How to fix Driver Errors

Drivers are software modules that are required in order to establish communication between an operating system and the software programs installed on it and the various hardware components and devices, such as sound and video adaptor, RAM, printers and scanners that are connected to your PC.

Driver errors may occur due to a wide variety of reasons. Some of the top causes of driver errors are listed below:

• Loose connections—hardware adaptor or connector of a peripheral device not properly seated in its slot or socket.


• Conflicts between two or more drivers.


• Non-availability of required resources.


• Faulty or poorly written drivers.


• Incompatible driver.


• Malfunctioning hardware device.


• Damaged registry and malware infections.


• Missing or busy resources causing conflicts between two or more drivers.

When you start fixing a driver error, you must first ensure that it is properly connected to the system. For instance, while fixing a printer driver error, start by ensuring that your printer is turned on and that its cable is properly connected to the printer and the computer. It might be hard to believe, but quite a few driver or hardware device related errors are resolved by just fixing their connection or cleaning up the dusty components.

If the driver error started appearing soon after you installed a new application or device, then it is quite likely that this new program is behind the error. In this scenario, you must try to remove this new addition to your system and see if that helps you fix the driver error.

If the driver error has started occurring soon after you have installed a new driver update or due to corruption of the currently installed driver, then you can uninstall or rollback the update from the Device Manager. To open the Device Manager window, at Start > Run type sysdm.cpl and then click the OK button. On the Hardware tab of the System Properties dialog box that opens, click on the Device Manager button. Next, browse through the Device Manager window and identify the faulty device, which will be marked as a yellow triangle with a black exclamation mark inside it. Double-click on this device.

On the General tab of the device’s properties dialog box that is displayed, you can look at the Device Status section to find out the problem with the device. If you see that the error is due to problems with the device driver, open the Driver tab. On this tab, you can do the following:

• Update Driver: If the error is occurring due to outdated driver files, select the Update Driver button to update your driver. You may be asked to provide the path for the updated driver, therefore, it is a good practice to download and store the driver on an easily accessible location on your hard drive before proceeding with the update.


• Rollback Driver: If the error started occurring soon after you installed a new update, then it is quite likely that this new update is buggy. In this case, select the Rollback Driver button to revert to your earlier driver.


• Uninstall Driver: If the files of your currently installed driver are corrupt or missing, then select the Uninstall button to remove the currently installed driver. Next, reinstall it to fix the problem.

It is also a good idea to use a registry cleaner tool to scan and repair the registry and ensure that the driver error is not caused by erroneous entries within the registry. You must also regularly scan your PC for any malware infections with the help of reliable and efficient antivirus and antispyware tools.

If nothing works, then it is quite likely that there is a problem with your hardware and you must get it repaired or replaced.