How to Find the Original Drivers for My Windows Vista Computer

The drivers installed on your computer help Windows Vista communicate with each hardware device. The Windows Vista Installation CD has loads of drivers on it, and even your hard drive has thousands of generic drivers ready to install. While updating drivers is often a good idea, there are times when you may want the original ones that you know worked with Vista. You can use the device manager to roll back drivers to their original state.

 Instructions

 1 Locate the original installation CD that came with Windows Vista. It contains all the original drivers that were used with the original install. If you do not have this disc, continue below.  

2 Go to Device Manager by clicking the "Start" button and typing "Device Manager" in the search bar.  

3 Double-click on any of the categories for a list of the installed devices on your computer. For instance, the computer sound card will be listed under "Sound, Video and Game Controllers."  

4 Right-click on the device you wish to restore to the original Vista drivers and select "Properties."

5 Click on the "Drivers" tab and select "Roll back driver." This will reinstall the previous version.