Windows 98 and Windows Me Hardware/Device Driver Troubleshooting Resource Center

Troubleshooting hardware typically involves resolving a resource conflict or finding the right device driver. This process can be complex. This resource center is designed to help you find the answer you need. If you cannot find the information that you are looking for, please provide comments about what you are looking for so that we can update this site to better meet your needs.

Device Manager

Device Manager is a tool that you can use to manage hardware devices in your computer. By using Device Manager, you can identify resource conflicts, disable device drivers, update drivers, and view your devices by type or connection. Look here for more in-depth information about Device Manager.

Microsoft Knowledge Base Article Lists by Hardware Topic

When you click one of the following links, based on your version of Windows and hardware topic, you see either a list of the Microsoft Knowledge Base articles for that topic, or a list of categories to click based on what you might be looking for. You can then click the Microsoft Knowledge Base article that applies to your issue.

Windows 98	Windows Me
CD/DVD/CDR/CD-RW	CD/DVD/CDR/CD-RW
Floppy Disk Drive Controllers	Floppy Disk Drive Controllers
Game Controllers	Game Controllers
Hard Disk Controllers	Hard Disk Controllers
Hard Disks	Hard Disks
IEEE	IEEE
Keyboards	Keyboards
Memory	Memory
Modems	Modems
Monitors	Monitors
Mouse	Mouse
Network Adapters	Network Adapters
PCMCIA - PC Cards	PCMCIA - PC Cards
Ports	Ports
Printers	Printers
Scanners and Cameras	Scanners and Cameras
SCSI	SCSI
Sound Cards	Sound Cards
Storage Devices	Storage Devices
System Devices	System Devices
Unknown Devices	Unknown Devices
USB	USB
Video Adapters	Video Adapters

Device Drivers

A device driver is the software that Windows uses to work with the hardware in your computer. There is a database of drivers for Windows that are qualified by the Windows Hardware Quality Lab that are tested with Windows prior to the release of that version of Windows. You can view a list of device drivers that are included with your version of Windows by starting the Add New Hardware tool in Control Panel and then clicking No, I want to select the hardware from a list.

You may need to update a driver or replace a driver that was not included with your version of Windows. Although Microsoft cannot supply a list of all third-party device drivers, look here for information about finding driver information, including links to many popular hardware manufacturer Web pages. The best resource for hardware devices is the manufacturer of the device.

How-to...

Click your version of Windows to view a list of popular hardware "How-to" articles for Windows 98 and Windows Me.

Hardware Requirements

Click your version of Windows to view the minimum hardware requirements for Windows 98 and Windows Me.

Compatible Hardware

To see which hardware is compatible with your version of Windows, see the Windows Hardware Compatibility List.

BIOS

For a basic description of what a Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) is, see the Basic Computer BIOS Overview Knowledge Base article.

Searching the Microsoft Knowledge Base for Articles

If you want tips about how to search the Microsoft Knowledge Base, click here.