Learn how to get to device manager in Windows XP the easy way with screen shots and step by step instructions! Follow the easy steps below to see how to find device manager in Windows XP.
Start by clicking the Start button on your Windows XP menu. Then select control panel like illustrated above.
Go ahead and select classic view in the upper left hand corner.
Now go ahead and double click on System.
Now simply click on the Hardware tab at the top, then select Device
Manager. There you go, its that easy! Now that you have learned how to get to device manager in Windows XP you can read below about some of the things you can do there!
Checking the status of hardware in device manager in Windows XP.
To use the Device Manager to check the status of hardware:
- Click the type of device from the list of the devices.
- Select your installed device. If the device is not working
properly, a yellow circle with an exclamation point will appear over
it. Proceed with these instructions to find out which device(s) are
conflicting with the selected device.
- Double-click the selected device. The
General tab in the resulting Device Properties
window will note whether the device is working properly. This window
also allows you to enable or disable the selected device from all
hardware profiles. - Click the
Resources tab to determine
if there are any conflicts with the device. If the device was flagged
with a yellow circle with an exclamation point, check the "Conflicting
device list:” box to determine which devices are in conflict with the
selected device.The Resources tab tells which IRQ the
installed device is using. Another device using the same IRQ can create
a conflict, which may be why the device is not working. In this case,
you can either reinstall it with a different IRQ, or change its IRQ. Only advanced users should attempt to change IRQ settings.
If the device is Plug and Play (PnP), it should not be affected by
changing the IRQ. If the device is not PnP, changing the IRQ may cause
it to stop working. Use the instructions above for checking all IRQs in
use on your computer, and find an IRQ that is not in use. To change the
IRQ, select the Resources tab and uncheck Use Automatic Settings . In the "Resource settings:” box, double-click Interrupt Request to bring up a new window with the option to change the selected IRQ.
Note: If the selected device is a modem or a mouse, the Resources tab will not appear. To check the resources of a modem or mouse, select the Ports option in the list of devices in the Device Manager. Select the port where the modem or mouse is installed, and then click Properties . This will bring up a Port Properties window with a Resources tab, where you can check the resources for the modem or mouse.
- To update a driver for the selected device, select the
Driver tab and click Update Driver ... . Follow the steps to update the driver for the selected device.
That was a tutorial on how to check the status of your devices using
device manager and you learned how to get to device manager in Windows
XP, lets talk about removing a device.
How To Remove A Device On Device Manager In Windows XP
Please, only try this if you are an advanced computer user. You may need administrator rights to remove any devices.
Removing a device causes Windows to lose all recognition of it, and
the device will stop working properly. Windows should automatically
recognize a new device when it restarts, but this does not always
happen. If Windows does not recognize the device, you will need to use
the Add New Hardware icon in the Control Panel for
Windows to properly recognize the hardware. Before removing the device,
be sure you have all the necessary drivers required for the device;
this will help if you need to reinstall it.
In the Device Manager, highlight the device, and then click the Remove button at the bottom of the window, or the Remove icon at the top of the window (a computer with a red X).
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