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Computers rely on device drivers in order to function properly though occasionally these drivers fail causing hardware issues.

For example, if your computer’s display suddenly only shows up in VGA mode, it’s likely an issue with your video driver. Reinstalling the video drivers should solve the problem but what if you don’t have access to the original installation disc?

You can restore video drivers using System Restore if you have Windows XP or Vista and have System Restore enabled on your computer. This utility saves “restore points” according to a schedule. When enabled, you simply choose a date when the computer was working properly and restore the system settings (including video drivers) back to that date. No data or program files are affected. System Restore is located in the Accessories folder under System Tools.

You can also download updated video drivers directly from the manufacturer of your card. Don’t know who made your video card? It’s relatively easy to find out. Go to Device Manager (Control Panel, System, Device Manager) and find the Display Adapter category. Expand this category and your display adapter should be listed below. Double-click the device and you’ll see exactly what it is:

You can also go to the Desktop and right-click it. In Windows Vista, choose Personalize and then Display Settings. Now find the Advanced button and click it. This opens a new dialog box. Click the Adapter tab:

This dialog box gives you more detailed information about your display adapter as well as troubleshooting options if available.

In earlier versions of Windows, right-click an open area of the Desktop and choose Properties. Now click the Settings tab. You should see information about the adapter in the display area just after the description of the monitor.

To update the video drivers, it’s best to go back into Device Manager and use the Update Driver option. This lets you either search for updated video drivers automatically or lets you point to video drivers that you have previously downloaded from the manufacturer.

When looking for video drivers from the manufacturer of your video adapter, it’s critical that you have the exact driver for your video card as well as for your operating system. Installing the wrong video driver can make things even worse.

After using Device Manager to update the video drivers, you must reboot the computer, even if the computer doesn’t prompt you to do so. Reboot the computer and see if the update solved your problems.

Windows Update is an automatic updating service from Microsoft designed to keep your computer updated with the latest operating system patches. Occasionally, Microsoft includes updated drivers. If you don’t have Windows Update enabled, consider doing so for the overall health of your computer. Go into the Control Panel and choose the Windows Update icon.

It’s important to keep hardware drivers updated just as it’s important to keep the operating system and software installed on your computer current. Files get damaged, overwritten, or lost all the time. When one of those files happens to be a device file, hardware suddenly begins to fail. By replacing the damaged video drivers with good ones, your computer’s display problems should be repaired. Using updated video drivers is the best option because updated drivers generally fix known compatibility issues and sometimes even add new features that enhance the product.

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