Apparently, any user of Windows-systems was in a situation where he needed to use special OS tools to recognize new devices connected to a computer or laptop for the first time. Accordingly, for the correct operation of any connected device, whether it is the most ordinary flash drive or a mobile device, you must install the driver. At the same time, it is completely optional to perform such operations manually, since all OSs of this family have a special applet called the “Installation Wizard” of the equipment. ” On Windows 7 or similar systems, using it is very simple. Let us briefly dwell on some important issues regarding what this tool is for, where it is located in the system, how to activate it if necessary and perform the required operations.
What is the Windows 7 Hardware Installation Wizard and what is it for?
Explain what this universal tool is with the simplest example.
You noticed that when you first connect the same flash drive that you’ve never used to to a computer or laptop for the first time, a pop-up notification appears in the system tray that new hardware has been found, and the “Hardware Installation Wizard” Windows 7 or any other OS starts on its own initialize the drive, install drivers for correct operation and configure the connected device. All these processes are almost completely automated.
But there are cases when you use a non-standard device that the system cannot recognize on its own (not to mention installing the exact driver that will ensure its full functionality). In this case, you need to clearly understand where the “Hardware Installation” is located in Windows 7 in order to run this tool and install the management software on its own. How to do it? Nothing complicated!
Where is the "Hardware Installation Wizard" Windows 7 and newer
It is believed that one of the main methods of launching this system tool is to call it directly from the special “Device Manager”, which is a means of monitoring and managing all the hardware and some specific virtual devices that are available on the computer.
A device for which for some reason the system driver could not be installed independently is usually marked with a special yellow icon with an exclamation mark.
To launch the “New Hardware Wizard” in Windows 7 and in all similar OSs, you just need to select the driver update item in the PCM menu when highlighting the problem component, and then this tool will start. We will talk about the correct installation of control components a little later, but for now, as a digression, it’s worthwhile to dwell on some options that allow you to simplify your work.
How to call the customizer the fastest method?
Calling the "Hardware Installation Wizard" in Windows 7 using the above method is not always advisable, since you will have to perform several completely unnecessary operations.
The easiest way is to use the “Run” console and write in it the abbreviation hdwwiz, which corresponds to the name of the executable file for launching this applet (it is located in the System32 system directory), which even allows you to simply start the file with the launch on behalf of the administrator, which, however, is extremely inconvenient .
Nuances of installing control software
Now it’s worth saying a few words about using the “Hardware Installation Wizard” in Windows 7 and similar OSs. After the start, you will have two options: either rely on the automatic recognition of a new or inoperative device with the subsequent installation of the necessary software, or manually set the type of device or its manufacturer. You can search for drivers on your computer and on the Internet (if you need to update the driver). But if the system fails to find an updated or completely appropriate driver, it will offer you to install it from the disk (in this case, you will need to connect the media with the original software package and specify the path to the driver folder).
Also, if you know exactly the type of device (CD / DVD-ROM, removable drive, network adapter, etc.), you can select it from the list manually, even specifying the manufacturer. If, in this situation, the device is not recognized, only compatible equipment can be displayed, the drivers of which with the problem component will work no worse than in the case with the original software.
Alternative tools
As already understood, it is advisable to use the system’s own means only in case of the first connection of new equipment or in situations when it is necessary to install an old device, if the updated driver negatively affected its operation. But no Windows system can update drivers automatically.
Therefore, it is much more practical to use special programs like DriverPack Solution or Driver Booster, the first of which has its own set, which includes a huge driver database, which, by the way, is much more extensive than the Windows set, and the second allows you to automatically search for missing or updated drivers on the Internet, followed by installation, downloading the necessary software directly from the official resources of the hardware manufacturers or developers of their control software components.
It goes without saying that the installation of all software found or only selected drivers will be carried out without your direct intervention in the work of the programs (you just need to give confirmation, and at the end perform a full restart of the system). As many have already realized, the use of just such applications looks as convenient and comfortable as possible.
Note: if none of the above methods could be found to find the driver most suitable for the device, you can use the information lines containing information about its identifiers, and then search for the software using them, using specialized online resources containing such databases, or directly sites of manufacturers of "iron". If the search cannot be performed using the maximum information line, you can search for identical compatible drivers.