Now that we have just installed the ATi Radeon 8500 into our systems AGP slot it is time to install the drivers. Whether you buy an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) or retail video card it will come with a CD-ROM of drivers. Drivers are software which tell a computer how to use a certain peripheral properly.

To load the drivers insert the CD-ROM that came with the video card in to your drive. If the CD doesn't begin to run double click on the "My Computer" icon on your desktop. Next right click on the CD-ROM and select "AutoPlay ". This should start the driver installation.

Once the software has begun to load follow the instructions through to the very end, and reboot if necessary.

One thing to keep in mind, usually drivers that are given to you on the CD are quite old and sometimes even a little buggy. If you have an internet connection you should always try to go to the manufacturer's website and download the latest drivers available. Often times newer drivers improve compatibility and performance!

Conclusion:

As you can see installation of hardware is not very hard at all. The best part is once you know how to install something like a videocard you now know how to install other add-on devices like PCI cards.

A few things to remember when you're swapping out a videocard; first remove the previous videocard's drivers. Sometimes if you don't remove them, they can conflict with the new card's drivers. When you actually put the video card into the AGP slot press down on the card firmly until it doesn't go down any further. If the AGP socket has a retention lock, push down on the card until you hear it click into place.

Installing drivers have never been easier. Simply insert the driver CD into the CD-ROM and follow the instructions! Of course though, once you do have the drivers installed, you should update them with the latest ones you can get your hands on since many times it will bring a number of improvements to the videocard.

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