Having trouble with a device? Make sure everything is connected properly, the device has power, and that it’s set up correctly.
Check your wireless connections
Update a device driver using Windows Update
Download and install a driver yourself
First, try checking your hardware
- Unplug USB cables and wait for a little while for the device driver to be unloaded by Windows, and then plug the device back in.
- Try using a different USB port on your PC.
- If you use a USB hub between the device and the PC, make sure the hub has power. If it’s still not working, try removing the USB hub and plugging the device directly into a USB port on the PC.
- Make sure that the cables on your device aren't damaged in any way.
- Check any battery-powered devices to see if they are fully charged or have fresh batteries.
- Make sure there’s no dirt blocking keys or sensors.
Check your wireless connections
- Look on the bottom of the wireless device for a Reset button. Resetting the device will disconnect and then reconnect the wireless connection. There might also be a Reset button on the USB receiver for your device.
- For USB wireless devices, this might be as simple as unplugging the USB wireless receiver, waiting for about 10 seconds, and then plugging the USB wireless receiver back into the USB port. The wireless connection should be reestablished.
Check the device
If the device doesn't appear to work at all (no lights appear on the device when it’s plugged in, or the cursor doesn't move or doesn't appear on the screen), connect the device to another PC and make sure the device works on that PC. If the device doesn't work on the other PC, you might need to replace it.
Note
Some devices won't work without installing a driver. When testing the device on another PC, make sure that you have the correct driver installed for the device.
Try the Windows 7 Troubleshooter
To run the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter in Windows 7:
- Open the Hardware and Devices troubleshooter by clicking the Start button, and then clicking Control Panel.
- In the search box, enter troubleshooter, then select Troubleshooting.
- Under Hardware and Sound, select Configure a device.
Hardware Troubleshooter Drivers
Update a device driver using Windows Update
- Click the Start button, enter "Windows Update" in the search box, and then, in the list of results, select Windows Update.
- In the left pane, select Check for updates.
- On the Select the updates you want to install page, look for updates for your device, select the check box for the driver that you want to install, and then click OK. There might not be any available driver updates.
- On the Windows Update page, select Install updates. Windows Update will tell you if the updates were successfully installed.
Download and install a driver yourself
- Click the Start button, type "device manager" in the search box, and then select Device Manager.
- In the list of hardware categories, find the device that you want to update, and then double-click the device name.
- Click the Driver tab, click Update Driver, and then follow the instructions.