CompTIA A_ Certification All-In-One Exam Guide, Seventh Edition - Michael Meyers [126]
Figure 8-32 The Change/Remove option in Add or Remove Programs
Figure 8-33 Unsigned driver warning
The other reason to use installation CDs instead of the Add Hardware Wizard stems from the fact that many expansion cards are actually many devices in one, and each device needs its own drivers. Some sound cards often come with joystick ports, for example, and some video cards often have built-in TV tuners. The Add Hardware Wizard will install all of the devices, but the installation CD brings them to your attention. Go for the CD program first and save the Add Hardware Wizard for problems, as you’ll see in the next section.
Figure 8-34 Installation menu
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NOTE To install drivers in a Windows computer, you need to have the proper permission. I’m not talking about asking somebody if you’re allowed to install the device. Permissions are granted in Windows to enable people to do certain things, such as add a printer to a computer or install software, or to stop people from being able to do such tasks. Specifically, you need administrative permissions to install drivers. Chapter 16, “Securing Windows Resources,” goes into a lot of detail about permissions, so no need to worry about them here.
Driver Rollback
Windows XP and Windows Vista offer the nifty feature of rolling back to previous drivers after an installation or driver upgrade. If you decide to live on the edge and install beta drivers for your video card, for example, and your system becomes frightfully unstable, you can back up to the drivers that worked before. (Not that I’ve ever had to use that feature, of course.) To access the rollback feature, simply open the Device Manager and access the properties for the device you want to adjust. On the Driver tab (Figure 8-35), you’ll find the Roll Back Driver button.
Figure 8-35 Driver rollback feature
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NOTE Many PC enthusiasts try to squeeze every bit of performance out of their PC components, much as auto enthusiasts tinker with engine tunings to get a little extra horsepower out of their engines. Expansion card manufacturers love enthusiasts, who often act as free testers for their unpolished drivers, known as beta drivers. Beta drivers are fine for the most part, but they can sometimes cause amazing system instability—never a good thing! If you use beta drivers, make sure you know how to uninstall or roll back to previous drivers.
Step 4: Verify
As a last step in the installation process, inspect the results of the installation and verify that the device works properly. Immediately after installing, you should open the Device Manager and verify that Windows sees the device (Figure 8-36). Assuming that the Device Manager shows the device working properly, your next check is to put the device to work by making it do whatever it is supposed to do. If you installed a printer, print something; if you installed a scanner, scan something. If it works, you’re finished!
Figure 8-36 Device Manager shows the device working properly.
Practical Application
Troubleshooting Expansion Cards
A properly installed expansion card rarely makes trouble; it’s the botched installations that produce headaches. Chances are high that you’ll have to troubleshoot an expansion card installation at some point, usually from an installation you botched personally.
The first sign of an improperly installed card usually shows up the moment you first try to get that card to do whatever it’s supposed to do and it doesn’t do it. When this happens, your primary troubleshooting process is a reinstallation—after checking in with the Device Manager.
Other chapters in this book cover specific hardware troubleshooting: for example, video cards in Chapter 19, “Video” and sound cards in Chapter 20, “Multimedia.” Use this section to help you decide what to look for and how to deal with the problem.
The Device Manager provides the first diagnostic and troubleshooting