How to Roll Back a Driver Update

If you have ever updated a driver on your computer and found that it has caused more harm than good, don't worry, you're not alone. Performing a driver update is one of the most important things you can do to maintain the health of your hardware, but sometimes the updated driver can cause issues and destabilize your system. This is why it is crucial to know how to roll back a driver update, and in this article, we will dive into the steps that you need to take to get your system back up and running smoothly.

Step 1 - Identify the Driver

Before you can roll back a driver update, you need to identify which driver is causing the issue. You can do this by checking the device manager on your computer. Open up the device manager and find the hardware component whose driver you are trying to roll back. Once you have identified the hardware component, double click on it to open the properties window.

Step 2 - Roll Back the Driver

Once you have opened the properties window of the hardware component whose driver you are trying to roll back, click on the "Driver" tab. Under the "Driver" tab, you will see an option that says "Roll Back Driver." Click on this button to start the rollback process. Windows will ask you to confirm that you want to rollback the driver, click on "Yes" to proceed.

Step 3 - Restart Your Computer

Once you have rolled back the driver, restart your computer. This will allow the system to fully recognize the changes you have made. After restarting your computer, check to see if the issues you were experiencing have been resolved. If the issues have been resolved, then you are good to go. If not, you can continue with the next step.

Step 4 - Uninstall the Driver Update

If rolling back the driver did not resolve the issue, you can try uninstalling the driver update altogether. To do this, open up the device manager again and locate the hardware component whose driver you are trying to uninstall. Double click on the hardware component to open the properties window. Click on the "Driver" tab, and then click on the "Uninstall Driver" button.

Step 5 - Install the Previous Driver Version

Once you have uninstalled the driver update, you can try installing the previous version of the driver. To do this, locate the previous version of the driver package on your computer or download it from the manufacturer's website. Once you have the previous driver version, simply run the installer and follow the on-screen prompts to install the previous version of the driver.

Step 6 - Restart Your Computer

After installing the previous version of the driver, restart your computer. This will allow the system to fully recognize the changes you have made. Once your computer has restarted, check to see if the issues you were experiencing have been resolved.

Conclusion

Rolling back a driver update may seem like a daunting task, but it is actually quite simple if you follow these steps. By identifying the driver, rolling back the driver, uninstalling the driver update, and installing the previous version of the driver, you can easily get your hardware back up and running smoothly. Remember to always create a restore point before updating any drivers to ensure that you can easily roll back any driver updates if necessary. So, if you ever encounter an issue after updating a driver, don't panic, just follow these steps and you'll be back on track in no time.