How to Detect Driver Conflict

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A device driver is a program that allows Microsoft's Windows operating system (no matter the version) to utilize hardware on your computer. If a driver conflict is present, this means that something is wrong with the driver and Windows cannot properly utilize your hardware. You can detect these driver conflicts by entering the Windows Device Manager and then scanning for recent changes to that specific piece of hardware.

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Step 1

Click "Start".

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Step 2

Click "Computer".

Step 3

Click on the gray "System Properties" button, followed immediately by the blue "Device Manager" hyperlink.

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Step 4

Right click on the entry in the Windows Device Manager for the hardware that you fear may have a driver conflict.

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Step 5

Click "Scan for Hardware Changes". This will cause the Device Manager to specifically examine that hardware's driver and look for conflicts and changes. If any changes are present, a yellow icon with an exclamation mark inside will appear. You can click "Troubleshoot" to then take a look at the specific nature of the conflict at hand.

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