18.3. Troubleshooting Newly Installed Gear: All Versions If, when you connect a new component, Windows doesn't display a "successfully installed" message like the one at the bottom of Figure 18-2, it probably can't "see" your new device. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION
Driver vs. Driver | | Which is better: the drivers that come with Windows, or the drivers I've downloaded from the manufacturer's Web site? In many cases, they're the same thing. The drivers included with Windows usually did come from the hardware's manufacturer, which gave them to Microsoft. However, you should still use the drivers that came from your gadget's manufacturer whenever possible, especially if you got them from the manufacturer's Web site. They're likely to be newer versions than the ones that came with Windows. |
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If you've installed an internal card, make sure that it's seated in the slot firmly (after shutting down your computer, of course). -
If you attached something external, make sure that it's turned on, has power (if it came with a power cord), and is correctly connected to the PC. In either case, before panicking, try restarting the PC. If you still have no luck, try the Add New Hardware Wizard described in the box on page 566. (And if even that doesn't work, call the manufacturer.) If your new gadget didn't come with a disk (or maybe just a disk with drivers, but no installer), then hooking it up may produce a "Found New Hardware" balloon in the notification area, but no message about happy success. In that case, click the balloon to make the New Hardware Wizard appear. Proceed as shown in Figure 18-3.  | Figure 18-3. Top: If you have the drivers on a CD from the manufacturer, select the first option, "Locate and install driver software."
Bottom: Now Windows asks for the driver CD. Windows either finds the compatible driver and installs it automatically, or offers you a choice of several. If you do not, in fact, have the CD, click "I don't have the disc." You'll be offered two final, fatalistic options: "Check for a solution" (Windows dials the mother ship on the off chance that a driver has miraculously cropped up since its last update), or "Browse my computer," designed for people who have downloaded a driver from the Web on their own . | |
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