Installing Stuff

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Installing a device driver or software

-Now there are many ways to install a device driver or software for the device. The most common method is through the control panel. I will show you the manual install under windows and the Plug and Play way.

Windows 95/98/ME

-Plug and Play-

-With windows detecting your new device you have installed you will be prompted for location of the device driver.

-In windows you can choose to search for driver or review a driver list windows has set up. The best way to go about this is to have your manufacturers CD/Floppy disk ready and in a drive. Choose "Search for a better driver".

-The next dialog box will give you a list of a floppy,CD-ROM, and so on. Choose the installation media type you are using and click "next".

-Now when if your unsure of the location of the software on the disk is usually in a INF. file type. Also look in any corresponding folders for example win95 or win 98 and even drivers. Refer to your software documentation if you cant find it. Windows will also tell you if there is information about your device in the next dialog box.

-Now that you chosen the drive simply hit "ok" of "next".

-If you found the right driver you will see a dialog box with the new information in it. Hit "next" or "ok"

-Windows will build a database of needed drivers from the one you selected and you will need to reboot.

-Your installed.

Windows 2000/XP

-When a new device is installed in your computer windows will automatically detect it.

-Windows will either find a driver for the device and install one on its own or it will ask you for drivers for it.

-Cancel this, grab the manufacturers disk, and put it in your CD/DVD drive. It should auto start and then show a list of install options. Simply click install to install the device drivers, at the end a reboot would be required. After this reboot the device should be operational.

-If the manufactures disk doesn't have an auto run program and just simply provides the drivers on the disk, then you must not cancel the screen when it asks you to install the drivers. Instead click next. You can now do it two ways, let windows install the device automatically, or if you know where the drivers are you can select them manually. Windows recommends the first option and I agree, this should be used first, and if it doesn't succeed use the second option and browse the CD for the driver.

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