Windows 8 : Managing drivers (part 2) - Using Device Manager - Opening Device Manager

3. Using Device Manager

In Windows 8, Device Manager is the utility that manages driver software, which includes updating and configuring drivers. If you’ve used Device Manager in previous versions of Windows, you will already be familiar with Device Manager as it appears in Windows 8. If you’re new to managing hardware and drivers in Windows, this section introduces you to Device Manager.

Important

WINDOWS 8 AND WINDOWS RT ARE MANAGED DIFFERENTLY

Devices that use Windows RT are not managed by using the techniques described here. Instead, those devices are managed by using an upcoming version of Windows InTune or by using System Center 2012 Configuration Manager Service Pack 1. These services are expected to be available soon.

Opening Device Manager

You can open Device Manager in Windows 8 in a number of ways. The first method involves using the hotspot in the lower-left corner of the desktop. When you move your mouse pointer to that location or tap it, a small representation of the Start screen appears, as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2. The hotspot in the lower-left corner of the desktop

On this miniature rendition of the Start screen, right-click or tap and hold to open the Power Users menu shown in Figure 3. The Device Manager tool appears on this menu.

Figure 3. Power Users menu to access Device Manager

You can also open Device Manager by selecting the Settings charm from the Windows desktop and then selecting Control Panel. When Control Panel opens, start typing Device Manager in the Search box. Any items in Control Panel that match what you’ve typed will be displayed. In Figure 4, you can see that one of the first items that appears is Device Manager. To open it, click or tap Device Manager.

Figure 4. Opening Device Manager from Control Panel

A third way to open Device Manager is to open a command prompt and run the devmgmt.msc command. A fourth way is to open the Power Users menu, tap or click Run, type devmgmt.msc, and then tap or click OK.

When you have opened Device Manager, you can perform a number of device-related and driver-related tasks, including the following:

• Viewing the status of a device

• Finding the version of a particular driver

• Updating a driver

• Reinstalling a driver

• Rolling back a driver to a previous version

• Enabling or disabling a device