How do you Update drivers/hardware for Win Xp Pro with SP2?

can not afford to buy another pc right now and the guy who fixes my pc is kind of like a mechanic where not completely but to where it has to always need a quick check up But my Pc does not recognize my cd drive or my CDR drive... very, very seldom.. Pc Pit stop is a very good program I thin and they say if I want to take the time to perfect the problems via hardware updates... cool but if I could a new system would be great... sluggish but runs pretty good its over 4 years old. But it鈥檚 my past time and Just because I can not afford the 200.00 or 300.00 component. There is another solution correct? Windows up pro

How do you Update drivers/hardware for Win Xp Pro with SP2?windows mail

I think there's a few things you can try. XP stores driver and hardware data in a dialog box called Device Manager. You can see it by clicking the Start button %26gt; right click My Computer %26gt; Properties %26gt; Hardware tab %26gt; Device Manager. The dialog box will contain a list of the devices on your computer and you can check to see if they're working properly and see if there is a newer driver available.

For example, if you click on the + sign next to DVD/CD-ROM drives, all such devices attached to your computer will be displayed. Double click on the name and a Properties dialog box opens with several tabs. The General tab tells you if it's working properly and gives you a troubleshooting option if it's not. The Driver tab let's you check the internet for the newest driver. If there's nothing newer, it'll tell you that, too. You can check each device this way. Yes, it's time consuming but it's free.

You could also do a search for websites that have device drivers. Here's two:

http://www.driverguide.com/

http://www.driverzone.com/

Some of these sites require a paid membership and some are free. Membership is usually less than $30 a year for unlimited downloads. You can check around for the best deals. But basically, they scan your computer and tell you what needs to be updated.

If you've got devices that are add-ons like printer, external hard drive, etc. you can visit those manufacturer's websites. Most have a support section with driver downloads.

If you're really feeling adventurous you can do a Repair Install of your XP and overwrite it with fresh system files. It won't change any installed programs or your personal settings, but you will have to revisit the Windows Update site to reinstall any patches, hotfixes, etc. that came out after your XP install CD was made. This link gives instructions and screen shots of what you'll see. I selected XP Pro but the steps are the same for XP Home:

http://www.windowsxpprofessional.windows... %26gt;repair

And this link tells you how to wipe your hard drive clean and start all over again. You would lose EVERYTHING on the hard drive so you must backup things like photos, special programs you've installed, documents you created, etc.

http://www.windowsxpprofessional.windows... %26gt;reformat (wipe clean) and reinstall

Hope some of this helps.

plrr

How do you Update drivers/hardware for Win Xp Pro with SP2?microsoft maps internet explorer

wipe the hard drive clean and do a clean install of winxp