In this tutorial we are going to teach you how to install device drivers in Windows and in Linux. Since Windows is obviously the most popular operating system we will be discussing it first. We will be using Windows XP specifically for this example, but it will be very similar in all versions of Windows.
Before you being the driver installation you’ll first want to make sure you have the right drivers. Even if you have a driver that is for a piece of hardware that is similar to yours, it still may not work correctly. If you do not have the drivers yet you can get them online by doing a simple search. Also, sometimes it may not be in your best interest to change the drivers, especially if you are considering changing to a BETA version. If your drivers came with the device on a CD or Floppy Disk then all you need to do is pop it in and then follow instructions. Most drivers are .exe files, so make sure you’ve scanned your drivers for viruses if you got them online. All that is left to do then is to double-click the file name and follow the simple instructions in the install wizard. Usually the Install Wizard will notify you when the driver is done being installed, and all that is left to do is click Finish. Sometimes a reboot may be required for the changes to take place, if this is the case then the install wizard will let you know.
Sometimes you may have to install a driver that does not include an Install Wizard, so you may have to install it manually. To do this, first you will have to find the “Device Manager”. If you don’t know where this is then clicks on the Start Menu, and then select Control Panel, then click Performance and Maintenance and then click on System. Then you’ll see a new window open up that has multiple tabs. Next click on the tab called Hardware and that will pull up the device manager. From there all you have to do is basically follow instructions. Simply click the tab that says driver. Select no thanks when prompted for the option for Windows to search for drivers automatically (since you already have the driver files). Now select no thanks, and then next. After you’ve chosen the don’t search option you simply click to the right where it says “have disc”. Now find the driver files (usually ending in extension .inf) and double-click the file. Now wait for the installation to finish, making sure not to interrupt. You may have seen the option in the device manager window that says “return to the previous driver”. If you encounter problems with the new driver you can revert to the old one using that option. Congratulations you have installed a device driver in Windows!
Now for Linux
Click System located at the top of Linux. Click the administration tab that appears in the drop-down menu. Next select Synaptic Package Manager. This will bring up an interface that is much like add/remove programs in Windows. Now enter the name of the driver you want install into the search bar in the Synaptic Package Manager. When the search results are finished, click on the box that’s next to the name of the driver you want to install. Then click OK. Congratulations you’re finished! You don’t even need to restart!
Jim is free lancer content writer and he writes for many sites on simple topics like how to installed device drivers, how enable registry editing, how change proxy etc. for non-technical persons in easy and simple way.
