Installing drivers

Essentially all hardware devices need a software driver to tell the operating system how to use the part. Plug and Play devices are simply designed to run off of drivers that are built into most operating systems.

If the device does not use a “native” driver, then it will usually come with a floppy disk or a CD with the driver software. Sometimes these will have an installer program, it is usually an executable (.exe) file that when started will automatically find the drivers and put them in the right places.

If the driver disk does not have an installer or launch wizard, then it will probably rely on the operating system to find the device.

(The following instructions are based on Windows XP, but should be similar to other versions of Windows, If you are using another operating system, and need further help, let us know and we can get you specific instructions for that OS)

When you first connect your new device, the operating system should recognize that you have connected new hardware. Windows will start the Add Hardware Wizard. At that point, you can generally insert the driver disk, and let the Hardware wizard do the recommended install. Usually it will find all of the information that it needs.

Updating Drivers

If there was a problem in the installation, or if you have an updated driver. You will need to manually start the wizard to update the driver file that your computer uses. Usually you can get the correct or updated drivers from the Manufacturer or the place where you purchased the cards. Most of the driver files that we have available on our download page are Zip (compressed) files.

The easiest way to update the driver is to download the updated driver somewhere simple. Create a folder on your desktop named "Driver"bBecause the drivers are zipped or compressed, you will need to unzip or extract them.

Find the adapter in the Device Manager (Start, Control Panel, System, Hardware tab) right-click on it and select "Update Driver" This will start the Hardware Update Wizard.

Choose to "Install from a list or specific location" and click next. In the dialog box select "Search for the best driver in these locations," check the box that says "Include this location in the search:" and browse to the folder where you extracted the driver files. Click Next. The Hardware wizard should find the files and update the drivers. You can then finish the wizard.