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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There are few things worse than a slow computer. Ok, there are many things worse than a slow computer, but working with a slow computer is maddening. If you can work faster than your computer, there’s probably a problem somewhere along the line. Although not the first suspects, Windows driver problems can cause severe performance degradations.

Bad Drivers Can Slow Your Computer Down
There are about a zillion things that can cause a computer to slow down, so troubleshooting a speed issue can be difficult. If you have the patience to locate the problem, you’re one step ahead of the game.

With speed problems, you want to know what the computer’s processor is doing and what the computer’s memory is doing. When these two resources are taxed, you can expect your computer to slow down. Windows comes with a performance monitor that can help you determine how much of your computer’s memory is in use, and how much of the processor is being used.

You can also use the Task Manager in Windows to find out what programs are running and how much of the processor’s capacity each application is consuming. If you have one process that’s taking up 90% of the processor, shut that application down using the Task Manager and see if your problem improves. It’s also a good idea to reboot the computer, particularly if an application has gone “walkabout” on you. Restarting the computer can clear out other problems in the OS or memory that may have caused the application to misbehave in the first place.

Once you restart your computer, look at the Performance Monitor and the Task Manager again. If the problem persists, scan your computer for viruses and malware that could be causing bad performance. Get rid of whatever you find.
You can also check your drivers. A missing, bad or corrupted driver can wreak havoc on your system. It can significantly increase the time it takes for your computer to boot, and it can also cause hardware malfunctions and other system-related problems.

To diagnose driver problems, unload your drivers and reload them manually one at a time. If you find the offender, uninstall it and re-install a fresh copy of the driver. Test your system to see if your speed problems improve. If unloading and reloading all of your drivers manually sounds like a chore, it is. You could also use a driver manager like Driver Detective. This program can automatically spot bad drivers, or drivers that are missing or in need of an update. Using Driver Detective to manage your drivers won’t solve all of your speed problems, but it will eliminate most of your concerns about your Windows drivers.

Photo Credit: Karola Riegler, via Flickr