by MS
Turn Off Access To All Windows Update Features under Computer ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesSystemInternet Communication ManagementInternet Communication Settings If this policy setting is enabled, all Windows Update features are blocked and not available to users. Users will also be unable to access the Windows Update Web site.
Turn Off Windows Update Device Driver Searching under Computer ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesSystemInternet Communication ManagementInternet Communication Settings By default, Windows Update searching is optional when installing a device. If you enable this setting, Windows Update will not be searched when a new device is installed. If you disable this setting, Windows Update will always be searched when a new device is installed, if no local drivers are present.
Turn Off Windows Update Device Driver Search Prompt under Computer ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesSystemDriver Installation If you disable, or do not configure, Turn Off Windows Update Device Driver Searching, this policy setting affects whether a search prompt is displayed for Windows Update of device drivers. If this policy setting is enabled, administrators aren't prompted to search Windows Update and the search will or will not take place automatically based on the Turn Off Windows Update Device Driver Searching setting. Otherwise, administrators will be prompted before Windows Update is searched.
Configure Driver Search Locations under User ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesSystemDriver Installation If this policy setting is enabled, users can be restricted from searching floppy disk drives, CD drives, Windows Update, or any combination of these locations.
You can install and update device drivers by completing the following steps:
Start Computer Management. In the Computer Management console, click the plus sign (+) next to the System Tools node.
Select Device Manager in the Computer Management console. You should now see a complete list of devices installed on the system. By default, this list is organized by device type.
Right-click the device you want to manage and then select Update Driver. This starts the Update Driver Software Wizard.
Best Practices
Updated drivers can add functionality to a device, improve performance, and resolve device problems. However, you should rarely install the latest drivers on a user's computer without first testing them in a test environment. Test first, then install.
As shown in Figure 3-7, you can specify whether you want to install the drivers automatically or manually by selecting the driver from a list or specific location.
Figure 3-7: Choose whether to install automatically or manually.
If you elect to install the driver automatically, Windows Vista looks for a more recent version of the device driver and installs the driver if found. If a more recent version of the driver is not found, Windows Vista keeps the current driver. In either case, click Close to complete the process and then skip the remaining steps.
If you chose to install the driver manually, you'll have the opportunity to do one of the following:
q Search for the driver If you want to search for drivers, click Browse to select a search location. Use the Browse For Folder dialog box to select the start folder for the search and then click OK. Because all subfolders of the selected folder are searched automatically, you can select the drive root path, such as C, to search an entire drive.
q Choose the driver to install If you want to choose the driver to install, click Let Me Pick From A List Of Device Drives On My Computer. The wizard then shows a list of compatible hardware. Click the device that matches your hardware. To view a wider array of choices, clear the Show Compatible Hardware check box. You'll then see a full list of manufacturers for the type of device you are working with. As shown in Figure 3-8, scroll through the list of manufacturers to find the manufacturer of the device, and then choose the appropriate device in the right pane.
Figure 3-8: Select the appropriate device driver for the device you're adding.
Note
If the manufacturer or device you want to use isn't listed, insert your device driver disk into the floppy drive or CD-ROM drive and then click the Have Disk button. Follow the prompts. Afterward, select the appropriate device.
After selecting a device driver through a search or a manual selection, continue through the installation process by clicking Next. Click Close when the driver installation is completed. If the wizard can't find an appropriate driver, you'll need to obtain one and then repeat this procedure. Keep in mind that in some cases you'll need to reboot the system to activate the newly installed or updated device driver.
Restricting Device Installation Using Group Policy
In addition to code signing and search restrictions, Group Policy settings can be used to allow or prevent installation of devices based on device type. The related policy settings are found under Computer ConfigurationAdministrative Templates SystemDevice InstallationDevice Installation Restrictions and include the following settings:
Allow Administrators To Override Device Installation Restriction Policies
Allow Installation Of Devices That Match Any Of These Device IDs
Allow Installation Of Devices Using Drivers That Match These Device Setup Classes
Prevent Installation Of Devices Not Described By Other Policy Settings
Prevent Installation Of Devices That Match Any Of These Device IDs
Prevent Installation Of Removable Devices
You can configure these policies by completing the following steps:
Access policy for the appropriate domain, site, or organizational unit (OU).
Expand Computer Configuration, Administrative Templates, System, Device Installation, Device Installation Restrictions.
Double-click the appropriate policy to view its properties dialog box.
