One of the tasks that is most common for anyone
responsible for configuring and maintaining PCs is adding and removing
hardware. The Control Panel contains an applet designed for that
purpose, called Devices and Printers (accessible from Control Panel’s
Hardware and Sound category). You can use it if the OS doesn’t
automatically recognize that you swiped something or added something
new, whether it’s a peripheral such as a printer or an internal device
such as a DVD-ROM, additional hard disk, or whatever.
If you’re a hardware maven, you might visit
Devices and Printers occasionally, but only if you work with non–Plug
and Play (PnP) hardware. PnP hardware installation is usually effortless
because Windows 7 is good at detection and should install items fairly
automatically, along with any necessary device drivers that tell Windows
how to access the new hardware. With non-PnP devices now nearly
obsolete, you’ll only need to mess with this on rare occasions, if at
all.
Note
Always
check the installation instructions before you install the new
hardware. In some cases, the instructions tell you to install some
software before you install the new
hardware. If they do, follow this advice! I have made the mistake of
ignoring this and finding out that a driver has to be removed and
reinstalled in the correct order to work correctly. |
If you’ve purchased a board or other hardware
add-in, you should first read the supplied manual for details about
installation procedures. Installation tips and an install program may be
supplied with the hardware. However, if no instructions are included,
keep reading to find out how to physically install the hardware.
If you’re installing an internal device, you’ll
have to shut down your computer before you open the case. I suggest that
you also unplug it because most modern PCs actually keep part of the
system powered up even when it appears to be off. Before inserting a
card, you should discharge any potential electrostatic charge
differential between you and the computer by touching the chassis of the
computer with your hand. Using an antistatic wrist strap also is a good
idea. Then insert the card, RAM, and so on.
Tip
You might be tempted to
move some adapter cards plugged in to your motherboard from one slot to
another, but don’t do this unless you really must. Each PCI adapter’s
configuration information is tied to the slot into which it’s plugged.
When you restart your computer, the PnP system will interpret the move
as your having removed an existing device and installed a new one, and
this can cause headaches. In some cases, you’ll even be asked to
reinsert the driver disks for the device you moved, and you may have to
reconfigure its software settings. (From personal experience, I can tell
you that moving a modem gives Symantec PCAnywhere fits.) If you must
swap slots, don’t change or mess with them all at once. Change one and
reboot, and then change another. Windows 7 is better about contention
and remapping resources than previous Windows versions were. |
When the device is installed, power your PC back
up, log on with a Computer Administrator account, and wait a minute or
so. In most cases, the Add Hardware Wizard automatically detects and
sets up the new device. If you must run this wizard, type hdwwiz in the Start menu search box (it’s no longer listed in Control Panel).
If you’re adding a USB or FireWire device,
plugging in an Ethernet cable, or a digital camera card, you don’t need
to shut down before plugging in or inserting the new device, but you
should close any programs you have running, just in case the
installation process hangs the computer. The computer itself (as opposed
to applications) doesn’t hang often in NT-based systems such as XP,
Vista, and Windows 7, so BSODs (blue screens of death) are more rare,
but they can happen. Save your work and close your applications before
you plug in the new device.
For non-PnP hardware, or for PnP stuff that isn’t detected or doesn’t install automatically for some reason, you can try this:
1. | Type hdwwiz in the Start menu search box to launch the Add Hardware Wizard.
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2. | The
wizard starts by advising you to use a CD if one came with your
hardware. This is good advice. If you don’t have a CD, you can move
ahead and use the wizard.
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3. | Click
Next, and the wizard asks whether you want it to search for the new
hardware and figure out what it is (and try to find a driver for it), or
whether you want to specify it yourself. Go for the search. If you’re
lucky, it will work, and you’re home free. If a new device is found that
doesn’t require any user configuration, a help balloon appears onscreen
near the system tray, supplying the details of what was located.
Tip Another way to force a
scan of legacy hardware is to open the Device Manager, right-click the
computer name at the top of the list, and choose Add Legacy Hardware. |
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4. | If
nothing is found, the wizard asks you to manually select the hardware
you wish to install from a list. Assuming you know what to choose, click
Next. You’ll now see a list like the one in Figure 1.
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5. | Choose
the correct category and click Next. Depending on the item, you’ll next
see a different dialog box. For example, for a modem, the wizard offers
an option to detect and install it. For most other items, it prompts
you for the make and model.
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6. | Choose
the correct make and model. If you don’t see a category that matches
your hardware, click Back and then select Show All Devices. It will take
a minute for the list to be populated. The box will then show every
manufacturer and the devices each manufacturer sells. With some
sleuthing, you may be able to find the hardware you wish to install.
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Note
Windows 7 64-bit cannot
use legacy hardware as XP, Vista, and 32-bit Windows 7 can. All 64-bit
drivers must be digitally signed by Microsoft, or they are not allowed
to install. |
Be
sure you choose the exact name and model number/name for the item
you’re installing. You might be prompted to insert your Windows 7 DVD so
that the appropriate driver file(s) can be loaded. If your hardware
came with a driver disk, use the Have Disk button to install the driver
directly from the manufacturer’s driver disk or downloaded file.
Tip
In some cases, you can
adjust settings after hardware is installed and possibly adjust the
hardware to match. (Some legacy cards have switches or software
adjustments that can be made to them to control the I/O port, DMA
address, and so forth.) You might be told which settings to use to avoid
conflicts with other hardware in the system. If,
for some reason, you don’t want to use the settings that the wizard
suggests, you can use your own settings and configure them manually. You
can do so from the Add Hardware Wizard or via the Device Manager. |
Early in the wizard’s steps, you can specify the
hardware and skip the legacy scan. This option saves time and, in some
cases, is a surer path to installing new hardware. It also lets you
install a device later if you want to. The wizard doesn’t bother to
authenticate the existence of the hardware; it simply installs a new
driver.
