To obtain the latest drivers for your Graphics Card:[]
Go to your PC's support site and look for video card driver downloads under your PC's model number or go to the card manufacture's website, look up the card, and download the drivers from there. You can also use the auto-detect feature on the card manufacture's website.
Windows update service is usually the absolute worst way to check for card driver updates, as what Windows has never really is up-to-date and the drivers they have are typically generic.
Identifying the Card[]
To Check if your graphics card drivers are installed properly or identify what card you have:
- Click "Start" and right click on "My Computer". From the context menu, choose "Manage". '(you may encounter an error or have to type in a password if you are not on an administrator account)
- Under the "System Tools" heading on the left side panel of the window that popped up, there should be a section called "Device Manager", click it.
- Under "Display Adapters" should be listed what your current graphics card is and if the drivers are running correctly.
- The card name/model should be listed specifically like "Nvida GeForce 9800" / "ATI Radeon 3850".
- If there is only listed a "Generic VGA Adapter" or "Standard VGA Adapter" then your drivers are not installed correctly and you will have to visit the manufacture to download the latest drivers.
Finding the Manufacture[]
If the drivers are not correctly installed and you do not know the card name, then you will then have to identify the manufacture and use the auto-detect feature on the manufacture's website. In some cases, the dxdiag log will have hints to what the manufacture is.
- Hold the Windows key and press R
- Enter in the field: "dxdiag"
- Hit Enter or click OK
The DXDiag panel opens. It has tabs for a number of details on your PC. Above you see DxDiag opened on the display tab. Notice the 'Save All Information' button at the bottom. Clicking this button will save all dxdiag information into a text file. Take note of where you are saving the file.
Once you have saved all the information, open the file that you saved and look for the manufacture under the graphics/display card heading. If you have a custom built gaming PC you may already know what your card is or contact the person who built it for you.