6 Things You Have Got To Know About Windows Device Drivers

Computers have been a very valuable tool to our modern life, that we just can't be without. I'm sure you will agree with me that computers are a very versatile machine. There is just so much you can do, today, that we take for granted such as communicate with love ones who are on the other side of the world, shop for groceries online and have them delivered to your door step, its seems you don't even have step out side any more.

That's all well and good and as well as being a versatile its also very fragile – just ask any computer technician!

Think about this for a moment, when you open your computer out its box, desktop or laptop and it makes no matter who the manufacturer is.

It's almost certain your new computer will need some maintenance in the very near future and you'll know the signs when you find your computer. When performance becomes very sluggish.

For you'll soon see, that with the power and versatility the computers have, there comes trouble. In the very fact that computers (including Windows based PC's) are weak if not maintained properly.

There are many elements that can make a faster computer become slow, Viruses, Spyware, Ad-ware, Corrupted or bloated Registry, and Corrupted/out of date Device Drivers. In this article I will discuss 6 things you should know about Windows device drivers.

1. Introduction to Windows Device Drivers Catalog:

   Not to be confused with “Windows Catalog”, which is an area of the Microsoft website where you can located third party hardware and software that is compatible with Windows.

The Windows Device Drivers catalog replaces the Hardware compatibility list (HCL), is part of the Windows update website where you can search for and download updates for Windows, including service packs, security updates, critical updates, roll ups, and recommended updates that are helpful and usually non-essential.

You can also download updated device drivers that are compatible with Microsoft Windows.

2. Why You Should Backup Your Device Drivers:

   As I've already stated above your computer device driver can become very corrupted or become obsolete and its a good idea to backup your drivers just so you can prevent system instability.
   
   Also, there are times when manufacturers will release new drivers that are NOT necessarily stable, so by backing up your drivers you can return to a previous version just I case the new driver is giving you a lot of headaches
   
   

3. Why Update Windows Device Drivers:
   Device drivers are very important as to how your computer will function with the device that Windows is communicating to, for example a scanner or printer. Say you upgrade to a new operating system.
   
   For example, you have XP installed and now you've migrated to Vista, you're old printer driver may not be compatible with Vista, and if this is the case, your printer may not function correctly, if at all. You either have to find an updated driver from the manufacturer or purchase a Vista compatible printer.
   
   This happened to me, my last laptop had XP installed, when I purchased my new laptop and installed and connected my 3-in-one scanner/printer. The driver would allow the printer to function OK, whereas, the scanner did not want to know.
   
   I updated my device driver to the Vista driver as specified by the manufacturer but still no joy. If I wanted scanning capability I would have purchase a new scanner. That just sucks!
   
   

4. How to Know if Your Windows Device Drivers are Hacked or Whacked:
   
   

   Download a good Device Driver Scanning program to run a scans and it is also a good thing to run "sigverif". That helps maintain the integrity of your system by scanning and listing all drivers on your system, both signed and unsigned and then detail an any changes to those files are quickly detected.
   
   Its a good idea to do this as many device drivers are themselves Trojans and are not all ever signed. Yet caution is required as some valid drivers are unsigned such as video drivers. The tool will display a list of any unsigned system drivers you have installed on your computer.
   
   This is a good first step in troubleshooting driver-related problems. Then remove any unsigned driver(s) that you think may be causing problems ( rather than deleting them, you move them to a different location, so you can move them back if the removal causes problems – with the exception of video drivers leave these well alone.)
   
   

5. The Murky World of Device Drivers:

   Device drivers are a common scape goat when it comes to all things going wrong with the computer.
   
   In the days of DOS, there was no such thing as device drivers and so no support was given. Just imagine when it came the time to print a document, your favourite word processor only had a few options. If your printer was not available you could not command the computer to print. Not very good at all.
   

   Its really good thing that Windows came along. Now, the manufacturers can develop drivers for your peripheral equipment.
   
   Watch out though, when windows updates itself, then its most possible some of your device drivers will be out-of-date and your efforts to secure an effective and fast performing computer will occur unless you find those up-to-date drivers.
   
   Once tracked down, that the hard part over, Updating is easy to do, be careful though, as new software can bring with it new conflicts, and new drivers access equipment directly can cause chaos to your system, that's why its also important to backup your windows device drivers.
   
   

6. Other Things Besides Windows Device Drivers to Look Out For:
   
   There are tell tale sign when you have a crap PC system.
   
   

   • The computer starts up slowly.
   • It takes ages to load a program.
   • Its virtually impossible to connect to the internet.

   
   ....and so on and so on...these are just a few of so many symptoms.
   
   As well as checking your device drivers, you are well advised to scan your computer for Viruses, Spyware, Ad-ware and have your registry scanned for any outdated entries. This is almost certain to happen.
   
   Also, scan your PC hard drive for all obsolete files, such as temporary files that have been loaded from the web via the websites you have visited!
   
   

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