What Can I Do If My Hardware Doesn’t Work in Windows 7

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I found this thread over TechNet forums seems pretty useful and would like to share with you. Basically whenever you encounter any hardware compatibility problem in Windows 7 here is the list of 9 ways you can try to solve the problem.

  1. Check Windows Update for any updated drivers for that device.
  2. Check the Microsoft Windows 7 Hardware Support page.
  3. If your computer came pre-installed with Windows XP or Windows Vista, check the computer manufacturers website for Vista compatible drivers.
  4. Did you try to install the drivers in Vista Compatibility Mode?
  5. Did you right click and select the Run as Admin option?
  6. If you purchased the device from a retail vendor, check the device manufacturers website for either Vista compatible or the latest Windows Beta drivers. (ie: Dell has Windows 7 Beta drivers for many of their newer NVIDIA graphics cards)
  7. Search this forum using the device name and model as search keywords. Another user may have found a workaround for the problem you are experiencing.
  8. Check to make sure that the hardware manufacturer will be supporting that device with Windows 7 compatible drivers. We have learned in past beta testing that some manufacturers will not be supporting the new operating system with updated drivers for particular, outdated device model.
  9. If none of this works for you, you may simply need to wait until Windows 7 drivers are available for that device.

When I first installed Windows 7 beta in January I had the problem with missing WIFI, Sound and video drivers, Windows Update simply solved the problem and it will looking for the driver itself. And often most of the time when you encounter any hardware problem always try Windows Update first.

There are other few tips might be very useful, such as try install the driver in Vista Compatibility Mode. You can do that by simply right click the installer > Properties

vista compatibility mode - What Can I Do If My Hardware Doesn't Work in Windows 7

Under Compatibility Tab > Choose Run this program in compatibility Mode > Choose Windows Vista.

Having hardware problem is always a pain, and yet hard to troubleshoot, most of the time is to finding the right driver for the OS. Hopefully this tip can help you in the future whenever you ran into any hardware problem in Windows 7.

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