What is Device Manager?
Device Manager provides you with information about how the hardware on your computer is installed and configured, and how the hardware interacts with your computer's programs You can also use Device Manager to check the status of your hardware and update device drivers for the hardware installed on your computer.
How to use Device Manager?
For Windows XP users, To open Device Manager, click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel. Double-click System, click the Hardware tab, and then click Device Manager. Or you can simply right-click My Computer --> Manager --> Device Manager.
To open Device Manager under Windows Vista and Windows 7:
1. Click Start -> in the "Start Search" box.
2. Type "Dev" (without pressing enter); wait for a list to show up.
3. Click Device Manager.
Tasked with keeping your computer's physical components well-behaved, the Device Manager also provides a wealth of information about your system. Located under System Tools, Device Manager lets you access the properties of your hardware, conveniently helps you in updating software drivers for the devices, and lets you disable devices that are causing conflicts with other hardware.
To view the properties of a device, expand the device category by clicking the plus sign (+). This will reveal the model of the device. Right-clicking the device and selecting Properties will open a property sheet with details about your particular device.
Although each device has a slightly different Properties dialog box, the most important elements available are the Device Status, the Device Usage, and the Driver Management tab.
