The Roll Back Driver feature, available within Device Manager in all versions of Windows, is used to uninstall the current driver for a hardware device and then automatically install the previously installed driver.
The most common reason to use the driver roll back feature in Windows is to 'reverse' a driver update that didn't go so well. Maybe it didn't fix the problem that the driver update was supposed to fix, or maybe the update actually caused a problem.
Think of rolling back a driver as a quick and easy way to uninstall the latest driver, and then reinstall the previous one, all in one simple step.
The process as described below is the same no matter what driver you need to roll back, whether it be an NVIDIA video card driver, advanced mouse/keyboard driver, etc.
Time Required: Rolling back a driver in Windows usually takes less than 5 minutes, but it could take as long as 10 minutes or more depending on the driver and what hardware it's for.
Follow the easy steps below to roll back a driver in Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP:
How to Roll Back a Driver in Windows
Open Device Manager. Doing so via Control Panel (which that link explains in detail if you need it) is probably easiest.
If you're using Windows 10 or Windows 8, the Power User Menu, via the WIN+X key combination, gives you even faster access. See What Version of Windows Do I Have? if you're not sure which Windows operating system you're using.
In Device Manager, locate the device that you want to roll back the driver for.
Navigate through the hardware categories by clicking the > or [+] icon, depending on your version of Windows. You can find the specific devices Windows recognizes under the major hardware categories you see in Device Manager.
After finding the hardware you're rolling back the driver for, tap-and-hold or right-click on the device's name or icon and choose Properties.
In the Properties window for the device, tap or click the Driver tab.
From the Driver tab, tap or click the Roll Back Driver button.
If the Roll Back Driver button is disabled, Windows does not have a previous driver to roll back to, so you won't be able to complete this process. See the notes at the bottom of his page for more help.
Tap or click the Yes button to the 'Are you sure you would like to roll back to the previously installed driver software?' question.
The previously installed driver will now be restored. You should see the Roll Back Driver button as disabled after the roll back is complete.
In Windows XP, that message reads 'Are you sure you would like to roll back to the previous driver?' but of course means exactly the same thing.
Tap or click Yes on the System Settings Change dialog box that says 'Your hardware settings have changed. You must restart your computer for these changes to take effect. Do you want to restart your computer now?'
If this message is hidden, closing the Control Panel window might help. You won't be able to close Device Manager.
Depending on the device driver you're rolling back, it's possible that you won't need to restart your computer. If you don't see the message, consider the roll back complete.
When Windows starts again, it will load with the device driver for this hardware you had previously installed.
More About the Driver Roll Back Feature
Unfortunately, the Driver Roll Back feature is not available for printer drivers, as handy as that would be. Driver Roll Back is only available for hardware that's managed within Device Manager.
Additionally, Driver Roll Back only allows you to roll back a driver once. In other words, Windows only keeps a copy of the very last driver installed. It does not keep an archive of all the previously installed drivers for the device.
If there's no driver to roll back to, but you know there's a previous version available that you'd like to install, just 'update' the driver with the older version. See How to Update Drivers in Windows if you need help doing that.
Are you having problems with your Wi-Fi on Windows 10? Is your Windows 10 PC unable to connect to Wi-Fi networks? In this guide, we will see how to fix common Wi-Fi issues by reinstalling the Wi-Fi driver.
On your Windows 10 PC, you might encounter issues while connecting to a Wi-Fi network. Your PC might not detect available Wi-Fi networks or fail to connect to a wireless network. At times, the Wi-Fi adapter might refuse to turn on or off.
Most of the Wi-Fi related issues on your PC can be fixed by reinstalling the Wi-Fi driver on your PC. Reinstalling the wireless driver includes downloading a fresh copy of the driver, uninstalling the current driver from your PC and then installing the fresh copy of driver.
Complete the given below directions to reinstall the wireless or Wi-Fi driver on your Windows 10 PC.
