Why You Need Driver Detective

Driver Management Is Time Management

As a computer professional, one of the things I can say with certainty is that people simply want their computers to work. Most people don’t know or care how their computer system operates; they simply want their computer to work reliably when they need it.

Problems seem to crop up out of nowhere. This can be exceptionally frustrating for people who don’t understand the mystical inner workings of their computers or the Windows OS. Automatic updates to the OS are generally good, but people don’t seem to understand that the update process can change the way their computer operates, or require that other non-OS components be updated, too.

Security patches can shut down the normal operation of a working driver in a heartbeat. Users often don’t know that they need to look for updates regularly, or rely on the Windows Update mechanism to detect and deliver new driver updates.

Windows is good at a lot of things, but sometimes it chooses the wrong driver, or isn’t configured to pick up driver updates as “critical.” This can cause exceptional trouble for users who, in trying to do the right thing (update their OS), create problems for themselves outside of the OS.

That’s why I recommend Driver Detective as a way to automate driver maintenance on computers. Driver Detective is a trusted piece of software that has been downloaded millions of times. Driver Detective identifies and tracks all drivers installed on the computer. It automatically searches for, downloads and installs driver updates as soon as they are available. The correct driver for your particular system is downloaded every time. There are no mistakes and no missed driver updates.

Automating driver maintenance will save time and energy, too. Driver Detective an not only download updates, but it can also restore a driver that’s been damaged or deleted accidentally. This is a big help in terms of troubleshooting and problem-avoidance.

Some people like to tinker with their computers. For them, locating and downloading drivers may be the ideal way to spend an afternoon. On the other hand, if you simply want your computer to work the way it’s supposed to, you’ll want to add Driver Detective to your routine.

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Windows Doesn't Always Detect The Correct Drivers

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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Symptoms Of Driver Problems

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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Malware Infection Can Cause Driver Problems; MS Pulls Patch

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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You Can Still Find Windows Drivers For Your Old Hardware

Who Wants To Give Up A Printer?

Printers come in all shapes and sizes, and for right now, I’ll sidestep the question of inkjet versus laser. For most commercial purposes, laser printers rule the day because they’re longer-lasting and cost less over time than inkjet printers do. The longer lifespan of a laser printer does pose some problems, though. I can assure you that there are 10, 15- and even a few 20-year old laser printers that are happily churning out page after page, even if at an agonizingly slow rate.

That brings up one of the real challenges that owners of older peripheral hardware face when upgrading their operating system or their computer hardware: connectors. Older printers and peripheral devices expect to connect using a serial port or a parallel port. There are also a number of obsolete connector types you may have to deal with, like Centronics or PS/2 connectors. Newer hardware doesn’t always (often?) come with older connectors, including the die-hard standards like serial and parallel ports or VGA connectors.

Today’s computers come with USB ports and one or more new video connectors. With no place to connect a serial or parallel printer cable, you might be tempted to toss the old device, even if it still works. Usually, if you’re willing to do a little digging, you can find an adapter that will convert your old style printer connector to something that your new computer can recognize.

That leaves the problem of finding drivers for your older hardware. Yes, it’s possible to find drivers for old hardware. In some cases, existing drivers might work just fine, or a standard driver has been adapted for use with a newer computer and older equipment. The main obstacle becomes finding the correct driver.

In cases like this, I recommend that users download and configure a driver management software package like Driver Detective. Driver Detective has a library of millions of drivers that it can draw on to help you find the correct driver for your current hardware setup. Having the correct driver for your older hardware can mean the difference between having to replace an obsolete (yet still quite functional) piece of equipment and being able to get additional use out of it.

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New ATI Drivers May Improve Video Performance

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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Making A Bootable USB Drive

Not All Netbooks Are Created Equal

The major issue with netbooks is that the earliest models came pre-loaded with Windows XP and an upgrade to Windows 7 would require a clean installation – a neat trick when you don’t have a CD/DVD drive from which to boot. To be fair, you can attach an external USB CD/DVD drive to a netbook and get along just fine using the standard-issue Window 7 media.

