Windows Vista in a Nutshell

Chapter 9. Working with Hardware

Windows Vista makes quick work of managing your hardware; to a great extent, once you plug in a device, the operating system automatically recognizes it and either finishes the installation itself or prompts you to install a disk with the proper driver.

But that’s not always the case, of course. And even if it does recognize your hardware properly, you need to manage the hardware, customize the way it runs, or troubleshoot any problems with it.

This chapter covers all the ways Windows Vista works with hardware of any kind. It details the tools, screens, and options for handling hardware. Note that some troubleshooting and maintenance tools are covered in Chapter 11, and mobile-related options, such as Power Options, are covered in Chapter 7.

Here is an alphabetical reference of entries in this chapter:

Add Hardware Wizard	DriverQuery	Signature Verification Tool
Add Printer	Game Controllers	Sound
AutoPlay	Keyboard Properties	Sound Recorder
Color Management	Mouse Properties	System Information
Computer Management	Pen and Input Devices	System Properties
Device Manager	Phone and Modem Options	Tablet PC Settings
DirectX Management Tool	Power Options	Volume Mixer
Disk and Volume Properties	Printers	Windows Update Driver Settings
Display Settings	ReadyBoost	XPS Document Viewer
Driver Verifier Manager	Scanners and Cameras

Add Hardware Wizard: \windows\system\hdwwiz.cpl

Detect non-Plug and Play devices and install the appropriate ...