About Windows^® XP Drivers

Despite the end of Microsoft's mainstream support for the Windows^® XP operating system, Windows^® XP remains a common and popular operating system for Windows^® computer users everywhere. Many users have simply yet to make the jump to the new standard. New hardware devices are still designed to support legacy operating systems like Windows^® XP, but special drivers are required to accommodate the older technology. Updating to the most current device drivers for hardware devices that interface with Windows^® XP will increase the performance, speed, and compatibility of those devices with other hardware devices and with Windows^® XP itself. Drivers are small pieces of software that contain the instructions and function sets for a hardware device. Each hardware device has it's own unique driver that instructs the device how to communicate with other hardware devices and the operating system.

Drivers are instructions. A driver instructs a CPU (processor), how to communicate with a hard-drive. In the same vein, a driver provides the instructions for communication between a hardware device and software.

Drivers create compatibility. This is especially so in the case of Windows^® XP because it is now the operating system that is trying to keep up with the hardware devices when traditionally it is vice versa. Without drivers, a computer is incomplete. Updating Windows^® XP drivers improves the relationships between all of the components that work together to make a computer. With a strengthened foundation of compatibility between hardware and hardware, and hardware and software, the speed and performance of all individual working parts increases with significant notice.

Driver software for existing hardware devices is in constant development, even after the release of newer hardware devices. The hardware developer researches new ways to improve the physical hardware device by making changes to the driver that improve efficiency. The driver update is distributed at no cost in a package hosted on the hardware device manufacturer's website.

However, navigating through an entire website to find a single file package can be frustrating and unfruitful for some. Given that the driver is found, it typically requires manual installation. This is just one of the many common issues with Windows^® XP drivers and drivers in general that both developers and computer users have encountered. Developers are challenged when testing driver improvements. The goal is to improve speed and performance while maintaining and even improving stability and compatibility with other hardware and software components. Yet users do not benefit from these enhancements because they cannot obtain and install the updates.

Common Windows^® XP Driver Issues

Drivers provide compatibility, but some users are inclined to feel otherwise. Many novice users find drivers, their purpose and their maintenance confusing and a hassle. Yet the greater waste of time is waiting 10 minutes for a computer to boot up completely, just so you can check your email. Windows^® XP drivers have their own faults. Drivers installed at the factory are quickly replaced with better, more up-to-date drivers that driver software developer's produce after the initial release of the device.

But, people are not machines that all know how to find, download and install new drivers. We have compiled a guide to fixing Windows^® XP drivers manually. However, while more advanced users might find this an easy task, most would not even be able to describe the device in detail, let alone update it's driver. This presents a problem for the implementation of drivers. Updated drivers can't be used unless installed. Users who don't have the knowledge to do this when their drivers become out-of-date or worse, corrupted, are often left with malfunctioning or inoperable hardware.

This used to be a big issue at the dawn of Windows^® as first-time users were already struggling to adapt to the computer. At that time, there were many needed improvements, but a simple, user-friendly solution for managing drivers was needed badly. This task was met with many challenges, but eventually produced a simple Windows^® interface known as the device manager.

How to Easily Download the Correct Windows^® XP Drivers

Downloading the correct Windows^® XP Drivers for your system can be an extremely difficult task. Unforeseen driver conflicts can cause system instability, device malfunctions, or worse, cause your PC to stop working entirely. There are so many different devices installed on today's computers that even expert PC technicians rely on automated tools to do the dirty work for them. Fortunately, you don't have to be an expert PC Technician to use Slimware's DriverUpdate™ .

With one click, DriverUpdate™ automatically determines the correct, most up-to-date drivers for your system. What's more, DriverUpdate™ is designed to locate drivers that are specifically designed to run on your computer. This helps guarantee your computer won't encounter errors from incorrect or out-of-date drivers and resolves any driver conflicts you may not know about.

To avoid hours of manual troubleshooting, and the risks associated with installing incorrect drivers on your computer, we Strongly Recommend Slimware's DriverUpdate™ ( Click Here To Download DriverUpdate™ )