Absolute Beginners Guide to A+ Certification. Covers the Hardware and Operating Systems Exam

Obtaining Compatible Drivers for Your Version of Windows

Because Windows controls and manages your system's hardware, it is essential that you obtain drivers for your hardware that work with the version of Windows you want to install. If you've already done a Windows install once or twice and found that your modem, your network card, or your printer didn't work unless you supplied the drivers yourself, you already know how essential it is to get drivers in advance.

Although newer versions of Windows support broader ranges of hardware than older versions, it would be a big mistake to assume that the version of Windows you want to install can support your motherboard, graphics card, sound card, or other hardware without a bit of help from you. What should you do before you start the installation process?

1. Find out whether your system's hardware is supported by the operating system you want to install.

2. Download the drivers your hardware needs.

3. Install the drivers as prompted during operating system installation or afterward.

There are several ways to determine if you need to download compatible drivers or if you already have them:

• Check the driver CD or floppy disks provided with existing hardware for compatible drivers.

• If you are installing Windows 2000 or XP in a dual-boot configuration, start the existing version of Windows, begin the installation process with the Windows 2000 or XP CD, and review the results of the compatibility check performed before continuing. (See Figure 16.2.)

  Figure 16.2. The Windows XP Upgrade Advisor has determined it supports all the hardware installed on this system (no hardware is listed as having problems), but points out a couple of programs that won't work with XP.

• If you are thinking about installing Windows XP, you can download the Upgrade Advisor and run it from within your existing version of Windows. Get it from http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/upgrading/advisor.asp.

• Visit the vendors ' Web sites and look for drivers.

• Use Microsoft's online listing of compatible hardware and software.

Until recently, Microsoft's Hardware Compatibility List (HCL ) acted as a one-stop -shop for determining which hardware was supported by what version(s) of Windows, and providing drivers as needed. Microsoft is switching away from the HCL database to a catalog listing (lots of pictures, but harder to search) for driver and support information. Consequently, you might need to check out several different Web sites to obtain this information from Microsoft:

• For Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 98, go to the Windows Logo Program Qualification Service Web site at https ://winqual.microsoft.com/download/default.asp.

  This site also lists text and browsable versions of the HCL for Windows Me/2000/XP Home/XP Pro HCLs. However, there is no listing for Windows 95 hardware. Windows 95 can use some, but not all, Windows 98 drivers.

• For Windows Me/2000/XP, use the product and category search page available at http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/hcl/search.mspx.

• For Windows XP only, see the Microsoft Windows Catalog at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/catalog/.

To obtain drivers for listed products, click the Windows Update link or visit the vendors' Web sites.

What drivers should you get first? The most critical drivers to obtain include

• Modem

• Network card

These are critical to your ability to download updates with Windows Update, and are among the devices that are most frequently not supported by the Windows drivers on the CD. If you don't download these drivers before you install Windows, you might have no way to get them later!