Set the state of the policy as Not Configured if you don't want the policy to be applied, Enabled if you want the policy to be applied, or Disabled if you want to block the policy from being used (all as permitted by the Group Policy configuration).
If you are enabling the policy and it has a Show option, click the Show button to use the Show Contents dialog box to specify which device IDs should be matched to this policy. Click OK.
Click OK.
Rolling Back Drivers
Sometimes you'll find that a device driver that you've installed causes device failure or other critical problems on a system. Don't worry: You can recover the system to the previously installed device driver. To do this, follow these steps:
If you are having problems starting the system, you will need to boot the system in Safe mode as discussed in the "Troubleshooting Startup and Shutdown" section in Chapter 16.
Start Computer Management. In the Computer Management console, click the plus sign (+) next to the System Tools node.
Select Device Manager in the Computer Management console. You should now see a complete list of devices installed on the system. By default, this list is organized by device type.
Right-click the device you want to manage and then select Properties. This opens the Properties dialog box for the device.
Click the Driver tab and then click Roll Back Driver. When prompted to confirm the action, click Yes.
Click Close to close the driver's properties dialog box.
Note
If the driver file hasn't been updated, a backup drive file won't be available. In this case, the Roll Back Driver button will be disabled and you will not be able to click it.
Removing Device Drivers for Removed Devices
Usually when you remove a device from a system, Windows Vista detects this action and automatically removes the drivers for that device. However, sometimes when you remove a device, Windows Vista doesn't detect the change and you must remove the drivers manually. You can remove device drivers by completing the following steps:
Start Computer Management. In the Computer Management console, click the plus sign (+) next to the System Tools node.
Select Device Manager in the Computer Man
agement console.
Right-click the device you want to remove and then select Uninstall.
When prompted to confirm the action, click OK.
Uninstalling, Reinstalling, and Disabling Device Drivers
Uninstalling a device driver uninstalls the related device. When a device isn't working properly, sometimes you can completely uninstall the device, restart the system, and then reinstall the device driver to restore normal operations. You can uninstall and then reinstall a device by completing the following steps:
Start Computer Management. In the Computer Management console, click the plus sign (+) next to the System Tools node.
Select Device Manager in the Computer Management console. You should now see a complete list of devices installed on the system. By default, this list is organized by device type.
Right-click the device you want to manage and then select Uninstall.
When prompted to confirm the action, click OK.
Reboot the system. Windows Vista should detect the presence of the device and automatically reinstall the necessary device driver. If the device isn't automatically reinstalled, reinstall manually as discussed in the section of this chapter entitled "Installing and Updating Device Drivers."
To prevent a device from being reinstalled automatically, disable the device instead of uninstalling it. You disable a device by right-clicking it in Device Manager and then selecting Disable.
Managing Hardware
Windows Plug and Play technology does a good job of detecting and automatically configuring new hardware. However, if the hardware doesn't support Plug and Play or it isn't automatically detected, you'll need to enter information about the new hardware into the Windows Vista system. You do this by installing the hardware device and its related drivers on the system using the Add Hardware Wizard. You can also use this wizard to troubleshoot problems with existing hardware.
Adding Non–Plug and Play Hardware
Using the Add Hardware Wizard, you can install older devices that do not support Plug and Play. Before you do this, you must turn off the computer and connect the hardware. Once you've connected the hardware and started the computer, you can use the Add Hardware Wizard to install the device by completing the following steps:
In Control Panel, click Classic View and then double-click Add Hardware.
In the Add Hardware Wizard, read the introductory message and then click Next.
Determine whether the wizard should search for new hardware or you want to select the hardware from a list.
q If you choose the search option, the wizard searches for and attempts to automatically detect the new hardware. The wizard takes a few minutes to go through all the device types and options. When the search is complete, any new devices found are displayed, and you can select one.
q If you choose the manual option, or if no new devices are found in the automatic search, you'll have to select the hardware type yourself. Select the type of hardware, such as Modems or Network Adapters, and then click Next. Scroll through the list of manufacturers to find the manufacturer of the device and then choose the appropriate device in the right pane.
Once you complete the selection and installation process, click Next. Confirm that you want to install the hardware by clicking Next again.
After the wizard installs the drivers for the hardware device, click Finish. The new hardware should now be available.
