After you installed the “old woman” Windows XP on your own PC, some devices may simply not work. At one time, this system supported a sufficient list of devices, except, perhaps, some Serial ata controllers. It is enough to recall the story when comparing this system with windows 98, and it will become clear what is at stake.
But time passed, and modern computers acquired new hardware components, to determine which stable drivers of the latest versions are needed. They may be enough in recent OSs, such as windows seven or Vista.
However, even for XP, there are ways to update drivers for unidentified components. And we will consider them, since updating the operating system is not always advisable.
PCs and laptops. How to update all drivers correctly
At least two things you will need for a successful and joyful process. You will need access to the Internet, as well as the administrator rights. To get started, consider how to update drivers on a computer through the device manager.
The properties of the “My Computer” program have the technical option “Component Manager”. As soon as you click on it with the cursor, the device manager will open.
It will show equipment for which there are no necessary drivers. Such a list of devices will be marked with a yellow exclamation mark. You need to right-click on the marked component and call the update dialog box .
Then we select the option “automatic installation and search for drivers”. Having connected the Internet, go to an accessible search server and enter the query "download driver for ...", where instead of the ellipsis should be the name of your equipment.
Now we go to one of the resources in the top ten search. On the selected site, as a rule, there is a form for searching for the necessary driver by name or by component id . Therefore, even a novice will be able to navigate and understand how to update drivers via the Internet.
Go to the device manager again
If the automatic search is not successful, and the desired driver within the windows is not detected, use manual detection, that is, "search for drivers on this PC." Indicate its location on the computer or in the local area network windows, after downloading the required system file.
Do not forget to check the downloaded file or archive for viruses, but it will be better if the necessary software is copied from an official source.
Third-party driver search applications
If the above options did not lead to the expected result (how to update the driver), you can use software from an independent manufacturer. For example, the Sam Drivers program determines the equipment well and does it automatically. There is similar software for these purposes. Most applications of this type also automatically find the necessary resources from which they download the appropriate drivers.
How to update drivers by hardware id
In the same device manager, selecting the property option, go to the "details" tab. Under the “Component Instance Code” drop-down list, you will see something like VEN_XXXX & DEV_XXXX. Instead of "X" will be letters and numbers. This is the initial identifier of the component manufacturer. Copy this value to the clipboard, and then use it in the search queries “how to update the driver” or “download the driver id ...”
When no update is needed
Sometimes nothing needs to be updated. This happens in cases where all hardware components are defined and work stably. Maybe, of course, you will slightly gain in speed by updating one of the drivers to the latest version. However, it is not recommended to experiment if the system is stable and the devices are error-free.