Probably, many users are aware that in all operating systems, special storage controllers are used to ensure the operability and the possibility of using all kinds of storage media, which can be presented both in the form of hardware and in the form of some virtual software components. For the controller itself, as well as for any other equipment, a driver is required. But with management software quite often there are a lot of problems. Let's try to figure out what actions can be taken to eliminate possible malfunctions and malfunctions, but first we will briefly dwell on what a controller of this type is.
What is a mass storage controller?
In general, it is generally accepted that such equipment or a virtual device of a program type is a kind of intermediary link between the connected information storage device and the operating system, designed so that the OS can recognize the attached medium and read from it the information stored on it. If we are talking exclusively about "hardware", as a vivid and simplest example, you can bring the most ordinary card reader. In the case of virtual devices, this can only apply to software in the form of a driver installed either by the system itself or by third-party applications to provide emulation (for example, a virtual CD / DVD drive that appears in the system after the program starts or the image file starts).
How to install or update the storage controller driver?
Unfortunately, far from always Windows can ensure the operability of such devices. Yes, indeed, during the first installation on any computer, the system automatically recognizes all connected equipment and installs management software (drivers) for it from its own database (including the storage controller). This, incidentally, applies not only to hard drives or optical drives.
With equal success, Windows can install drivers when connecting new media such as flash drives, memory cards, external hard drives, etc. But the main trouble is that the software for the storage device controller is not always compatible with the device itself, because the system installs , it seems to her, the most suitable software, and then the device may not work at all. You can verify this elementarily, because it will be impossible to read data from the drive, and sometimes even the storage medium itself is not detected (and if it is determined, the system considers that it needs to be formatted, but an error is generated when formatting is attempted). Damage to the drive itself cannot be ruled out, but in most cases this is precisely due to the fact that the storage controller does not work correctly (or does not function at all).
Problems with the management software: fixing faults in the simplest way
To search for a problem device or a non-working driver for the storage device controller in Windows 7, you can use the most common “Device Manager”, in which the desired component will be marked with a yellow triangle with an exclamation mark, which indicates problems with the driver. Since the system could not install it on its own, it is useless to try to find a solution to the problem in the search for updated software. It won’t give anything anyway.
In this situation, it is best to use automated utilities to search for and update drivers, but they are often powerless.
The best option is to identify the hardware identifiers in the appropriate manager through the properties on the information tab, after which you can search for the driver on the Internet (for example, on the manufacturer’s website) by the longest line with the DEV and VEN identifiers, download it, and then install it manually.
In some cases, even with an automated installer, some driver files need to be copied to the system directories themselves. A striking example is the installation of drivers for O2Micro card readers.
Third Party Software Conflicts
Sometimes problems can be triggered by installing third-party software that replaces the original drivers. For example, there are many cases where the popular DAEMON Tools image utility caused such conflicts to appear, registering links to its own virtual emulators in the registry, after which the connected equipment or its own components installed by the Windows systems themselves turned out to be completely inoperative. The way out of this situation may be the complete removal of conflicting applications, for which it is recommended to use not standard system tools, but special uninstaller programs that automatically remove all residues in the form of registry keys, files and folders, as well as installed failed drivers.