Probing the great minds of this site.
Is there a free download I can get, to scan a computer for it's hardware and would be nice if it would go check for all driver updates for those components too.

Ussually I know teh computer so just go do it manually.

I'm helping lady at the office get a computer going for her daughter for Christmas. She gave me two to try and make one out of. The newer nicer one is a Compaq Presario 5000. I just had to put a hard drive in it and it ran, rather limped at the moment though. I know somethings have been added but don't know what or what they are. Right now it's running on generic windows drivers. Sp in device manager is shows everything is functioning. I know it can function better if it had actual updated drivers....... So instead of tearing the thing apart looking at each part and deciding if it is OEM or added, then trying to find serial and model numbers on each component etc. If I could just scan and let it run, that would save me hours.

Thanks in advance!

 

Try Device Manager. Even if the drivers are rather generic or outdated, Device Manager could still tell you what the hardware is. If that doesnt help, just open the case and look for identifiers on each piece of hardware. You shouldn't have to take anything out. Usually such IDs are either on a label or silk screened onto the hardware's board surface. If the OS on there wasnt critical, you could "uninstall" one piece of hardware at a time and let Windows figure it out again upon reboot. For years most hardware has bios info that Windows retrieves to let you know what it found, and it may or may not have the drivers already on the hard drive in a driver cache file. But that is only if the hardware was considered prior to that OS version's release. IMO, I think popping the cover off and get a flashlight to see all surfaces will tell you loads if you think Device Manager is too vague. HTH

 

"Belarc Adviser". It is software that will give you a detailed report of all your software and hardware.


I don't know of any "auto" way to grab all drivers, unless you hit the manufacturers site, and they have an on-line scanner type of deal. I think HP does have something like that.

 

Hey there. Would you think the returned report might be useful in setting up a Linux Distro on your pc? I am trying Ubuntu out and I have Slackware on DVD but not installed. The general problem I hear is that if you dont know your specific hardware(and to what detail I dont know) then Linux might run but be far from optimized.

 

Well, it sure won't hurt to get a good report on your hardware.

 

I found that while googeling and DL'ed it. Haven't installed it on it yet.
I went to HP/compaq and got several of the drivers. I'll install them then I guess use that to see whats left.

The problem I'm having is like for example the video driver, windows found it as Nividia Vanta LT (microsoft).. no model no nothing. Go to Nvidia and they advertise the Vanta but trying to find the driver need model, make, etc etc etc. IE GEforce or Quatro etc

 

On the video, I think as long as it's a nvidia chip you can use any of the forceware drivers or older. Some may perform better than others. If the card is more than a couple years old and the forceware drivers don't cut it then try scaling back to some of the last Detonators. I think the last version was 70.xx or 80.xx something.

 

I just worked on a friends that was several years old. Had to replace the hd and put win98 on it. I just took the video, sound and modem cards out and wrote down whatever info I found on them. I was suprised it only took a few minutes to find all the drivers I needed. I'm talking an old Rockwell 97 modem and ESS Solo1 sound card. Video was the easiest since it was a V7100. I just went to guru3d and found some old 30.xxsomething Detonators.

 

i hear detonation is caused by octane deficiancy.
re gear the hard drive for optimum rubber to groung hookup

 

Yea thats the way this one is. It's a couple years old, didn't have the compaq restore disc. but they had an actual version of XP home. Of course it went on but didnt have any real drivers.

When I stopped being a moron and realized there might be a more percise model then Presario 5000... which was juts giving me a couple drivers. When looked on the opposite side of the case and presto, 5WV270 great big huge 30pt bold letters Went back to HP and typed that in and wala. tons of drivers......

Got the ones I knew that were there and installed them. Then installed and ran that "Belarc Adviser". grabbed the few it gave that weren't listed on HP site. and she is running like a dream now. Well as best as can be expected with 64 mb of memory anyway. Getting ready to see if I have a couple of sticks that will fit to donate to solve that.

BTW That belarc advisor s awesome, it gives you all the info you need to know to find the exact right driver.

 

I'd like to re gear my personal from 7200 to 10,000, but not sure the housing and bearings would sustain it.

 

Click Start, click Run, type sigverif, and then click OK.

 

Glad it went easy PSS. Belarc is a great tool. Usually when I work on someone's pc I'll run Belarc when I'm done and then give them a printout when I return it and I'll keep one in a file with their name on it for future reference.

 

I like using Everest Ultimate Edition, it tells you each device companies and all types of info.

http://www.lavalys.com/products/over...&ps=UE&lang=en

 

Nice tip pmason. I've never knew that was there.