If you are using Windows RT on a
Windows Phone 8 or tablet, then chances are that any device you need is
already part of the package and has validated drivers. For PC users,
though, adding new devices is part of the evolving experience you have
with your system. At some point, you are going to upgrade your video
card, add more memory, put in a sound card, or perform any of a hundred
other changes. Or you might notice that a device doesn’t work properly
and wonder if it is functional. The one place you can go to check your
system health down to an individual device level is the Device Manager.
Device Manager is a control panel
applet that lets you view and control devices that are part of your
system. That includes everything from chips on your motherboard to
system components. When a device is malfunctioning, chances are that
Device Manager will flag it for you and suggest some remediation. At
least you’ll be able to figure out what the offending component is.
In Device Manager you can do the following:
• Enable or disable a device
• Add a new driver for a device
• View device properties
To view Device Manager
• Press 
+X or right-click the lower-left corner of the display to open the Computer Management menu, then select Device Manager.
• Press 
+W to search settings. Type device manager, and tap or click the Device Manager button.
• Press +R, enter device manager in the Run dialog box, and press Enter.
Whatever journey you took to get there, Device Manager appears .
Device Manager
A problematic device is shown open in its device type group. Here’s what the status indicators mean:
• A gray downward arrow on the icon indicates that the device is disabled.
• A black exclamation point on a yellow triangle means that the device is not working properly.
• A yellow question mark indicates that the device isn’t recognized.
• A blue I on a white field indicates that the device doesn’t use the Use Automatic Settings feature.
Some standard error codes may appear next to the icon.
To update a driver
1. Right-click, or tap and hold, the device you wish to update to view the context menu .
Update a driver using the Update Driver Software command on the context menu.
2. Select the Update Driver Software command.
Windows 8 will perform an automated search against its device driver database and attempt to perform the update.
Tip
For a list of error codes and how to remediate them, go to support.microsoft.com/kb/310123. The Knowledge Base is Microsoft’s internal service database, with detailed descriptions of problems and their solutions.
