If a troubleshooter does not automatically fix a problem related
to hardware, open Device Manager for more information. Device Manager is a basic tool
that you can use to determine whether there are any malfunctioning
devices connected to the system.
To view failed hardware in Device Manager, follow these
steps:
-
Click Start, right-click Computer, and then click
Manage.
-
Under System Tools, click Device Manager.
-
Device Manager displays all locally attached devices.
Problem devices (including any devices with which Windows 7 has failed to communicate) are displayed
with a warning sign, as shown in Figure 1. If no
categories are expanded and no devices are visible, then Windows
has not detected a problem with any device.
If Device Manager detects a problem with a device,
right-click the device and open its Properties dialog box. The
Properties dialog box for the problem device shown in Figure 1 is shown in Figure 2.
A common cause of hardware failure is a faulty driver. If the General tab of the Properties
dialog box reports a problem with a device driver, click the Driver
tab, as shown in Figure 3. From this tab,
you can choose to update the driver or roll it back to the previously
installed version.
You should choose to roll back the driver if it was working
before you last updated it. If the previously installed driver did not
function, or if no previous driver was ever installed, you should
update the driver. Note, however, that the normal way to update a
driver is to download and run the most recent driver installation
program from the device manufacturer's Web site. You should use the
Update Driver option only if no installation program is available for
a functioning driver.
Note also that if Device Manager indicates a problem with a device but can
provide no specific information about this problem, you should begin
to suspect a hardware malfunction.
