To manage Devices in WinXP using Device Manager.

hello everyone ,

I want to manage all the devices in my Windows XP. I know possibly there are number of ways to do that then why always managing devices using device manager is recommended.....? Is it the safe or the best way of managing devices ? If yes, then how can I manage devices using device manager ?

thanks

Device Manager provides a graphical view of the hardware that is installed on the computer, as well as the device drivers and resources associated with that hardware.
Using Device Manager provides a central point to change the way the hardware is configured and interacts with the computer's microprocessor.

Using Device Manager to manage devices and their drivers require the following permissions, all of which are granted to Administrators:

• The Load\Unload Drivers privilege.
• The permissions needed to copy files to the system32\drivers directory.
• The permissions needed to write settings to the registry.

To access Device Manager, use any of the following methods:

1. Click Start, click Run, and then type devmgmt.msc.
2. Right-click My Computer, click Manage, and then click Device Manager.
3. Right-click My Computer, click Properties, click the Hardware tab, and then click Device Manager.
   
   Type the following command at a command prompt:
   start devmgmt.msc

If you want to access Device Manager on a local or remote computer:

1. Click Start, click Run, and then type mmc.
2. Click Add/Remove Snap In on the File menu (or press CTRL+M), click Add, and then click Device Manager.

When you use this procedure, a shortcut to Device Manager is created that you can use to open Device Manager.

Typically, Device Manager is used to check the status of computer hardware and update device drivers on the computer. If you are an advanced user ( you have a thorough understanding of computer hardware), you can use Device Manager's diagnostic features to resolve device conflicts, and change resource settings.

FUNCTIONS of Device Manager -

• Determine if the hardware on your computer is working properly.
• Change hardware configuration settings.
• Identify the device drivers that are loaded for each device and obtain information about each device driver.
• Change advanced settings and properties for devices.
• Install updated device drivers.
• Disable, enable, and uninstall devices.
• Reinstall the previous version of a driver.
• Identify device conflicts and manually configure resource settings.
• Print a summary of the devices that are installed on your computer.