HOW TO: Use the Driver Roll Back Feature to Restore a Previous Version of a Device Driver in Windows XP

This step-by-step article describes how restore a previous version of a device driver if a newly-installed driver causes system instability. This process is known as "rolling back" the driver to an earlier version.

How to Roll Back to the Previous Version of a Device Driver

Device Driver Roll Back reinstalls the driver you were using previously and restores any driver settings that were changed when you added the new driver. Note that you cannot restore printer drivers with Device Driver Roll Back. To roll back a device driver to a previous version:

1. Log on to the computer by using an account with administrative privileges.
2. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
3. Under Pick a category, click Performance and Maintenance.
4. Under or pick a Control Panel icon, click System.
5. On the Hardware tab, click Device Manager.
6. In the device list, expand the device type branch that you want to work with. For example, Display adapters.
7. Right-click the device that you want to work with, and then click Properties.
8. On the Driver tab, click Roll Back Driver. Click Yes when you receive the following message:
   Are you sure you would like to roll back to the previous driver?
9. The previous device driver is restored. Click Close.
10. Quit Device Manager, and then click OK.

For additional information about how to restore Windows XP, click Start, and then click Help and Support. In the Search box, type repair overview, and then click Start searching. Under Suggested Topics, click Repair overview.

For additional information about how to restore Windows XP to a previous state, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: