Best Ways To Handle Computer Driver Errors

Best Ways To Handle Computer Driver Errors

These days there are several peripheral devices that can be attached to your computer to perform amazing functions. These peripheral devices are usually instantly recognized by the computer and will start communicating automatically. This communication is made feasible by software programs known as device drivers or simply drivers. The main reason for these drivers is to act as a medium between the computer and the peripheral device by converting the message sent by your PC into a language that the device understands. All devices including web-cams, scanners, printers, pen drives etc. require a driver.

Computer drivers can sometimes encounter problems and can lead to non-functioning of that peripheral device. Here are some of the common reasons behind driver errors:

Obsolete Drivers

If the printer driver that is installed on your computer becomes obsolete, it will cause problems. This is because outdated driver files are not able to communicate properly with the computer. An example of this kind of problem is:

“AirGCFG.exe – Entry Point Not Found. The procedure entry point apsGetInterfacecount could not be located in the dynamic link library wlanapi.dll.”

This problem occurs when you update your Windows XP PC from SP2 (service pack 2) to SP3 (service pack 3). It can be easily resolved by updating the device driver either by visiting the manufacturer’s website or simply by using automatic driver update software which can find and install the latest driver in a few minutes time.

It is a good computing practice to regularly update your device drivers in order to avoid any problems related to performance as well as compatibility. This can be done either by using the Device Manager utility or an automatic third party driver update tool.

Malware infection

Many instances have been reported where malicious software hide themselves behind genuine device driver files and use the same name to enter the system. Once inside, they cause problems. To ensure that there is no such disguised malware on your system, it is crucial that you not only have the best antimalware program installed on your computer, but also perform complete scans and keep the software updated with the latest definitions. This way you will ensure that none of the device driver files pose a security threat to your system.

Malware programs are also known to damage device drivers by corrupting their files. In such cases, it is vital that the malware is removed from the root before replacing the corrupt file with the latest version of the legitimate driver.

Start-up problems

It is recommended that only those programs that are absolutely essential to start the computer be part of the startup process. However, it is often noticed that certain non-essential application files also become part of the start-up process. These not only tend to hog computer resources unnecessarily, but they can also cause start-up errors.

One such driver file that is not essential yet makes it to the startup process is alcwzrd.exe, which is a process related to Realtek audio drivers. You can safely remove this file from your start-up list if you encounter any issues. However, if the file is essential, but you don’t need it to load it at system startup, just disable it from loading automatically from the Services management console window that you can display by running the services.msc command.