Enabling and Disabling Hardware
When a device isn't working properly, sometimes you'll want to uninstall or disable it. Uninstalling a device removes the driver association for the device so that it temporarily appears that the device has been removed from the system. The next time you restart the system, Windows Vista might try to reinstall the device. Typically, Windows Vista reinstalls Plug and Play devices automatically, but does not automatically reinstall non–Plug and Play devices.
Disabling a device turns it off and prevents Windows Vista from using it. Because a disabled device doesn't use system resources, you can be sure that it isn't causing a conflict on the system.
You can uninstall or disable a device by completing the following steps:
Start Computer Management. In the Computer Management console, click the plus sign (+) next to the System Tools node.
Select Device Manager in the Computer Management console. You should now see a complete list of devices installed on the system. By default, this list is organized by device type.
Right-click the device you want to manage and then select one of the following options:
q Enable to enable the device
q Uninstall to uninstall the device
q Disable to disable the device
If prompted to confirm the action, click Yes or OK as appropriate.
Troubleshooting Hardware
Built-in hardware diagnostics in Windows Vista can detect many types of problems with hardware devices. If a problem is detected, you might see a Problem Reports And Solutions balloon telling you there is a problem. Clicking this balloon should open the Problem Reports And Solutions console. The Problem Reports And Solutions console can also be accessed in Control Panel by clicking the System And Maintenance heading link and then selecting Problem Reports And Solutions. Details on working with Problem Reports And Solutions are discussed in Chapter 16.
Whenever a device is installed incorrectly or has another problem, Device Manager displays a warning icon indicating that the device has a problem. If you double-click the device, an error code is displayed on the General tab of the device's Properties dialog box. As Table 3-2 shows, this error code can be helpful when trying to solve device problems as well. Most of the correction actions assume that you've selected the General tab on the device's Properties dialog box.
Table 3-2: Common Device Errors and Techniques to Resolve Them
Error Message
Correction Action
This device is not configured correctly. (Code 1)
Obtain a compatible driver for the device and click Update Driver to start the Hardware Update Wizard.
The driver for this device might be corrupted, or your system might be running low on memory or other resources. (Code 3)
Click the Update Driver button on the Driver tab to run the Hardware Update Wizard. You might see an "Out of Memory" message at startup because of this.
This device cannot start. (Code 10)
Click the Update Driver button on the Driver tab to run the Hardware Update Wizard. Don't try to automatically find a driver. Instead, choose the manual install option and select the device.
This device cannot find enough free resources that it can use. (Code 12)
Resources assigned to this device conflict with another device, or the BIOS is incorrectly configured. Check the BIOS and check for resource conflicts on the Resources tab of the device's Properties dialog box.
This device cannot work properly until you restart your computer. (Code 14)
Typically, the driver is installed correctly, but will not be started until you restart the computer.
Windows cannot identify all the resources this device uses. (Code 16)
Check whether a signed driver is available for the device. If one is available and you've already installed it, you might need to manage the resources for the device. Check the Resources tab of the device's Properties dialog box.
This device is asking for an unknown resource type. (Code 17)
Reinstall or update the driver using a valid, signed driver.
Reinstall the drivers for this device. (Code 18)
After an upgrade, you might need to log on as an administrator to complete device installation. If this is not the case, click Update Driver on the Driver tab to reinstall the driver.
Your registry might be corrupted. (Code 19)
Remove and reinstall the device. This should clear out incorrect or conflicting registry settings.
Windows is removing this device. (Code 21)
The system will remove the device. The re
gistry might be corrupted. If the device continues to display this message, restart the computer.
This device is disabled. (Code 22)
This device has been disabled using Device Manager. To enable it, select Use This Device (Enable) under Device Usage on the General tab of the device's Properties dialog box.
This device is not present, is not working properly, or does not have all its drivers installed. (Code 24)
This might indicate a bad device or bad hardware. This error code can also occur with legacy ISA devices; upgrade the driver to resolve.
The drivers for this device are not installed. (Code 28)
Obtain a compatible driver for the device and then click Update Driver to start the Hardware Update Wizard.
This device is disabled because the firmware of the device did not give it the required resources. (Code 29)
Check the device documentation on how to assign resources. You might need to upgrade the BIOS or enable the device in the system BIOS.
This device is not working properly because Windows cannot load the drivers required for this device. (Code 31)
The device driver might be incompatible with Windows Vista. Obtain a compatible driver for the device and click Update Driver to start the Hardware Update Wizard.