{"id":5600,"date":"2021-03-08T08:29:18","date_gmt":"2021-03-08T13:29:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/langa.com\/?p=5600"},"modified":"2021-03-08T08:29:55","modified_gmt":"2021-03-08T13:29:55","slug":"finding-working-drivers-for-an-older-pc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2021\/03\/08\/finding-working-drivers-for-an-older-pc\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding working drivers for an older PC"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Drivers are the software \u2018glue\u2019 that connects your PC\u2019s hardware to its operating system. Without drivers, nothing works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Once a PC is no longer supported by the manufacturer, its abandoned drivers can become incompatible as new versions of Windows roll out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s one known-good way to track down a still-working driver for an older PC: Read the full story in the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.askwoody.com\/newsletter\/using-windows-10-quick-assist-in-reverse\/#langalist-0\">AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.9.0<\/a>\u00a0(2021-03-08).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Also in this issue<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>QUICK TIP:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.askwoody.com\/newsletter\/using-windows-10-quick-assist-in-reverse\/#quick-tip-0\">Using Windows 10 Quick Assist in reverse<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong>BEST OF THE LOUNGE:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.askwoody.com\/newsletter\/using-windows-10-quick-assist-in-reverse\/#lounge-0\">MS-DEFCON 4<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong>PUBLIC DEFENDER:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.askwoody.com\/newsletter\/using-windows-10-quick-assist-in-reverse\/#public-defender-0\">There are no USB cables any more<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong>PATCH WATCH:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.askwoody.com\/newsletter\/using-windows-10-quick-assist-in-reverse\/#patch-watch-0\">You think you\u2019ve been hacked?<\/a><\/strong><\/li><li><strong>BEST UTILITIES:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.askwoody.com\/newsletter\/using-windows-10-quick-assist-in-reverse\/#best-utilities-0\">Freeware Spotlight \u2014 DISM_GUI<\/a><\/strong><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Click here for the&nbsp;<strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/cdn.forms-content.sg-form.com\/fadcab1b-6abe-11ea-9648-2a7e788be8da\" target=\"_blank\">Askwoody Free<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;signup; 100% free!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Click here for the&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.askwoody.com\/plus-membership\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>AskWoody Plus<\/strong><\/a>&nbsp;signup; no set price \u2014 pay what you think it\u2019s worth!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.askwoody.com\/newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"110\" height=\"110\" data-attachment-id=\"5013\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/05\/18\/a-leave-no-trace-way-to-start-pcs\/langa-2-100\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Langa-2-100.png?fit=110%2C110&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"110,110\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Langa-2-100\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Langa-2-100.png?fit=110%2C110&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Langa-2-100.png?resize=110%2C110\" alt=\"Fred Langa\" class=\"wp-image-5013\"\/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right has-small-font-size\"><strong><em>Permalink: <a href=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/?p=5586\">https:\/\/langa.com\/?p=5521<\/a><\/em><\/strong><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/?p=5521 \"> <\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"104\" height=\"6\" data-attachment-id=\"1999\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/02\/10\/around-boston-the-nearly-snowless-winter-continues\/seperator-short-grey\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/SEPERATOR-short-grey.png?fit=104%2C6&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"104,6\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"SEPERATOR short grey\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/SEPERATOR-short-grey.png?fit=104%2C6&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/SEPERATOR-short-grey.png?resize=104%2C6\" alt=\"[seperator]\" class=\"wp-image-1999\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:left\"><strong>COMMENT \/ QUESTION<\/strong>  on <strong>THIS ITEM?<\/strong> <em>See the<\/em> <strong>Comment box<\/strong> <em>at bottom of this page!<\/em><br><b><em><br><\/em>NEW QUESTION? <\/b><em>Ask<\/em><b> <u><font color=\"#000117\"><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/contact\/\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/font><\/u><\/b>!<br><br>(<em>Want free notification of new content? Click<\/em><b><strong> <\/strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2018\/09\/09\/get-free-automatic-notification-of-new-content\/\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/b>!)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Drivers are the software \u2018glue\u2019 that connects your PC\u2019s hardware to its operating system. Without drivers, nothing works. Once a PC is no longer supported by the manufacturer, its abandoned drivers can become incompatible as new versions of Windows roll out. Here\u2019s one known-good way to track down a still-working driver for an older PC:&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5602,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[29,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-askwoody-plus","category-langa-com-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/checklist-magnifier-RF-e1615210107589.jpg?fit=300%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paaiox-1sk","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5915,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2021\/12\/06\/how-to-safely-test-drive-win11-on-your-current-pc-for-free\/","url_meta":{"origin":5600,"position":0},"title":"How to *safely* test-drive Win11 on your current PC, for free!","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2021-12-06","format":false,"excerpt":"The anticipated flood of Win11-occasioned fixes and updates has begun: Microsoft, hardware makers, and software publishers are all scrambling to correct the problems encountered with the original Windows 11 release. I think the signs point to a somewhat premature release of Win11, as if Microsoft had skipped or shortened testing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AskWoody Plus&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AskWoody Plus","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/askwoody-plus\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fred Langa","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Langa-2-100.