Old Drivers Can Cause Problems

No, we are not talking about senior citizens getting behind the wheel; we are talking about your computer’s out-of-date display adapter driver. If your computer is exhibiting unexpected behavior or frequent crashes when you try to manipulate a 3D model in Design Review, it might be time to update the display adapter driver.

Step one is to get information about the driver that’s already installed on your computer. Choose Start > Run. In the Run text box, type devmgmt.msc and press Enter. Under Display Adapter, right-click the one you want to update and choose Properties.

On the Driver tab, note the Driver Provider, Driver Date, and Driver version. This is all the information you’ll need to check your computer manufacturer’s Web site.

Step two is to browse to that site (Dell, IBM/Lenovo, HP, etc.) and look for a link containing the term Support, Download, or Driver. (On some sites, it’s as easy as entering the name of the display adapter in the site’s Search text box.)

Once you find the appropriate display adapter on the manufacturer’s Web site, compare its Driver Date and Driver Version to the one you have installed.

If the Web site’s version is more recent, download and install it according to the site’s instructions. You will likely have to restart your computer.

If after updating your display adapter driver doesn’t solve the problem, at least you can rule out this number one offender and begin pursuing other possible reasons.

--Volker