
It is best to test your system after each driver is installed, to make sure it functions correctly.
The Gateway website has separate downloads for machines running Windows Vista and other versions of Windows. Double-check on the download screen that you are downloading the correct drivers for your operating system.
