Driver Scans

[Evan]

Don't feel bad.  I've heard people ask where the "close the lid" button is on a laptop...

Plenty of people hit the "print screen" button and go the printer and are very upset that it didn't print.  Then they say the computer is broken.  It's not like it's clear that it means Print Screen (to clipboard).  Anyways...moving on.   

That screen shot is almost perfect.  I just need you to make sure you have the Network Adapters tab expanded so I can see what is attached.  Also...that Yellow exclamation point on the USB device means Windows sees the device but there isn't a driver so Windows (and I) don't know what it is.  Is it an external USB card?  Whatever it is you need to find a driver for it too.   

Evan

[macnext1]

Looks like the Jpeg upload worked. How about a time out for some more teaching? You used the word micro-code earlier -- so that makes me think I have the right picture of the network card. It's a card that has a processor on it and we load code into the processor to control what the card does. Stop me anywhere along here and straighten me out.

So when we say we are getting a new driver I envision a batch of system level code that has a small package with it that contains the micro-code for the card. We run the system level code and it loads the micro-code onto the network card. Now we discover that the card doesn't work anymore -- oh crap -- we do a system restore and all is well again. This is where I get lost -- how did the bad driver get replaced with a driver that works? Evidently I have a screwed up picture of what a checkpoint is doing. I enevisioned Checkpoint taking Windows system files and my files and saving them -- evidently it is doing much more than that (or my picture of the driver was wrong in the first place).

Time to teach.

Mac

[macnext1]

Good Eye -- was not expanded (had it on/off/on/off/on about 20 times and of course left it wrong when took the screen shot). Sorry. Try this one. As for the USB -- no clue -- no extrenal card but many external devices.

Mac

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[Evan]

Okay, no problem.  I don't normally say micro-code but I chose to since you already had.  The network card doesn't have what most would think of as a processor, since most think of the CPU when they think of a processor.  If you think of the CPU as the brain of the computer system then yes, the network card does have a brain as well (in the form of a chipset).   

Firmware is just software that is written onto read-only memory (ROM) chips.  Those chips make up the chipset.  Drivers are software that communicates directly with the hardware.  If you don't have drivers installed (or you have incorrect drivers) then your software that use (Windows, iTunes, Firefox) has no way of talking to the hardware.  The hardware can't do anything on its own.

The way you describe it is correct all the way to the point at which you get confused.  The driver gets replaced because whenever you update a driver Windows will keep a copy of the old one so if the new one doesn't work (for any reason) there is something to fallback on.  Since the hardware is critical to the operation of the computer, Window's keep an extra copy.  That is what the "Roll Back Driver" option is for under the device properties in device manager.   

When Windows does a System Restore checkpoint it is only backing up the files it needs to run.  It backs up the current and previous drivers, the registry, all the OS files, Windows settings, and program files.  Pretty much everything except what you would find in your user profile.  That is why you have to use a back up program to back up all your personal documents.

If you want a really in-depth and clear explanation of how to update your device drivers then you should read this post by Scott Mueller (the PC hardware guru).   

Evan

P.S.  Sorry for the delayed response.

[macnext1]

One more thing -- the USB. Only clue I have is in the expansion it has something.VID.bunch of junk. So perhaps it is a driver for the monitor or the web cam. My wife is gonna do a search for those CDs today and I figure I can reinstall and see if that fixes the big yellow question mark.

Thanks for the clarification on network cards and drivers. Just to make sure --- the network card is smart with it's built in processor and firmware. The driver code is high level code that knows how to talk to the firmeware on the card and get the card to do what other high level software requires it to do right now. Get it right that time around?

Mac

[Evan]

Close to right but a little off.   

The network card is smart...if it has software installed (i.e. firmware).  When you update the drivers you are really just updating the hardware's software (it's firmware).  All the firmware and drivers are is the code that allows the hardware to be something more than a collection of electronics.  It'd be like if you got in a taxi and started just yelling directions and stuff...yet there's no "driver".     Get it?  That "driver" represents the software and the driver/software has the ability to actually use the hardware (taxi) based of what the user (passenger) is asking of it.   

Evan

[macnext1]

Now I kinda got lost again. Earlier you described the code on the card as ROM which I thought meant it could only be changed with some kind of burner hardware. Are we saying that the driver code update is code that is written onto the card? Or do I not understand ROM. LMFAO or both?   

Mac