How to Download a Driver for a HP Computer
Level of difficulty: Intermediate
A driver for a computer system is a piece of program which helps the Operating System make full use of the capabilities associated with the supported hardware device and make it available to any calling software. Hewlett Packard is one of the few computer manufacturers that have made the accessing of device drivers not only more convenient but also functional by providing a driver download page along with the restore or recovery disc that ships together with every HP computer system. The recovery disc usually contains the needed drivers to activate and use the integrated components like a sound card, video card, network interface card, and USB port among others.
Materials Needed:- HP brand computer
- Internet connection
- Web browser
- storage media
Step 1
There are two possible reasons why a driver needs to be downloaded to an HP system. One is when the computer has been corrupted and the recovery disk has been lost. The other possibility is to update the driver to allow newer Operating System platforms to recognize it and make it functional. For the first scenario, proceed to Step 11. In the second instance, go to the next step.
Step 2
In the second scenario, it is assumed that the computer is fully functional and only an update is required. Open the Web browser and go to the HP Customer Care website at http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/siteHome?lc=en&dlc;=en&cc;=us.
Step 3
From the dropdown list, select the model of your HP computer as well as the Operating System you are running.
Step 4
The Web page will refresh and present a list of possible downloads specific to your HP computer model and Operating System. Click on the chosen driver to initiate the download.
Step 5
When a new window appears, click on the 'Save' button and define where the downloaded file will be saved. Normally, files are compressed to make the downloading process faster.
Step 6
If necessary, extract the files. Click on the 'Start' Menu and select 'Control Panel'.
Step 7
Choose the 'Performance and Maintenance' category then select the 'System' option.
Step 8
Click on the 'Hardware' tab in the System Properties window and click the 'Device Manager' button.
Step 9
Choose the device to be updated and click on the 'Update Driver' button. Browse to the location where the driver was extracted or saved and click on the 'OK' button.
Step 10
Reboot the machine to complete the driver installation or update process.
Step 11
For a corrupted computer system, after reinstalling the Operating System, use the recovery disk to reinstall the device drivers.
Step 12
After reinstalling the drivers, reboot the computer and follow the guide from Steps 2 to 10 to make sure that the most recent drivers are installed in the machine.