Perhaps you’ve recently upgraded your operating system to Windows 7, or have come across some older hardware that you would like to use, but can’t find the right hardware driver for it. Locating drivers, especially for older hardware can be difficult and time-consuming – there’s no argument from me about that. But you can sometimes find the drivers you need to make your older hardware work just fine with your newer operating system.

Some Windows 7 Users May Be In Luck

For older hardware, finding the correct driver can be difficult. Many manufacturers have elected not to make drivers for Windows 7. That may not automatically mean that you’re out of luck if you’ve already upgraded your operating system to Windows 7.

There are significant similarities between Windows 7 and Windows Vista. If you can’t find a driver that was released for Windows 7, check to see if the manufacturer made a driver for Windows Vista. This doesn’t work in all cases, but often the Vista driver is sufficient for a Windows 7 installation. Be sure to pay attention to the 32-bit v. 64-bit designations. A driver that was designed to work with a 64-bit OS won’t make much headway with a 32-bit system, so don’t waste your time asking your 32-bit OS installation to figure out a 64-bit driver.

You may also find that the manufacturer has created a driver for a newer, similar product in its line. The newer driver may work with your older hardware, so it’s worth a shot if the alternative is getting rid of your older hardware.

Check the manufacturer’s Web site or technical support system to see if they recommend a solution for your problem. Hardware manufacturers aren’t notorious for being sympathetic to users of older hardware, unless the hardware is a specialty item. Don’t be surprised if you don’t get a lot of help from the manufacturer on this issue.

I always recommend that users load a driver management software package like Driver Detective. Driver Detective makes the process of locating, downloading, installing and backing up drivers much, much easier. Driver Detective will check for new drivers each time your computer connects to the Internet. You won’t have to go out looking for any drivers ever again. Simply let Driver Detective do the searching for you. You can also revert your system to an earlier configuration if you don’t like the way a driver performs. You’ll save yourself time in the long run and you can be sure that you’ll always have the most up-to-date drivers available.

Photo Credit: Image by Kevin Dooley under Creative Commons license