I'm sure this problem is entirely my fault, but I don't know how to fix it, and I'm about ready to cry. I'm missing 16 drivers for my Windows XP system, and I don't know how to get them. Here's the reason I think it's all my fault:
A while back my computer did a complete crash on me. So I wiped it and threw on Linux Ubuntu. I loved it, didn't have any problems. Then I found out that one of my games wouldn't work on Linux, so I found my copy of XP, repartitioned my hard drive, and re-installed XP, dual booted with Linux. This is when I started to run into problems. For some reason, when I re-installed XP, it didn't show up as genuine. Even though it was the copy that came with my computer when I bought it, it said that I had an illegal copy. So I couldn't do any automatic updates. I didn't really care about that, but I also had some drivers that weren't working, namely my sound, video, and wireless. So I spent days trying to find free drivers that would at least half-way work with my computer, and I thought I'd succeeded. Fast forward to about a month ago. I enrolled in college and found out that I needed to have a computer with genuine Windows. So I shell out the money, and yea! My computer is genuine. I thought this would fix any other driver issues I might have. I was horribly wrong. Right now, I have 16 drivers that are either out of date, not working, or missing entirely. But because the drivers I have installed aren't supported by Windows, the auto-update isn't recognizing that there's a problem. I don't even remember what drivers I installed on my own, I don't know how to uninstall them without breaking something, and I don't know where to find the correct Windows-supported drivers. I am so frustrated right now, and to top it all off, I have to have this fixed before Monday because that's when my homework is due! Please please please please *Please* say someone can help me!
Thanks in advance…
What is the make and model of your computer?
The manufacturer will have your drivers.
Same to be said for your graphics drivers.
Where are you getting this info about missing drivers?
If you are using a driver scan you can basically ignore it.
Those are simple marketing scams.
The computer is a Toshiba Satellite A55-S106.
I'm not sure what graphics card I have.
I did get the info from a driver scan, three different ones actually, but this was only after I'd already established that I was having problems with my drivers. The ones that I know are having a problem are my sound card (no sound at all), my graphics card, my wireless card, my ethernet controller, and my wireless mouse. According to my device manager, I'm also missing the drivers for my modem and one of my PCI ports. All three driver scans confirmed these things, and listed a few other drivers that I don't know about. So marketing campaign or not, I'm thinking it's telling me at least a partial truth. I looked on the Toshiba website, and the only driver I could find was the one for the audio, which is the driver I already have. I'm going to try re-installing it to see if I can at least get that one to work.
Edit: Re-install of sound driver worked. Also found modem driver.
Great, new bigger and badder problem. Windows freezes at the boot screen. The blue one that looks kinda like this, except there's nothing to click on, only the windows logo in the center. It won't boot into safe mode either. I don't know what's going on with it…
Is it still a dual-boot with Linux?
The general rule to minimize conflicts and driver issues (and probably the legal Windows issue too) is to install Windows before installing Linux.
From your description above, it reads as if you installed ubuntu to get up and running and loved that, but later had need for Windows XP and for your "2nd" OS installed XP. Probably not a good idea.
And you can probably see where I'm going with this, which would be…. fresh install of Windows, and only later followed by Ubuntu.
You can spend a bit more time attempting to reinstall Drivers for Windows, and maybe succeed, but if not, consider my suggestion.
Best Regards
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