How to uninstall the driver of a hardware component

Drivers can be called, in a way, translators. They are basically programs that manage the communication between your programs and the hardware devices or components that are inside your PC. Most of the time the communication process runs smoothly while other times it doesn't. One of the possible causes might be the fact that the driver for a specific hardware component is either incompatible with your operating system, or it works with another version of the same component. In this tutorial I will show you how to remove faulty drivers that might be installed for some of your hardware components.

The first step is to open the Device Manager. There are many ways to do this. We will describe just a few of them. Before continuing, please keep in mind that you need to be logged in as an administrator. Without administrative permissions you will not be able to remove any drivers. Also, before uninstalling anything, I would recommend using the System Restore tool to create a restore point. This might prove to be useful, especially if you run into problems.

How to find the Device Manager

One way is to go to the bottom-left corner of your screen, click the Start button and then the Control Panel shortcut.

In the Control Panel window, click on Hardware and Sound.

In the Hardware and Sound window scroll down until you see the Device Manager and click on it.

Another way is to type Device Manager or 'mmc devmgmt.msc' in the Start Menu Search box. The Device Manager will appear and all that you have to do is to click on it.

Before opening the Device Manager, an UAC prompt will pop-up, asking for your permission to continue.

How to uninstall a driver from Device Manager

All your computer's components are sorted by categories so you can quickly find what you are looking for. Once you have found the component you want to uninstall, right-click on it and select Uninstall.

Device Manager

Once you click the Uninstall option, you will be asked for confirmation. If the driver of the component you have selected is the one you really want to uninstall, then click OK.

Device Manager

After selecting OK, the driver isn’t completely uninstalled from the computer. That is why Windows Vista will prompt you about restarting your computer. Save your files and afterwards click the Yes button to completely uninstall the driver from your computer.

Device Manager