Device Manager provides you the facility to graphically view the hardware that is installed on your computer. The Device Manager shows you the devices that are integrated in and connected to your computer, and their drivers. You can use Device Manager to manage devices only on a local computer. Using Device Manager you can:
Determine whether the hardware on your computer is working properly.
Change hardware configuration settings.
Identify the device drivers that are loaded for each device, and obtain information about each device driver.
Change advanced settings and properties for devices. Install updated device drivers.
Enable, disable, and uninstall devices.
Roll back to the previous version of a driver.
View the devices based on their type, by their connection to the computer, or by the resources they use.
Show or hide hidden devices that are not critical to view but might be necessary for advanced troubleshooting.
Accessing Device Manager:
There are a few ways to open the device manager and you should be familiar with them. For the purposes of this guide, we are going to open it as follows:
Click Start.
Right click on Computer and select Properties.
In the left menu, click on Device Manager
If you see a yellow exclamation point next to a device, it means that there is a conflict or problem with the driver as shown below:
Right clicking on the device will allow you to update, disable, or uninstall a problem driver.
A signed driver is a device driver that includes a digital signature. A digital signature is an electronic security mark that can indicate the publisher of the software, as well as whether someone has changed the original contents of the driver package. If a driver has been signed by a publisher that has verified its identity with a certification authority, you can be confident that the driver actually comes from that publisher and hasn't been altered.
Another place for device management is in the Devices and Printers Control Panel. Here you can add a device or printer, view and modify drivers, eject devices, and other tasks.
The top menu changes depending on which device is selected.