If a device plugs in to an external serial,
parallel, or SCSI port, you might want to connect it, turn it on, and
restart your system to install it. Some of these devices can’t be
installed via the Add Hardware Wizard if they’re not present when the
system starts up.
As mentioned previously, you can also use the
Devices and Printers applet to install hardware. To add a network or
wireless device of some kind, for example, click Start, Devices and
Printers, and then click Add a Device. This triggers a device scan on
your PC, and if Windows 7 finds something suitable, it will trigger the
device installation at that point. Likewise, to add a printer you can
click Add a Printer at the end of the preceding sequence. Then you will
see options to add a locally or network-attached print device instead.
After that, you’ll install any necessary drivers and the process will
complete.
Tip
Use the System applet or
the Computer Management Device Manager Console, not the Add Hardware
Wizard, to fine-tune device settings, such as IRQ and port selections,
update devices and drivers, and remove hardware. Use the Add Hardware
Wizard only to add or troubleshoot hardware. Here’s a quick way to access Device Manager: Click Start, type Device into the search box, and then select Device Manager from the results list. That’s it! |
Providing Drivers for Hardware Not in the List
If the hardware you’re attempting to install
isn’t on the device list, this might be because one or more of the
following is true:
The hardware is newer than Windows 7 itself.
The hardware is old, and Microsoft did not include its driver.
The hardware must be configured using a special setup program supplied with the device.
In such cases, you must obtain a driver from the
manufacturer’s website (or Microsoft’s; check both) and have it at hand
in some form (UFD, optical media, or on a hard drive somewhere
accessible). If
the manufacturer supplies a setup disk, forget my advice, and follow
the manufacturer’s instructions. However, if the manufacturer supplies a
driver disk and no instructions, follow these steps:
1. | Run the Add Hardware Wizard and click Next.
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2. | Select Install the Hardware That I Manually Select from a List and click Next.
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3. | Select the appropriate device category and click Next.
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4. | Click
the Have Disk button. Enter the location of the driver. (You can enter
any path, such as a local directory or a network path.) Typically, you
insert a UFD or optical disk. If you download the driver software from a
website, save it on your hard drive. In either case, you can use the
Browse button if you don’t know the exact path or drive. If you do use
the Browse option, look for a directory where an INF file appears in the
dialog box.
Tip If you’re not sure which ports and interrupts are already taken, type system information in the Search box, then check Hardware Resources to identify available IRQs, DMA, and so on. |
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5. | Assuming
the wizard finds a suitable driver file, choose the desired hardware
item from the ensuing dialog box and then follow the onscreen
directions.
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If you’ve added some hardware but it doesn’t work, try these troubleshooting steps, in this order:
1. | Try
the troubleshooters included in the Help system, assuming the hardware
fits into one of the neatly packaged categories. Open them through the
Help and Support page: Click Start, Help and Support, then type in the
name or category for the device you’re working with.
| 2. | Try rebooting Windows 7.
| 3. | Use
System Information and the Device Manager to check resources assigned
to the hardware to be sure there are no conflicts. Check the hardware
manual to determine whether you should be setting DIP switches or
jumpers to avoid conflicts if the device isn’t PnP compatible.
| 4. | Open
the Device Manager, locate the device entry, and press the Delete key
to delete it. Then, power down, remove the device, and restart Windows.
| 5. | Power down again, reconnect the hardware (run the Add Hardware Wizard, also known as hdwwiz, if the hardware isn’t detected at bootup), and configure as necessary.
| 6. | Check Google; search to see if anyone else has posted about the problem and its solution.
| 7. | Check the manufacturer’s website. If it has a “Knowledge Base,” search that.
| 8. | If you purchased the hardware from a local store, contact it for assistance.
| 9. | Contact the manufacturer via email or phone.
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Most
Windows Vista drivers work in Windows 7, so if you can’t find a driver
specifically for Windows 7, try a Vista driver instead. Vista and
Windows 7 use a common driver model, so this is perfectly safe most of
the time. If a driver you load in Windows 7 crashes (for example, a
graphics driver), it simply restarts (after the screen goes black
temporarily). In a few moments, you’re back up and running.
The user-mode driver model employed in Windows 7
and Vista is called the User-Mode Driver Framework (UMDF), and is part
of Microsoft’s newest driver model, the Windows Driver Foundation (WDF).
A user-mode driver is typically used for devices that plug in to a USB
or FireWire bus, such as digital cameras, PDAs, and mass storage
devices. This also allows drivers that typically require a system reboot
(video card drivers, for example) to install or update without forcing a
reboot. For more about user-mode drivers, read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_Mode_Driver_Framework.
Not all Windows 7 drivers are installed in user
mode. Some drivers do need to be installed in the kernel (this model is
used in Windows XP and prior versions of Windows). For extra
protection, to prevent flaky or bogus drivers from being installed into
Windows 7, Microsoft is cracking down, but only for x64-based Windows 7
(that is, 64-bit) versions. Kernel-mode drivers on x64-bit versions of
Windows 7 must be digitally signed, which means they have to be tested
and given Microsoft’s seal of approval. Even the Administrator account
cannot install unsigned kernel-mode drivers. User-mode drivers may still
be installed without a digital signature, however.
