It has been a while since I've done a "reader questions answered" segment (and reminded you, Dear Reader that you can post questions to me), but I'm hoping that you'll remember the "Q's and their A's" format.
Q: Vista won't recognize my new device. What's wrong with my PnP?
A: Vista is actually quite good (in my opinion, the best yet) at automatically installing new devices with the use of PnP (Plug and Play). That said, a fair portion of the calls I receive at my online Tech Support business are troubleshooting PnP failures.
There are standard procedures for getting devices installed, when it doesn't happen automatically for one reason or another, which I have outlined here before. Review the How To's by clicking on this link: http://techpaul.wordpress.com/2007/07/11/adding-a-device-when-plug-and-play-doesnt-work-pt-1/. I advise reading all three parts, and the Comments as well (and read about USB Host controllers).
If you have tried these methods without success, there may be some "ClassID framework" missing which needs to get installed before Vista can 'see' your device, and you will need the help of Tech Support-- I would not be averse to getting it direct from Microsoft.
You can avoid some headaches by making sure the device you want to buy is "Vista Compatible". Vista is rather recalcitrant at accepting 3rd-party drivers that have not received Microsoft's stamp of approval (not undergone Microsoft laboratory testing). This is to ensure that the webcam (for example) you want is going to work, and not "mess up your machine". Visit the Vista Hardware Compatibility List, and sort by category to find approved (tested) makes and models, and purchase one from the list.
Q: I bought a gateway with Vista Home Premium, but need to convert back to XP Pro. I have a friend who is technically sound, but (they) said it would be hard to get all the drivers loaded to work right. Do you know where I can get all the drivers to make XP work on my Gateway that is less than a year old?
A: If you “must” convert back to XP Pro, you will indeed need to acquire some “for XP” drivers for some of your hardware/devices (XP will have some drivers already). Make a list of all your devices (Device Manager is a good place to start) and look on the Internet to make sure there's XP drivers available. Make a system state backup of your current configuration. Then Install XP.
Once XP is installed, use Device Manager to find which devices need drivers (look for yellow ?’s, and red Xs).
You will then go to the device manufacturer’s website and download the XP driver. (You should not use the “Update driver” feature, as XP drivers are ‘old’.) Again, I refer you to the article link above.
A tool like Sandra Lite can help determine the make/model of your devices if you’re unsure of the manufacturer (such as the motherboard chipset).
You will have to do this on a case-by-case basis (there is no driver ‘one-stop-shop’) for those devices not covered by the XP install itself…but that shouldn't be too, too many.
When you’re done, make a good backup... preferably with a "disk imaging" program.
Today's free link: I use Sandra Lite quite a bit when troubleshooting distant machines. The benchmarking tool gives a very complete system profile, including the make/model of installed devices. It is often the only way I can determine the motherboard chipset. A word of caution: do not elect to make the scan results public, or "share them for further analysis".
* Original post date: 02/14/08
Copyright 2007-8 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved.
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