Updating a Driver

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To keep your system running as well as it can, make sure that you're always using the most up-to-date versions of your device drivers. If you have a newer version of a device driver on a floppy disk, CD-ROM, or a local or network hard disk, you can use Device Manager to install it. You can also use Device Manager to search Microsoft's Windows Update Web site, to see whether a newer driver is available. The Windows Update site keeps track of offerings from third-party vendors as well as from Microsoft. If a driver is available that's newer than the one you're using, the Windows Update site might be able to find it, download it, and install it for you automatically.

To begin the process of updating a device driver:

1. Double-click the device in Device Manager.
2. Click the Driver tab.
3. Click Update Driver.

The Update Device Driver Wizard appears.

4. Click Next to open the Install Hardware Device Drivers page.



Under most circumstances, you should select the recommended option, Search For A Suitable Driver For My Device. In particular, select this option if you want to check the Windows Update site for the availability of a newer driver. You should select the second option only if you want to see a list of all the drivers Windows 2000 knows about that might be compatible with your device—including drivers for other devices of the same class (for example, CD-ROM drives other than the one that's actually installed on your system).

5. Click Next to open the Locate Driver Files page.



6. Select check boxes for the locations you want Windows to search. If you know the driver you want is on a CD-ROM, for example, clear everything but the CD-ROM Drives check box. If you want to search the Windows Update site, be sure to select that check box. Note that Windows will search the folder %\SystemRoot%\Inf, regardless of what you select (that is, even if you clear all the check boxes).

SEE ALSO

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For more information about Windows Update, see "Using Windows Update."

7. Click Next, let Windows search, and then follow the screen prompts to accept or reject what it finds.