One disadvantage of this method is that the data transfer rates between the netbook and the CD/DVD drive will be slow. Upgrading or performing a clean installation on a capable netbook may take up a lot more time than you thought it might. In fairness, reading media from any external device will seem slow. The USB stick uses faster data transfer protocols so the process moves along much faster.

One last consideration: not all BIOS support booting from USB drives or other external devices. You’ll need to go into your BIOS setup to determine whether you can boot from a USB drive. Even if your BIOS does support external booting, computers aren’t always configured to look for boot sectors on devices other than the hard disk. If yours can, you’ll need to activate this setting if it’s not already activated. You may have to change more than one BIOS setting to enable this function. You normally access the BIOS settings immediately after you turn on your computer. You’ll see a direction that says something like Press F(N) to Enter Setup. (N) will be a number. Press the corresponding “F-key” to enter your computer’s BIOS setup.

Now, down to brass tacks – making a bootable USB drive. You’ll need to start out with a USB stick that has at least 4GB of space to accommodate the Windows installation media. If you can use a dedicated stick, better for you. You’ll need to wipe the stick’s contents, so if you can’t permanently commit your USB stick to the role of being bootable, you’ll have to transfer the data you have stored on it somewhere else temporarily. You’ll also need to use a computer that’s running Windows Vista or Windows 7 and have administrator privileges to make the bootable USB stick.

1. Attach your USB drive to the computer. Select Start > All programs >Accessories > right click on Command Prompt and select run as administrator.
2. At the command prompt, type DISKPART. (Press enter)
3. Type LIST DISK. (Press Enter) The disk number of your USB drive will be displayed. Note this.
4. Type SELECT DISK #. (Replace # with the disk number of your USB drive, noted in Step 3.)
5. Type CLEAN (Press Enter)
6. Type CREATE PARTITION PRIMARY (Press Enter)
7. Type SELECT PARTITION 1 (Press Enter)
8. Type ACTIVE (Press Enter)
9. Type ASSIGN (Press Enter)
10. Type DETAIL DISK (Press Enter).
11. Type EXIT (Press Enter)

Note the drive letter of your DVD drive and the drive letter of your USB stick.

12. Type FORMAT #:/fs:fat32/q (# is the assigned drive letter for your USB stick. Press Enter)
Approve the warning that appears regarding the information on the USB stick (Press Y, press Enter.)

13. Enter a label name for your USB drive and press Enter.
14. Put your Windows 7 DVD into your DVD drive
15. Type xcopy d:\*.* /s/e/f #:\

This command string assumes that d:\ is your DVD drive. If your DVD drive has a different letter, substitute it for d:\. Also substitute the drive letter for your USB drive for the # in the command string above.
Once the copying is finished, you should have a bootable USB drive loaded with Windows 7 media.

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Windows 7 Installations From USB Drives

Pay Careful Attention To The Requirements!

The process of loading Windows 7 from a bootable USB stick can be timesaving if you’re properly prepared. Proper preparation includes having a USB stick that’s large enough to accommodate the Windows installation media. Do not attempt to prepare a USB stick that’s smaller than 4GB. Sticks smaller than this are simply not large enough to hold all of the required information. You’re also better off using a “devoted” USB drive. If you have other material stored on your candidate, remove it or store it elsewhere for the time being.

You’ll need to make the USB drive bootable, if it isn’t already. There is a utility on PCs called DISKPART that will enable you to make a clean, bootable partition on your USB drive. You can’t skip this step because you need to install the OS from a bootable drive. I will cover the process of making a bootable USB drive in my next post. The process isn’t hard or even time-consuming, but there are several steps that you’ll need to take to ensure you get the proper result!

