Keeping drivers up-to-date

Now open the driver files folder by double-clicking on it, and then click the file you downloaded. The file will expand and uncompress all the items inside it and list them in the driver files folder. Sometimes, it won't uncompress because it is in ZIP format. You can tell this by its .zip extension. You can use an unzip utility such as StuffIt Standard for Windows. In Windows ME and XP, ZIP file management is built into the system.

Now comes the part where you update the actual driver. Open your Control Panel (click Start, then pick Settings, then Control Panel). Double-click the System icon and choose the Device Manager tab. Find the device for which you want to update the driver. Click the plus sign (+) next to the various categories, click on the device you want to update, and then click on Properties and the Driver tab.

Then click the Update Driver button. A dialog box will walk you through the next steps of the process. Choose Display a list of drivers..., then choose the Have Disk button and use the dialog box to find the driver files folder you created on your desktop. Choose the .INF file in that folder and click OK. The system will update the appropriate driver. If there is more than one .INF file, try each one until you get a successful installation.

Finally, reboot your machine so that the new driver can take effect.

Related How-To's:

• How to fix your monitor's colors
• How to "find" a file you have downloaded

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