IMPORTANT: When you reinstall the Wi-Fi driver, Windows will delete all saved Wi-Fi network passwords. That means, after installing the Wi-Fi driver, you will have to enter the password again to connect to a wireless network. If you have forgotten the Wi-Fi password, please refer to our how to view saved Wi-Fi password in Windows 10 guide to back all Wi-Fi passwords before uninstalling the driver.
Reinstalling the Wi-Fi driver in Windows 10
Step 1: Open Device Manager. To do so, right-click on the Start button and then click Device Manager.
Step 2: In the Device Manager, expand Network Adapters to see all network adapters, including the wireless adapter. The Wi-Fi adapter usually has the term “wireless” in its entry.
Note down the wireless adapter name and number as you will need to download the adapter driver before uninstalling the present driver. Once you uninstall the present wireless driver, your Wi-Fi adapter will stop working, so you cannot download the new driver unless you have an Ethernet connection.
To check the version number of the driver, right-click on the wireless driver entry in Device Manager > Network adapters, click Properties, click Driver tab.
Step 3: Visit wireless adapter’s official website or your PC manufacturer’s website, and download the right Wi-Fi driver. We repeat, make sure that you have downloaded the right wireless adapter driver.
Step 4: In the Device Manager, right-click on the wireless adapter entry, and click Uninstall device option. In older versions of Windows 10 (build 10240), you will see only Uninstall instead of Uninstall device option.
Step 5: When you see the following confirmation dialog, please click Uninstall button to uninstall the driver as well as the device.
Step 6: Once the driver is uninstalled, save your work, and restart your PC once. Please reboot your PC once to avoid driver issues later.
Step 7: Launch the setup of the new driver that you downloaded previously (as mentioned in Step 3), and follow the on-screen directions to install the driver. That’s it!
If asked, perform a reboot to complete the driver installation.
You can now click on the Wi-Fi or wireless icon on the taskbar to see all available wireless networks. If the icon is missing, please refer to our fix to wireless icon missing from Windows 10 taskbar guide.
Also learn how to delete old drivers in Windows 10.
Windows - Uninstalling/reinstalling a network adapter in device manager
This document details how to uninstall and reinstall a network adapter for the purpose of troubleshooting networking problems on Windows 7, 8, and 10.
If a user is having issues connecting to or staying connected to a wired or wireless network, an easy first step at troubleshooting is to uninstall and reinstall the network adapter. This is also a good step to try if a user is able to connect to a network but are unable load web pages in their browser. This fix will bring the network adapter back to default settings and will resolve issues a large percentage of the time. If the the network adapter doesn't show up in the list it could indicate a hardware issue with the adapter.
- Type 'Device Manager' into the search field to open the device manager console.
..
- Expand the 'Network Adapters' field. This will list all network adapters that the machine has installed. Right click on the adapter you want to uninstall and select 'Uninstall'. This will remove the adapter from the list and uninstall the device. If troubleshooting a wireless issue make sure to select the correct device - the word 'Wireless' will likely be in the title.
....
- Click 'Ok' when prompted to uninstall the device. This will remove the adapter from the list and uninstall the driver.
...
- Once the adapter has been uninstalled click on the 'Scan for hardware changes' button to search for and reinstall the correct adapter. The icon can be hard to see - you can hover your mouse over the button to confirm you are choosing the correct one.
..
If the device is successfully reinstalled it will show back up under the 'Network Adapters' drop-down. Reboot the computer and see if the connectivity issue has been resolved.
If the issue is not resolved click here for instructions on restarting the windows networking service.
Keywords: | network troubleshooting windows microsoft adapter device manager uninstall install reinstall Suggest keywords | Doc ID: | 58029 |
---|---|---|---|
Owner: | Mike J. | Group: | DoIT Tech Store |
Created: | 2015-11-06 12:43 CDT | Updated: | 2018-09-24 13:13 CDT |
Sites: | DoIT Help Desk, DoIT Tech Store | ||
Feedback: | 166145CommentSuggest a new document |
Reinstalling almost any hardware, including an Ethernet controller, can be the simplest solution to many computer problems. It may seem like a pain to do, but it's better than spending hours trying to diagnose the cause of a problem. Starting with a reinstall saves time in the long run. If you’re new to troubleshooting your own computer problems, reinstalling an Ethernet controller is a good beginner project.