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5160,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/06\/08\/is-windows-readyboost-worthwhile-in-win10\/","url_meta":{"origin":5600,"position":1},"title":"Is Windows&#8217; &#8216;ReadyBoost&#8217; worthwhile in Win10?","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2020-06-08","format":false,"excerpt":"ReadyBoost\u00a0is a storage technology available in Windows 10 that lets you enhance PC performance by using ordinary USB flash drives as fast disk caches. Debuting in Vista, ReadyBoost was once cutting-edge technology. But does it still make sense with today's PCs? That's the main topic of my column in this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AskWoody Plus&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AskWoody Plus","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/askwoody-plus\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/readyboost.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3838,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/11\/29\/pc-sidelined-by-weird-exe-file-problem\/","url_meta":{"origin":5600,"position":2},"title":"PC sidelined by weird EXE file problem","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2019-11-29","format":false,"excerpt":"Executable program files (EXEs) are the beating heart of Windows and most applications. So when Windows 7, 8.1, or 10 can no longer properly run files with the\u00a0.exe\u00a0extension, it\u2019s serious trouble! AskWoody subscriber Colm Brangan\u2019s PC somehow ran into those deep weeds \u2014 and now he can\u2019t find his way\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AskWoody Plus&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AskWoody Plus","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/askwoody-plus\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/pc-frustration.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/pc-frustration.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/pc-frustration.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/pc-frustration.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5780,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2021\/07\/26\/untrustworthy-oem-updaters-cause-trouble\/","url_meta":{"origin":5600,"position":3},"title":"Untrustworthy OEM updaters cause trouble","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2021-07-26","format":false,"excerpt":"Keeping a PC up to date gets harder as the system ages, especially when OEM and vendor update tools start missing things entirely \u2014 or actively making bad suggestions! Here are several ways to help ensure that your PC\u2019s BIOS, hardware drivers, operating system, and software are getting all the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AskWoody Plus&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AskWoody Plus","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/askwoody-plus\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/hp-assist-bad-composite-edit-large-e1627298697539.jpg?fit=559%2C337&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/hp-assist-bad-composite-edit-large-e1627298697539.jpg?fit=559%2C337&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/hp-assist-bad-composite-edit-large-e1627298697539.jpg?fit=559%2C337&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2602,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/04\/16\/a-reader-asks-why-am-i-not-able-to-reset-my-pc-or-reinstall-windows\/","url_meta":{"origin":5600,"position":4},"title":"A reader asks: &#8220;Why am I not able to reset my PC or reinstall Windows?&#8221;","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2019-04-16","format":false,"excerpt":"(Answer requested by\u00a0Reese Lynn.) The most common problems include obsolete drivers (check your PC vendor site for updates); too-aggressive third-party software (e.g. anti-rootkits\/anti-malware); and disk errors (run chkdsk ). For some general how-to fixes, see this text; it mentions Win7, but the general fixes discussed there work on any Windows\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;A reader asks...&quot;","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5937,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2022\/01\/10\/let-your-pc-start-the-new-year-right\/","url_meta":{"origin":5600,"position":5},"title":"Let your PC start the new year right!","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2022-01-10","format":false,"excerpt":"Taking a little time now to thoroughly check and proactively service your Windows PC can pay off\u00a0big time\u00a0in the coming year. Whether you\u2019re planning to move to Windows 11 or stick with Windows 10 (or even 8.1!), this easy-to-follow annual checkup is preventive medicine that can help ensure that your\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;AskWoody Plus&quot;","block_context":{"text":"AskWoody Plus","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/askwoody-plus\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fred Langa","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Langa-2-100.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5600"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5600\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5603,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5600\/revisions\/5603"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5602"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}