Updating Drivers

The key to making sure a game will work on your computer is making sure your computer meets the minimum requirements. This means not only meeting the physical hardware requirements, but the software requirements as well. The software drivers used to operate your video and sound cards must be up to date, and more importantly installed for a game to work properly. Follow these instructions to check your drivers, as well as to download and install the newest ones for your computer.

 

Launch the DirectX Diagnostic tool.

 

For Windows Vista:

    1. Click the Windows button on the Windows Taskbar.

    2. Click All Programs.

    3. Click Accessories.

    4. Click Run.

    5. Type dxdiag in the available text field and click OK.

 

For Windows XP, 2000, ME, and 98:

    1. Click Start.

    2. Click Run.

    3. Type dxdiag in the available text field and click OK.

 

Identify your hardware.

 

 

Find and download the latest drivers.

It's a good idea to always make sure your drivers are up to date. Now that you are aware of how to check, you'll want to do a comparison against the manufacturer's website, and what the DirectX Diagnostic tool shows you. Once you've done that comparison, you'll be able to quickly download and verify that you've updated your drivers.

 

Common Video Manufacturer Sites

 

Common Sound Manufacturer Sites

 

Install and verify your new drivers.

Now that your drivers are installed, you'll want to verify that the installation went properly.