If you suspect that a driver is causing your system problems, there are several steps you can take to determine if this is the case.
1. Update Drivers: One of the first things to do is to ensure you have the latest drivers for all your hardware. Outdated drivers may cause problems, so by updating them, you can eliminate any issues that could be caused by old software. You can find the necessary drivers from the manufacturer’s website or from a driver update utility such as DriverEasy or DriverFinder.
2. Uninstall Newly Installed Drivers: Another way to determine if a driver is causing system problems is to uninstall newly installed drivers. If you have recently installed new hardware, it could be possible that the accompanying driver is causing issues in your system. To check this, you should uninstall the newly installed drivers and see if the problem persists.
3. Check Event Viewer: Windows includes an Event Viewer that can provide information about errors and warnings. You can open this tool by typing “eventvwr” in the run dialog. Once opened, click on “Windows Logs” on the left pane and then “System”. Here you will see entries with yellow exclamation marks — these indicate system warnings and errors. If any of these have to do with drivers, then you should check further to determine which one is causing the problem.
4. Use System Restore: If you suspect that a particular driver is causing your system problems, you can use System Restore to undo changes made by recently installed drivers. This tool allows you to roll back your system to a previous state in which the problem did not exist. To use this tool, type “sysrep” in the run dialog to open it and then follow the instructions.
5. Check Device Manager: The Device Manager tool can also be helpful in pinpointing any problems with drivers. It shows all the devices installed on your system, with exclamation marks next to those with existing issues. If you find any exclamation marks related to drivers, this could indicate that the driver is causing system problems. You can also try to update or uninstall the driver in question to see if this fixes the issue.
6. Run Troubleshooters: Windows also has a variety of troubleshooting tools that can help you identify the source of system problems. For example, the Troubleshooting tool can search for common problems in your system and then offer solutions to fix them. You can find this tool by typing “troubleshooting” in the search box. Once opened, you can select the Hardware and Devices category and run the troubleshooter.
7. Test Different System Configurations: If none of the above methods solve your problem, you can also try testing different system configurations to determine the source of the problem. For example, you can try running your system with only one driver installed at a time and then adding others back one by one. This way, you can determine which driver is causing the problem.
8. Contact Technical Support: If the above methods do not work, it might be best to contact the manufacturer of your hardware or software and ask them to help you diagnose the issue. They should be able to provide support and advice on how to solve the problem.
By following the above steps, you can determine if a driver is causing system problems and take measures to resolve them.