CompTIA A_ Certification All-In-One Exam Guide, Seventh Edition - Michael Meyers [125]
Getting the Correct Drivers
To be sure you have the best possible driver you can get for your device, you should always check the manufacturer’s Web site. The drivers that come with a device may work well, but odds are good that you’ll find a newer and better driver on the Web site. How do you know that the drivers on the Web site are newer? First, take the easy route: look on the CD. Often the version is printed right on the CD itself. If it’s not printed there, you’re going to have to load the CD in your CD-ROM drive and poke around. Many driver discs have an AutoRun screen that advertises the version. If nothing is on the pop-up screen, look for a Readme file (Figure 8-30).
Driver or Device?
In almost all cases, you should install the device driver after you install the device. Without the device installed, the driver installation will not see the device and will give an error screen. The only exception to this rule is USB and FireWire devices—with these you should always install the driver first.
Figure 8-29 Properly seated expansion card; note the tight fit between case and mounting bracket and the evenness of the card in the slot.
Figure 8-30 Part of a Readme file showing the driver version
Removing the Old Drivers
Some cards—and this is especially true with video cards—require you to remove old drivers of the same type before you install the new device. To do this, you must first locate the driver in the Device Manager. Right-click the device driver you want to uninstall and select Uninstall (Figure 8-31). Many devices, especially ones that come with a lot of applications, will have an uninstall option in the Add/Remove Programs (Windows 2000), Add or Remove Programs (Windows XP), or Programs and Features (Windows Vista) applet in the Control Panel (Figure 8-32).
Unsigned Drivers
Microsoft wants your computer to work, truly, and the company provides an excellent and rigorous testing program for hardware manufacturers called the Microsoft Windows Logo Program. Developers initially use software to test their devices and, when they’re ready, submit the device to the Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL) for further testing. Hardware and drivers that survive the WHQL and other processes get to wear the Designed for Windows logo. The drivers get a digital signature that says Microsoft tested them and found all was well.
Not all driver makers go through the rather involved process of the WHQL and other steps in the Windows Logo Program, so their software does not get a digital signature from Microsoft. When Windows runs into such a driver, it brings up a scary-looking screen (Figure 8-33) that says you’re about to install an unsigned driver.
The fact that a company refuses to use the Windows Logo Program doesn’t mean its drivers are bad—it simply means they haven’t gone through Microsoft’s exhaustive quality-assurance certification procedure. If I run into this, I usually check the driver’s version to make sure I’m not installing something outdated, and then I just take my chances and install it. (I’ve yet to encounter a problem with an unsigned driver that I haven’t also seen with Designed for Windows drivers.)
Figure 8-31 Uninstalling a device
With Windows Vista 64-bit, Microsoft tightened the rules to try to provide the most stable platform possible. You simply cannot install unsigned drivers. Microsoft must approve each one.
Installing the New Driver
You have two ways to install a new driver: by using the installation CD directly or by using the Add Hardware Wizard in the Control Panel. Most experienced techs prefer to run from the installation CD. Most devices come with extra programs. My motherboard comes with a number of handy applications for monitoring temperature and overclocking. The Add Hardware Wizard does not install anything but the drivers. Granted, some techs find this a blessing because they don’t want all of the extra junk that sometimes