After you download drivers what do you do

Downloading drivers can be relatively straightforward, assuming the manufacturer still supplies the Driver you are looking for. However, you must follow certain steps in order to ensure that you download and install drivers correctly. When you download a driver, you must ensure the following:. Before we discuss in detail what you must do when you download device drivers, let us first take a look at the different situations in which you may need to download a driver.

You need to download PC drivers if:. Different versions of a hardware device require different drivers. Therefore, before you begin downloading, it is important that you are aware of the model number of your hardware device. This information is printed on your hardware device.

If this is not the case, or for internal hardware devices, you can get this information from the Device Manager window. Open the Device Manager utility via Control Panel, double-click on your hardware device, and then click the Details tab.

You will find this information under this tab. Save the downloaded driver file in a suitable location. A driver update tool can do this for you, you can also run a free scan to identify the exact Drivers you need.

Sometimes, you may encounter an issue after completing a software installation. Today, many computer and hardware manufacturers are pre-packaging their drivers into executable files or have the drivers installed through the setup file.

Double-clicking the executable or setup file should install the drivers to the computer for you. The executable may be packaged in a compressed file , which means before looking for the setup file, it needs to be uncompressed. For help with uncompressing a file, see: How to extract or decompress a compressed file. If, after uncompressing the file, it still doesn't contain an executable file, setup file, or doesn't install your hardware device, continue with the below recommendations.

Finally, if you're successful with installing your drivers and the computer asks to reboot the computer, make sure to reboot the computer after the driver is installed. A computer or hardware manufacturer may place the drivers on a CD, diskette, or folder on the hard drive for Windows to find and use during its hardware detection.

Below are steps on how to install drivers for a new device and upgrade a device's driver for this setup. If Windows does not detect any new hardware, open the Control Panel and double-click the Add hardware icon to run the hardware detection wizard.

During the steps, you have the option to install custom Windows drivers from a location on disk. Choose to load drivers, then select the folder containing the drivers for your device.

Finally, if the above recommendations don't work, the installation instructions for drivers and hardware devices can be contained in the driver. Locate the. Right-click that file and choose the option for install. Make sure you install the correct. One of the above three recommendations should have installed or updated the drivers successfully onto the computer. If you are still having difficulties getting the device to install, it is possible you are not encountering a hardware issue and not an issue with the drivers.

Refer to the troubleshooting steps for your hardware device for additional help and information. Home Help Hardware Help Drivers. Tip In most situations, the drivers are installed after the hardware has been installed or connected to the computer. Installing drivers from a USB drive or floppy.

Downloading and installing a driver. Installing a driver from an executable. Using the "have disk" option to install drivers. Install a driver using a. Tip If you have a CD with drivers, but the computer has no functioning disc drive, you can also download the drivers.

Tip If you have not yet downloaded the drivers, you can find drivers for your computer through the computer or device manufacturer. Tip If you're downloading drivers to install on another device, you can copy or extract the files to a USB flash drive and connect it to the other computer. Tip When extracting the drivers, remember where the folder containing the drivers is located since it needs to be known during the driver installation process.

Note The executable may be packaged in a compressed file , which means before looking for the setup file, it needs to be uncompressed. Installing a new device. Upgrading drivers for a pre-existing device. Note Make sure you install the correct. Additional information What hardware device drivers should be updated?