You’ll need all of the Windows 7 installation files. You can get these from licensed Windows 7 media. Be sure you’re not using some form of the release candidate, or using media that’s already licensed to someone else. If you use the release candidate as the source of your Windows 7 files, you’ll soon find that your computer will start rebooting itself periodically, which frankly, can ruin your day. You’ll also need to ensure that the media is properly licensed because unlicensed software or software that’s registered to someone else won’t work.

You may want to verify that Windows has the proper drivers for your target upgrade device before you load the Windows media on your USB stick. If Windows doesn’t have the correct drivers for your setup, you can manually download the drivers you need after you’ve completed the basic installation. You may also want to use a program like Driver Detective, to ensure that you have the most up-to-date drivers for your computer. Driver Dectective is ideal for netbooks because it can be downloaded and installed from the Web, and will work to ensure that you always have the proper driver setup.

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Windows 7 And Netbooks

“Net” In Netbook May Limit OS Options

The original purpose of a netbook was to provide a small, highly portable device that could be used for basic functions like connecting to a network, checking email, and browsing the Web. They were not (and are not) meant to take the place of a full-sized laptop computer. Several of my technician friends use these devices for network maintenance, inventory control and other limited-use tasks that require network access.

Netbooks are not known for their upgradeability and initially posed a problem for users who wanted to upgrade the OS of the netbook, since there was no CD/DVD drive from which to load a new OS. Upgrades to the netbook operating system were/are supposed to come via network download. For the original netbooks (which run/ran Windows XP) loading Windows 7 requires a fresh install – a pretty tall order when you have no drive from which to read the new OS media.

Enter the USB stick. Today, USB sticks are large enough in most cases to hold all upgrade media for an OS install on a netbook. To be fair, you can connect an external DVD drive to the netbook and load your OS media that way, but having to collect a bunch of external devices to make the netbook work properly defeats the original design intent for the netbook – a highly portable device that can be used for basic functions like connecting to a network, checking email and browsing the Web.

Either way, if you want to upgrade an older netbook to Windows 7, you’ll need to make sure your netbook has at least 1 GB RAM and at least 8GB of storage space on your hard disk. You’ll also need a USB drive with the Windows 7 media previously installed. If you need to make a bootable installation device, your USB stick will need to have at least 4GB of available space, and you’ll also need the services of another computer to help you prepare the USB drive for life as a media installer. In my next post, I’ll continue this discussion.

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Driver Detective Can Save Time

Driver Detective Takes The Work Out Of Driver Management

I was reading about the cost of printer ink not too long ago, and it seems that no one knows exactly how much ink a cartridge contains or how many pages it will print. In tracking down more information on printer ink cartridges, I ran across a couple of articles on how to find drivers for your printers once you’ve switched to Windows 7.

After reading the articles, my only thought was that the tips the author suggested were rather time-intensive. If a person has enough time to visit the manufacturer’s Web site, locate the correct driver, download it, install it and then verify that the printer operates correctly, it’s one thing. Most people I know don’t have time to do this, or worse, repeat this step for every hardware device attached to their computer. Even worse, this method will need to be repeated periodically to check for driver updates – a notorious consequence of OS patches.

Who has time for that? I know I don’t and I make my living working on computers. What about the people who simply use computers or have them in their homes? I’m a big fan of doing things once – the right way. It saves time, money and aggravation. In the case of locating new drivers for your computer, “doing something the right way” means finding a program that will locate drivers for you – preferably with a high degree of accuracy. Even better, it means finding a program that locates, downloads and installs the correct driver, knows when updates occur, automatically fetches all updates and knows when an installed driver has been damaged or deleted.

Driver Detective is the best of the driver management software programs I’ve found. Windows comes with a load of drivers and can even find new driver updates if it’s properly configured. Unfortunately, Windows sometimes makes mistakes and loads the wrong driver. Driver Detective, on the other hand, has a database of millions of drivers and can easily locate the correct driver for your exact hardware configuration.

In terms of saving time, there’s nothing that beats Driver Detective when it comes to driver management. Unless, of course, you like spending a lot of time looking for drivers…

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