Tip #3383 - Drive Rollback
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Q:
I just recently updated the driver for my scanner and ever since, it seems
like my computer is running out of sync. Everything seems very unstable
and just not like it used to be. Is there any way I can reverse this or
do something else about it? Please help!
A:
The answer to your problem is actually much more simple than you probably
think. It sounds like you just need to do a little driver rollback. What's
that, you ask? Well, let me explain!
Whenever you update
a driver (basically, replace an old driver) on your computer, whether
it's for a scanner, a digital camera, a video card or any other device
you may have installed on your PC, it's not always guaranteed that the
update will come through smoothly. Often times, it's invalid, incorrect
or even corrupted. If that happens, it can really affect your computer
and how it performs. It could even go as far as render your computer unbootable
or make the device completely fail when you try to use it.
Luckily, in Windows
XP, you can sort of reverse the update with the driver rollback feature.
With this, XP actually saves a copy of the previous driver for you, so
if you have any trouble with the new one, you can go back to using the
old one. This will get you back to a place where you didn't have as many
headaches when trying to use a certain device and it will also give you
some more time to try and figure out why the new driver failed in the
first place. Cool, huh?!
So, if your computer
seems to be acting unstable, give the rollback a spin. Now, the driver
rollback feature in Windows XP only allows for one level of a rollback,
which basically means that only one prior driver version can be saved
at one time. Also, I want you to know that the driver rollback option
works for any class of device, but it will not work for printers, so you'll
definitely want to keep that in mind. Okay, here's how you do it.
1.) Make sure you're
logged in to your computer under the Administrator account.
2.) Find the
My Computer icon on your desktop, right click it and choose Properties.
3.) Next, click on
the Hardware tab and then the Device Manager
button.
4.) Once you're in
the Device Manager box, scroll down to the driver you want to roll back.
5.) Right click on
the driver name and choose Properties.
6.) Now, click the
Driver tab and then click on the Roll Back Driver button.
That will then finish
out the process for you and you will be back to using your old driver.
Now, if you wish, you can do some investigating as to why the new driver
didn't work for you. If you somehow figure it out, try the update again.
At least you now know that you have the rollback to fall back on. And
what a great feeling that is!
~ Erin
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