Video drivers, background tools.

Video drivers, when performing as anticipated, tend to remain an unnoticed background tool. Screen images are drawn; colors are applied. Animations, art, and text join the output; and the computer user receives a visual confirmation of his current computer activities. Unless display speed or color schemes become an issue, the average user is not overly concerned with what happens in the background.

But when that beautiful, true color image is suddenly displayed in a chunky, low resolution, blob the interest in background activities picks up. When the user finds that screen property settings no longer support high resolution, what happened?

Damaged video drivers make for a blocky, low, resolution display. Missing or unidentified drivers will force the operating system to default to a basic screen resolution. Even if not damaged, a video driver in conflict with other drivers can be deadly to a clean system boot. Windows then falls into a continuous Safe Mode boot routine.

What to you do when the OS indicates a video driver problem?

Step one: identify your video card. (Do not, at this time, uninstall your video driver).
· Method one: Go to Start menu>Control Panel>System. Click on the Hardware tab, then Device Manager. Select Display Adapters. Providing that Windows has rightly identified your card, a unique name will be listed here. “Standard VGA” is not a unique video driver name; this simply means that Windows cannot identify your video card.
· Method two: Reboot the computer. When the POST listings begin to appear, use the Pause / Break key to halt the boot process. Scan for any video driver information that may be displayed. Press any key to resume the boot sequence.
· Method three: If Internet access is possible, download one of the many third-party driver identification utilities. These sometimes help.
· Method four: Time to open the box. The scope of dangers involved in doing this go beyond the word range of this article. If you do understand static electrify and you do know the damage it can induce proceed at your own risk. You will likely find video diver information located upon the physical video card. This is not always sufficient for locating a video driver.

Step two: get the faulty video driver files out of your system.


· It is important to check the manual that accompanied your video card. (Though we will discuss the technique of removing a video driver through the Windows Control Panel this is not always the correct action). Some video drivers are so integrated into the OS as to require specific uninstall procedures and commands. If a manual and CD shipped with your video card, remove the video driver as instructed within the manual.
· For those without a manual, this procedure as is common to the NVIDIA video driver is a prime example of proper video driver removal. Open Start, Control Panel, Programs. Select Add/Remove programs. Scroll down the list until you locate and right click upon the NVIDIA Drivers. Select Uninstall. Reboot your computer.
· If the Add / Remove programs listing does not include your video drivers, it is time to use the “Hardware” tab. Go to Start menu>Control Panel>System. Click on Hardware then Display Adapters. Right click on the name of your video card, and then select Uninstall. Restart the computer.

Video drivers are very specific. Sometimes even having the right video driver will not protect you from driver and OS conflicts. Windows may even successfully assign your video card to a genetic video driver. But in so doing, you can loose valuable and rewarding video functions.