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MCSA/MCSE Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-270): Installing ...

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6-32 Chapter 6 <strong>Installing</strong>, Managing, and Troubleshooting Hardware Devices and Drivers<br />

Lesson 4: Configuring and Troubleshooting Device Drivers<br />

Hardware drivers are software that govern the interactions between Windows and a<br />

hardware device. Device Manager provides a simple method of viewing and updating<br />

drivers for any device in the system. Windows XP also supports driver signing, which<br />

provides a method to verify that Microsoft has tested the designated device drivers for<br />

reliability.<br />

After this lesson, you will be able to<br />

■ Explain the purpose of the Driver.cab file.<br />

■ Update device drivers.<br />

■ Configure and monitor driver signing.<br />

Estimated lesson time: 20 minutes<br />

What Is the Driver.cab File?<br />

Drivers that ship with Windows XP are stored on the installation CD in a single cabinet<br />

file called Driver.cab. Windows XP Setup copies this file to the %systemroot%\Driver<br />

Cache\i386 folder on the local hard disk during installation. Windows uses this file during<br />

and after installation to install drivers when new hardware is detected. This process<br />

helps by ensuring that users do not have to provide the installation CD whenever drivers<br />

are installed. All drivers in the Driver.cab file are digitally signed.<br />

Actions You Can Take to Update Drivers<br />

It is important to keep device drivers updated for all devices in a system. Using up-todate<br />

drivers ensures optimum functionality and reduces the chance of an outdated<br />

device driver causing problems.<br />

The Driver tab of a device’s Properties dialog box (shown in Figure 6-10) displays basic<br />

information about the device driver, such as the date of the driver and version number.<br />

You can also perform the following actions on the Driver tab:<br />

■ View the names of the actual driver files by clicking the Driver Details button.<br />

■ Update a device driver to a more recent version by clicking the Update Driver button.<br />

Windows prompts you for the location of the newer version of the driver. You<br />

can obtain new drivers from the device’s manufacturer. You can also use the<br />

Update Driver option to reinstall drivers for a device that has ceased to function<br />

correctly because of a driver problem. If updating the drivers does not successfully<br />

restore device functionality, consider removing the device by using Device Manager<br />

and then restarting the computer. If the device supports Plug and Play, Win-

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