Ethernet
An Ethernet controller is simply a wired network card. Ethernet is the standard protocol used for most networks. Because of the popularity and wide use of the Ethernet protocol, the term 'Ethernet card' is often used generically for modern network, or NIC, cards. The RJ45 cable used to connect these cards to routers, DSL modems and cable modems is referred to as an Ethernet cable.
Purpose of Reinstalling
Often a hardware device can stop working for other reasons than hardware failure. One of the first troubleshooting steps is to uninstall and reinstall the device. This can involve reinstalling just the drivers -- the software the computer uses to talk to components attached to it -- or physically removing and replacing the device as well. The more thorough process ensures the correct drivers are used and that the hardware is firmly connected. Reinstalling solves a good percentage of many hardware problems.
How to reinstall
Click on the Windows Start button to open the Start menu and click on “Control Panel.” Type “Device Manager” into the search text box at the top right of the Control Panel window. Find your Ethernet controller listed under Network Adaptors, right-click on it, and choose 'Uninstall' from the context menu. Shut down the computer and unplug the power. Make sure you have discharged any static electricity. Open the computer case and remove the Ethernet controller from its card slot by pulling it out gently. Put the controller back in place or, if you have another open slot, place it in a different slot. Restart the computer. Windows will find the controller automatically; just browse to where the driver files are located when asked to do so by Windows. The Ethernet controller is now completely reinstalled. If you have an on-board Ethernet controller, there is no physical card to take out. Just make sure the controller is enabled in the BIOS, which you access upon startup by pressing the function key indicated on the startup screen displayed as your computer boots.
Video of the Day
How To Reinstall Ethernet Driver
- Henry Amon; Information Systems Specialist; Salisbury, Maryland
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Windows - Uninstalling/reinstalling a network adapter in device manager
This document details how to uninstall and reinstall a network adapter for the purpose of troubleshooting networking problems on Windows 7, 8, and 10.
If a user is having issues connecting to or staying connected to a wired or wireless network, an easy first step at troubleshooting is to uninstall and reinstall the network adapter. This is also a good step to try if a user is able to connect to a network but are unable load web pages in their browser. This fix will bring the network adapter back to default settings and will resolve issues a large percentage of the time. If the the network adapter doesn't show up in the list it could indicate a hardware issue with the adapter.
- Type 'Device Manager' into the search field to open the device manager console.
..
- Expand the 'Network Adapters' field. This will list all network adapters that the machine has installed. Right click on the adapter you want to uninstall and select 'Uninstall'. This will remove the adapter from the list and uninstall the device. If troubleshooting a wireless issue make sure to select the correct device - the word 'Wireless' will likely be in the title.
....
- Click 'Ok' when prompted to uninstall the device. This will remove the adapter from the list and uninstall the driver.
...
- Once the adapter has been uninstalled click on the 'Scan for hardware changes' button to search for and reinstall the correct adapter. The icon can be hard to see - you can hover your mouse over the button to confirm you are choosing the correct one.
..
If the device is successfully reinstalled it will show back up under the 'Network Adapters' drop-down. Reboot the computer and see if the connectivity issue has been resolved.
If the issue is not resolved click here for instructions on restarting the windows networking service.
Keywords: | network troubleshooting windows microsoft adapter device manager uninstall install reinstall Suggest keywords | Doc ID: | 58029 |
---|---|---|---|
Owner: | Mike J. | Group: | DoIT Tech Store |
Created: | 2015-11-06 12:43 CDT | Updated: | 2018-09-24 13:13 CDT |
Sites: | DoIT Help Desk, DoIT Tech Store | ||
Feedback: | 166145CommentSuggest a new document |