UPGRADING THE NETWORK


INSTALL NEW HARDWARE DRIVERS

The Annoyance:

Sometimes I read about updated drivers for network devices that will add features to the hardware, or fix a problem. To install a driver, do I have to uninstall the hardware and then reinstall it with the new driver I downloaded?

The Fix:

No, you don't have to uninstall the hardware. All driver updates can be installed to existing installed hardware. The method differs by manufacturer. When you download new drivers, the web site should have instructions you can print, or the downloaded files will include a file named readme.txt. Most downloaded files are compressed into one file, which is usually a self-extracting file that has the extension .exe, or a zipped file with the extension .zip. (The latter requires WinZip software to extractWindows XP has a zip file extractor built into the operating system.)

If the drivers are contained in a software application, running the software automatically updates the driver (follow the instructions that came with the software). If the drivers are files that have to be linked to the software, you need to use the Windows Update Driver feature. For hardware that appears in the Device Manager (which is pretty much everything except printers), right-click the hardware device and choose Properties. Then select Update Driver and follow the prompts to install the new drivers. (The process varies slightly depending on your version of Windows.)

INSTALL HARDWARE FIRMWARE UPGRADES

The Annoyance:

We upgraded our Windows XP computers to Service Pack 2 and we want to take advantage of the additional wireless security available with WPA. It's annoying to have to buy new network adapters and a new wireless router just because our original equipment doesn't support WPA.

The Fix:

The manufacturer of your wireless devices almost certainly has free firmware updates that you can use to upgrade the equipment to support the new features you need. Check the support pages of the manufacturer's web site.

If you find a firmware upgrade, download it and follow the instructions carefully. Make sure you read the instructions on the web site or in the Readme.txt file that you download with the firmware. (The instruction file might not be named Readme, but it will have a name that indicates it's an instruction file.)

Use the following guidelines when installing firmware upgrades:

  • Firmware is almost always specific to the model. Don't use a firmware upgrade file for a model that is similar to but not exactly the same as your device.

  • After installation, turn the upgraded device off and then on again to test the installation.


Tip: Firmware is programming code inserted into the programmable read-only memory of a device, which means it's essentially burned into chips. Unlike programming code for software, firmware doesn't operate or load separately from hardware. The code becomes a permanent part of the hardware device.

INSTALL OPERATING SYSTEM UPDATES ACROSS THE NETWORK

The Annoyance:

We have two Windows XP computers on our network. They frequently need to be updated to keep up with all of Microsoft's patches, security fixes, etc. We use a telephone modem for Internet access, so updating is a slow process. At times, it seems almost to be a full-time activity. Is there a way to update one computer, and then copy the update to the other computer across the network?

The Fix:

It's rather easy to install the updates from one computer to another. Instead of performing the update while you're connected to the update web site (which is the "Install the Update" option), you can download a catalog version of the update file. Then you can install the update at your convenience. If you decide to self-install the updates, you can turn off automatic updating (but don't forget to check the Microsoft update site frequently).

To turn off automatic updating, right-click My Computer and choose Properties to open the System Properties dialog box. Click the Automatic Updates tab (see Figure 8-6), and choose the bottom option ("Turn off automatic updating").

Figure 8-6. You can turn off automatic updates of the operating system, but only if you make sure to check for important updates frequently.


Use the following steps to download an update file you can run locally rather than installing the update directly from Microsoft's site:

  1. Go to the Microsoft update site at http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com.

  2. Click the Personalize Windows Update option.

  3. Select the "Display the link to the Windows Update Catalog" option under See Also (see Figure 8-7).

    Figure 8-7. Change your Windows update settings so that you can get to the catalog.


  4. Click Save Settings.

  5. In the left pane of the See Also section, a link to the Windows Update Catalog appears. Click that link to go to the catalog web page.

  6. Select Find Updates for Microsoft Windows Operating Systems, choose the appropriate product from the list of Windows versions, and click Search.

  7. Choose Critical Updates and Service Packs, locate the update you want, and click Add. This adds the update file to your download basket. You can select multiple updates, if needed.

  8. Click Go to Download Basket.

  9. Enter the path to the folder on your computer into which you want to download the file(s), or click Browse to select the folder (see Figure 8-8).

  10. Click Download Now.

Figure 8-8. Specify the local folder in which you want to store downloaded updates.



Tip: You can use this catalog method to download updates for any computer on the network, even if you're performing a download from a computer running a different version of Windows. Because you're downloading the files rather than installing them, you're merely storing them on the computer.

All of the update files in the catalog are self-extracting executable files. Use any of the following methods to distribute the update to the appropriate computer (the one with the matching version of Windows):

  • Copy the update file to the computer that requires it.

  • Share the folder in which you stored the catalog file. Then, access the file across the network from the computer that needs the update.

  • Copy the file to a CD and take the CD to the computer that requires the update.

To install the update, double-click the file's listing in Windows Explorer or My Computer.


Tip: If your Internet connection isn't high-speed, you can ask a friend with a broadband connection to download the file for you and copy it to a CD. Your friend will have to use the steps enumerated here to personalize the update site to get to the catalog.


    Home Networking Annoyances
    Home Networking Annoyances: How to Fix the Most Annoying Things about Your Home Network
    ISBN: 0596008082
    EAN: 2147483647
    Year: 2006
    Pages: 90
    Authors: Kathy Ivens

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