If you rely on Windows to detect and install device driver updates, you could be missing out on some important functions that your hardware is capable of. This is because Windows doesn’t always detect and install the correct hardware drivers for your computer.

Windows Gets It Wrong

Windows is often very good at detecting the correct driver for an installed piece of hardware, but occasionally it will select the wrong driver for your device or miss an update. You may, or may not, notice the problem right away, depending upon what functions have been lost. To correct the problem, you can download and install the correct driver manually, but this is a time consuming process. If you rely on the manual correction method, you’ll need to correct the mistake each time Windows errs in its driver choice. You may also miss out on updates from the driver manufacturer.

Maintaining computers takes up a large portion of my time, so I’m all for anything that works correctly and automates tedious manual processes like finding, downloading and installing Windows drivers. I’m also all for anything that can help prevent problems from arising in the future. Driver Detective helps on both fronts. With Driver Detective loaded onto your computer, you can be sure that you will always have the correct driver for your computer’s configuration. You’ll also have a backup copy of the driver handy in case something goes wrong. Driver Detective also maintains your drivers by watching for, locating, downloading and installing driver updates when they appear.

You don’t have to wait for Windows to pick up the correct driver and you never have to worry about using the wrong driver for your installed devices when you turn your driver management over to Driver Detective. Simply install Driver Detective and let the software do the rest. Any time a driver update is released for your installed hardware, Driver Detective will find it, download it and install it. Driver Detective provides a backup for your installed drivers to prevent problems from occurring should your installed driver become damaged, corrupted or accidentally deleted.

Driver Detective has been downloaded and used for years by people who want to take care of their computers but don’t want to spend hours doing it. It works well and that’s why I tell my clients to use Driver Detective as their driver management solution.

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Don’t assume that a corrupted Windows driver will render your hardware device non-functional. A corrupted driver can still partially work, making troubleshooting somewhat more difficult. In today’s post, I cover some signs and symptoms of a corrupted driver. If your system consistently experiences these problems, you may want to consider replacing the suspect driver.

A Dud Driver Isn’t Always A Dead Driver

The first sign of a driver problem may be a Windows error message. Unfortunately, Windows error messages may not be very specific or accurate when it comes to indicating that there may be a driver or hardware problem. Complicating the matter is that some devices are powered on when you boot the computer and some external devices are powered separately. If you receive error messages when you turn on a peripheral device, or the computer cannot reliably detect the external device, that’s a good indication that your driver may need replacement.

If your system crashes when you try to access a hardware device, or behaves erratically when you are working with a driver-dependent piece of hardware, you may have a corrupted driver on your system. If you can never see the device from the computer, or you can see it but cannot access it, this may also indicate a driver replacement is in order.

Poor device function is a good indicator of trouble. This is especially true of video and audio peripherals. If you experience poor sound quality, dropouts, video flashing, poor resolution or other similar problems, consider updating or replacing the suspected audio or video driver.

If you’ve recently installed a new hardware device or driver and suddenly experience problems, the new device driver may be the cause. Be sure to keep your system and drivers updated at all times. Microsoft has gone a long way toward eliminating driver conflicts (very common problem in much older versions of the OS) and resource conflicts, but a new driver can upset the apple cart. The best way to avoid conflicts is to update your drivers and system regularly and apply all OS patches as they are made available.

I recommend the use of Driver Detective for all hardware driver management functions. Driver Detective will track, download, install and archive the hardware drivers required for your particular computer configuration. If drivers become corrupted or lost, Driver Detective will install a fresh copy, thereby eliminating many driver problems.

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Microsoft has identified a problem related to the interaction between Alureon, a malware infection and a recent security patch issued by the company. Strictly speaking, the two items are unrelated, but Microsoft has determined that a specific malware program corrupts some Windows hardware drivers on affected systems. A recently released security patch renders the corrupted drivers unable to communicate with the computer and produces a system crash.

The hiccup affects 32-bit versions of Windows XP systems, but is not thought to affect 64-bit versions, or newer versions of the operating system. As a temporary response, Microsoft has removed the 32-bit XP patch from the company’s automatic update, and will supply a fix within the next two to three weeks. For users who are experiencing the problem, Microsoft recommends reinstalling the infected drivers from the recovery console, then dealing with the infection.

Malware Glitch Serves As A Good Reminder To Update Drivers

The problem serves as a good reminder for users to keep their system drivers and their anti-virus/anti-malware software updated at all times. Malware infections can be harder to prevent than traditional viruses because the user often loads malware onto the computer voluntarily. Users may not realize that a seemingly harmless utility may, in fact, be a rootkit, spyware or another form of malware that can cause significant damage to the computer’s operating system.

One good way to ensure that a computer’s drivers are up to date is to use a driver management program like Driver Detective. Driver Detective uses an extensive database that contains literally millions of software drivers. With such a large resource to draw from, you can be sure that you’ll always have the correct driver loaded for your particular system configuration.

Driver Detective will also provide clean copies of your required drivers when drivers become corrupted, get damaged or discarded by mistake. Once you have Driver Detective set up to manage your particular system, you can say goodbye to worries about driver problems. You’ll always know when a new driver is available for your system, and when driver-related problems occur. You’ll also have backup available immediately, should something unfortunate occur to your system. Just like anti-virus and malware protection, driver management software is highly recommended. Any time you can automate maintenance tasks, you’ll save yourself time and aggravation. That, by itself, is worth something!

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Late last week, ATI released updated Windows drivers for its Catalyst 10.1 HD2000 series and newer cards. The new drivers support Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. The driver release is intended to resolve some issues with the way the drivers interact with other hardware and software uninstallers.

Video Playback Could Be Improved With New Driver

According to ATI, the new driver release will address a host of issues that arose from a variety of common actions, including playing YouTube videos using the Adobe Flash player on Firefox, and problems with video or system response while using certain games. The new drivers are available for immediate download.

ATI is one of the premiere video card manufacturers and it’s no surprise that these drivers contain a number of fixes for nagging issues. In addition to fixing problems, the driver updates also improve the performance of certain cards on specific games, like Left 4 Dead 2.

Not all Windows users are lucky enough to find driver updates so easily, however. For many users, the process of downloading and installing drivers manually is time-consuming and frustrating. Manufacturers often make several different updates available for either a variety of products or different configurations of the same or similar products.

New drivers may or may not be available based on the chipset that your computer or hardware device uses, and users may not know offhand which devices they have installed. This can be a recipe for disaster, or at least a lot of wasted time and poor outcomes. Downloading the wrong driver can be as bad as downloading no driver at all, or working with a damaged driver.

I always recommend working with a driver management software package like Driver Detective. Driver Detective has a database of millions of drivers and can determine precisely which drivers are required for your specific hardware configuration. You don’t have to worry about using the wrong drivers or missing a driver update.

Once Driver Detective is installed, you can trust it to monitor your existing drivers and look for updates. If an update is located, Driver Detective will automatically download it, install it and archive it.

The archiving feature is important because Driver Detective can also watch your system to make sure your existing drivers don’t get corrupted, damaged or deleted. Should this happen Driver Detective will download a fresh copy and you’ll be on your way! You can continue to hunt for new drivers, download them and install them as you always have, or you can automate the process and get back to work on the things that really mean something to you.

As for me, I’m going to try these new drivers on Left 4 Dead 2.

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