Installing and Configuring a Game Controller

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If you have a game controller that connects to a USB port, simply plug it in and you should be ready to start shooting aliens. On the other hand, if your game controller connects to a game port or a serial port, you'll need to visit Game Controllers in Control Panel. The Game Controllers dialog box, shown in Figure 24-13, shows the game controllers that are already installed on your system, including the ones that are installed by Plug and Play as well as any that you've added manually.

NOTE

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You must be logged on as a member of the Administrators group to install the driver files for a game controller.

Figure 24-13. The Game Controllers dialog box lets you install, configure, and remove joysticks, flight yokes, steering wheels, and other game controllers.

To add a new game controller:

1. Connect your game controller to your computer.
2. In Control Panel, open Game Controllers.
3. In the Game Controllers dialog box, click Add.
4. Select the type of game controller you have.

If your game controller isn't listed, click Add Other. Doing so opens the Select A Device Driver dialog box, where you can select a manufacturer and model or use a driver disk furnished by the manufacturer. If your controller isn't listed and you don't have a driver disk (and you can't get a driver from the manufacturer or the Windows Update Web site), click Cancel to return to the Add Game Controller dialog box. Then click Custom and define the characteristics of your controller.

To change a device's settings, select its name in the Game Controllers dialog box and click Properties. The settings you can make depend on the device. (Figure 24-14 shows an example.) In many cases, you can test the controller's buttons and other controls, and you can calibrate the controller to match your setup.

Figure 24-14. Clicking Properties lets you test the selected game controller.