Troubleshooting Device Drivers

If you think there is a problem with the device drivers, there are a few things you can try. First, most Operating Systems offer some form of 'Safe Mode'. Using this option causes the OS to try and start up using only the most basic drivers, for the most important devices. This will bypass any devices that are not strictly needed to bring the computer up. This will also use the most basic version of the drivers, just in case it is an enhanced feature that is causing the problem. Of course, there might be a lot that you cannot do in this mode, but at least you can be sure that the basic system is working. If you cannot get started in Safe Mode, then you either have a badly corrupted OS, or you have a core piece of hardware that has failed.

Another advantage of Safe Mode, if it does come up, is it may allow you to access drivers for hardware that the OS hides under nomla operation. Sometimes, if a device is removed, the driver remains installed in the sytem, but is not shown since the device is currently not present. Safe Mode may reveal these drivers.

Safe Mode also is a good environment in which to run some diagnostic or maintenance tools. Since there is minimal software running, it is safer to run drive tests and maintenance in this mode.

Startup Manager

Windows has a nice tool (msconfig) that allows you to review all of the software that is set to start when Windows starts. This may include device drivers, as well as other software (like anti-virus). You can turn individual programs on and off from this tool to see if it makes a difference.

Replacing Bad Drivers

Once you have determined that it is a bad driver causing the problem, you can attempt to remove the driver and re-install it. This may mean removing the driver software, and then letting the OS re-detect the device. The only drawback to allowing redetection is that the OS may have cached the driver files and may automatically try to re-install the bad driver.

You can try the driver update route. If the OS has such an option, use it and tell it to use the files from a known good location. Sometimes, actually updating the driver is a good thing. You can check the web site of the manufacturer of the device to see if they have an update available.

Sometimes, updated drivers can cause the problem. If your OS has the ability to roll back the driver to a previous version, it may be worth a try. This is particularly true if the problem started happening at about the time you installed an update.