The common problems of use drivers

From time to time the majority of computer users face different problems concerning to the drivers. The common questions relate to search for drivers, selecting of the right ones, etc. So, we offer you to get answers on these and other questions.

Indications for a driver problem
Remember, you have, probably, a driver problem if the hardware seems to be working, but the functions are not really working correctly. As well, if there are some unexplained system failures when you try to use a piece of hardware, the reason of this may be an incorrect driver job too. These crashes may be resolved by deleting and reinstall a driver.

Where and how to obtain the right driver
Of course, there is not a problem to find and install the right driver for your hardware if you have the one that came with it. Just place the disk into the drive bay and follow the instruction. If you are working with Windows XP or Windows NT, it is a good idea to use the Plug and Play driver capabilities. A lot of devices work well with it. Plug and Play system has its internal driver library. The needed driver for a certain piece of hardware is chosen by the system. If neither of these ways is acceptable for you, you have to find the driver via the Internet. Note, it is highly recommended to search for the driver only at the official manufacturer’s websites or a reliable and well organised website archives like Myfixbase. In order to find the necessary driver, you should know your device manufacturer and model.

How to find out the hardware manufacturer and model
It doesn't usually cause difficulties to find out the manufacturer and model details for quite big pieces of hardware like monitor or printer. The make, model and serial number are typically written on the unit. Look for the details on the front or on a label at the back. This way is also good for internal components such as modems and graphics cards. If you had installed them yourself, you may also find their data in the manuals or on the boxes. Other internal things don't require taking off the cover of your PC. In this instance, you should use the Windows tools. Click on "Start", then under programs select "Accessories", then "System tools". Finally, click on "System information" which will allow you to find out all kinds of things. Click on the "+" next to components and you will get a list of all the hardware you need along with the drivers they use. If you double click on anything, for example CD ROM, you will see the device information like the manufacturer, model, serial number, etc.

Any driver from a certain manufacturer will not work on all their devices. Why?
The fact is that the driver translates the Windows instructions into things the hardware understands. It is necessary to understand clearly the capabilities of the hardware. The driver which describes a different piece of hardware is not always able to do the translation correctly. It is a matter of chance, sometimes it will work, sometimes not. It goes without saying, if you want to get the all features from the hardware, the best solution would be to use the right driver.

What should I do if I can't find the driver for an old piece of the hardware?
It may happen that you have deleted or lost the driver for an old piece of hardware you have. If the device is quite old, you may have difficulty to find a driver for it. That is why, it is always strongly recommended to save the necessary drivers burned on a CD ROM. If you have ignored this advice or forgotten about it, you can try asking if anyone has the needed driver. It is a good idea also to use the reliable websites like this which encourage these questions and try to track down any drivers missing from their archives. You can take participate in different forums where people can post the messages and share helpful information concerning to the drivers. If your searching of the right driver is not successful, you may try to use a driver for the nearest model you can find. Of course, there is no guarantee that it will be able to work properly.