How to reinstall video card drivers? Update graphics card drivers

The video card, as you know, plays one of the most important roles in the computer system. She is responsible for playing graphics and video. For its correct operation, a special program called a driver is required. But quite often you can meet situations when you need to reinstall the driver. There are many reasons for this, for example, incorrect operation, updating, etc. You need to know how to reinstall the video card drivers in order to avoid problems in the future.

What is a driver and why is it needed

In fact, the driver of any device is a program or a set of programs responsible for the correct operation and maximum use of all features. It is clear that each time you do not need to run the driver in manual mode, it is installed during the discovery of the device or during manual installation from the specified source.

how to reinstall video card drivers

In addition, when thinking about how to reinstall the video card drivers, it should be borne in mind that many installers install not only the driver itself, but also related software.

Why reinstall is required

If we talk about reinstalling video card drivers, the most common causes include problems with the work, manual updating of the driver or software, the consequences of virus attacks, and much more.

Testing

Before you think about how to reinstall the graphics card drivers on Windows 7, you need to understand whether this is necessary. We will assume that everything works fine, and you just need to install a newer version of the driver.

You can use the Task Manager tab in the standard control panel to view information about a file. By right-clicking on the device, you need to call the drop-down menu and select the line “Properties”. Minimum device information is displayed immediately. On the “Driver” tab, you can view all installed components, but such information will not say absolutely nothing to the average user of computer systems, unless they indicate the location where the files are located.

how to reinstall video card drivers on windows 7

Better to do otherwise. It is simpler and more informative to use DirectX, which is called from the command line when the dxdiag shortcut is introduced. On the first page you can find information about all the devices, including the video adapter. The driver version will also be indicated there.

drivers for radeon video card

Now you can compare the installed driver with the version that you intend to install. If the new version is lower, reinstallation is strongly discouraged.

General principles for proper reinstallation

The question of how to correctly reinstall the drivers has its own nuances, however, the general methods and concepts for almost all devices of this type are the same. First of all, you must have the latest version of DirectX installed on your system. In the case when the automatic update of Windows is enabled, manual installation is not required. If this function is disabled, you should contact the official Microsoft website or the support center to download the necessary distribution package or install DirectX online.

But the most important thing is not even that. Remember! Installing a new driver in any situation should be done only after the complete removal of old versions. The easiest way to delete a file is the very “Properties” menu, where you can remove the driver, update it, simply disable it, etc. In extreme cases, you can delete the device itself. When you restart the system, it will be detected automatically.

No less important in the matter of how to reinstall the video card drivers is the complete removal of related software that was installed during the installation of the driver itself. This is done in the control panel, in the "Add or Remove Programs" (Windows XP) or "Programs and Features" (Windows 7/8).

Another important point. The fact is that there can be several drivers in the system. Before reinstalling, it is recommended to remove all existing ones, since the standard method only removes the driver installed for the device by default and currently in use. For this, a small but very functional utility Driver Sweeper is perfect, in which at the end of the search you just need to mark all the entries related to the video adapter.

When all the drivers, additional software or the device itself are completely removed from the system, you can begin to resolve the issue of how to reinstall the video card drivers.

You can install the new driver right away, you can wait for the system to reboot when, after determining the new device, you will be prompted to install the most suitable file from your own Windows directory. In most cases, this is suitable (but not for updating or installing a more recent version of the available ones). It is best to abandon the automatic installation and install the driver along with support programs from another source. Before that, you will need to download the latest version (preferably from the website of the video card manufacturer).

Consider the basic algorithm on the example of how to reinstall the video card driver on Windows 7/8, after creating a restore point to roll back the system to its original state (you never mind!).

So, an approximate sequence of actions is as follows:

  1. Version identification (for updating or installing from several available options).
  2. Removing existing drivers or devices using standard Windows tools (“Device Manager”).
  3. Removing remaining versions using Driver Sweeper (or the like).
  4. Removing related software.
  5. Rebooting the system.
  6. Automatic or manual installation of a new driver.
  7. Update to the latest version (if required).

Items 2, 3, and 4 can be executed in random order.

Installing a driver on a Radeon graphics card

Now we move on to the correct removal and installation of drivers for Radeon video cards. All the above procedures remain unchanged. Actually, the drivers for the Radeon graphics card, as is already clear, are installed according to the standard scheme. We draw attention to additional programs. In this case, you will have to remove the ATI Catalyst Install Manager applet, in which you need to select the option to completely remove Express Uninstall ALL ATI Software (quick removal of all ATI software).

update graphics card drivers

As usual, after or before you need to go to the official website of the company and download the latest version of the driver, and then install it in the system.

Installing a driver on a GeForce graphics card

With GeForce graphics cards, things are similar. You just have to remove the applet, which can have several names, depending on the type of card itself and the software version. This is nVidia Windows Display Drivers, nVidia Display Drivers, nVidia Driver or Graphic Adapter.

drivers for intel graphics card

Further, a custom installation using the “Clean Installation” item may be required.

Intel graphics driver

Intel graphics accelerators are integrated and are of the type Video-on-Board. Installing a driver on an Intel graphics card from the previous methods does not differ practically in anything.

how to reinstall drivers correctly

From the software products you will need to remove the Intel HD graphics driver, and then again install the new file.

Update

Updating video card drivers, of course, can be done on top of existing ones, but no one can give a full guarantee that old versions will not remain in the system. This, incidentally, is proved by the utility Driver Sweeper. But, in principle, you can go, so to speak, along the path of least resistance.

As already mentioned, you can install the new version manually. You can use the video card properties menu with the “Driver” tab, where you need to click the “Update” button. It's just not the fact that a new version will be installed in the system. If the system update is disabled, the most suitable driver will be taken directly from the OS directory.

In this case, the best solution may be to use programs like Driver Booster. The application at startup analyzes absolutely all devices and issues a list that lists those for which there is currently an actual update (update). What is most interesting, programs of this type are not only able to search for new versions on the Internet, they directly turn to the Internet resources of the hardware manufacturer.

drivers for the geforce graphics card

The principle of updating is quite simple. You need to remove the checkmarks from all devices except the video card, and then start the update process. In some cases, even a system reboot is not required. Here, however, there is one “but.” The fact is that applications of this direction are mostly paid. If there is a cracked version, it may work unstably or even produce an incorrect update.

Conclusion

In general, it is probably already clear that the question of how to reinstall the video card drivers is not so complicated as it might have seemed at first. If you follow the above instructions, you can achieve the maximum possible effect. You just need to pay attention to some nuances in order not only to make the correct installation, but also not to clog the system itself, because then it will be quite difficult to clean it even using automatic means.

As for reinstalling drivers after reinstalling the OS itself, then this technique will come in handy. In extreme cases, if an update is not required, you can use the automatic installation using Windows or the original disk with graphics driver from the manufacturer. Naturally, then the installed version can be updated by the above methods.


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