Windows 8 - Manage Hardware (System Devices)

Windows 8 - Manage Hardware (System Devices)

Provides basic information for managing hardware devices / peripherals within the Windows 8 environment.

Device Manager

  1. From the desktop or start screen, use mouse to click in upper right corner to Open The Charms Bar, click search,  Click Settings, and Type "Device Manager". Click to open the Device Manager.

       
     
  2. The Device Manager dialog appears.
  3. Use the  button to expand the desired section.

Disabled Device:  Black Down Arrow on the device icon.


No Driver Installed:  Yellow triangle with an exclamation.


Enabled Device with Driver:  Standard device icon.


  1. Right-click a device to Update Driver Software, Disable, Enable/Disable, Uninstall, or Scan for hardware changes.  (See below for an explanation of each option.)

Update Driver

  1. On the Driver Software update wizard, choose Search automatically for updated driver software.




    Note:  If you have a CD / DVD with the driver on it you may use the Browse my computer for driver software option.
  2. The Driver Software update wizard searches online for updated drivers.
  3. If a more current version of the driver is located, follow on screen prompts to update.

Enable or Disable Device

Disable Device:  Turns a device off, so that it is not used.

Enable Device:  Turns a device on, so that it may be used.

Uninstall a Device

Uninstalling a device will completely remove the hardware driver from your computer.

Scan for hardware changes

This option can be used to detect a recently plugged in / installed hardware device.

Note:  Scan for hardware changes does not reinstall a Plug and Play device if a driver is already installed on the computer. If the device has not been uninstalled, Scan for hardware changes does not detect the connection of the device as a change. You must uninstall a Plug and Play device for Windows to start an installation when you connect the device again.


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