Repairing Windows Driver Problems

Reader Dave writes: My PC will not go into "Standby" nor  "Hibernation." When it's initiated, I get the following message: "The device driver for the keyboard is preventing the machine from entering hibernation/standby. You may need to update this driver." This message just started to appear about a month ago. Up to then, I had no problems and my keyboard works fine. I talked with the PC builder and their response is that there are no drivers needed nor installed for the keyboard. What should I do?

While few keyboards require drivers from the vendor, almost everything has a driver in some form as part of Windows. These can become corrupted or out of date as Windows Updates are applied, so problems like this are not uncommon: Not just with keyboards but with almost any peripheral, especially optical drives and just about any USB device. Here's what to do to fix it when problems like this creep up.

First, make sure there isn't actually a problem with the peripheral to the extent you are able. If you have another keyboard, for example, see if it works without giving the driver error. If you keep getting the error, replace the original device and continue with the next step.

Run Windows Update manually by launching Internet Explorer then clicking Tools > Windows Update. If you're using XP, click Custom, which will offer driver updates that aren't automatically downloaded and installed by the usual Windows Update procedure. Click the "Hardware, Optional" link to see if there's anything listed and install it. If you're using Vista just click View Available Updates and install any appropriate items. Reboot when you're done and see if the problem has gone away.

If not, move on to this trickier step. Go to Control Panel and launch System. Click the Hardware tab then Device Manager. Here you'll find a list of all hardware components in your PC and everything attached to it. See any exclamation points or red X's? Those indicate problems. But you may still be having trouble without such warnings.

Scroll down to the section with the problem peripheral ("Keyboards" in this case) and click the plus sign. Double-click the specific device under the plus sign, then click the Driver tab. Try "Update Driver..." and let Windows update it automatically. This probably won't do any good, but there's a chance it will fix the problem.

Assuming it doesn't, close that window and go back to the Device Manager. Find the specific item, then hit the Delete key. This uninstalls the device from your PC. In the case of your keyboard, this means it will no longer work for the next couple of minutes, so be warned. Don't worry, we'll get it right back.

Reboot. Windows will automatically discover the device and reinstall the driver for it. Nine times out of 10 this solves any lingering device driver issues. Good luck!