Replace an Incorrect Driver

I installed the wrong driver for a new piece of hardware, and now Windows can't install the correct one. Isn't there any way to uninstall drivers?

Yes most of the time but it's not always obvious how to do it. You could open the Device Manager (go to Start --> Run and type devmgmt.msc ), right-click the device, and select Uninstall, but oddly enough, this usually doesn't remove all traces of the driver. Unfortunately, Windows saves details about uninstalled hardware both in the Registry and in .inf files located in the \Windows\inf folder, which means the next time your device is detected, Windows is likely to detect it incorrectly again.

If it's listed in the Add or Remove Programs control panel, or if there's an uninstaller hiding in your Start menu or in the driver's folder, you may be able to remove the driver completely. However, odds are you'll have to turn to the manufacturer's support web site for help. Search the site for "uninstall," and you might find a procedure or even a download able utility to cleanse your system of the driver. If not, search Google for the word "uninstall" and the name of your device.(Don't be surprised if the instructions you find have you deleting obscure Registry keys and renaming DLLs in your \Windows\System32\drivers folder .)

The good news is that uninstalling the driver isn't always necessary. Windows ties each detected device to the port or slot to which it's connected. If you pull a sound card out of PCI slot 2 and insert it into PCI slot 3, Windows will detect the card as a brand new device and offer you a chance to install the device correctly. The same goes for hard disks and CD/DVD drives (all IDE/ATA devices, really), all SCSI devices, cards inserted into your laptop's PCMCIA/PC Card slots, and even USB devices; just plug them into different ports to force Windows to re-detect them, and your plug-and-play woes may simply melt away.