Installing a Device Driver under Compatibility Mode in Windows 7

In
this Tutorial we will be using a Network Adapter device. e.g.
Wired(ethernet) Network Adapter or Wireless(802.11 N/G/B) Adapter Card
You may also apply this process to Graphics and other hardware devices.

Are you running into some issues installing the correct driver or the
driver does not install properly in Windows 7 Operating System? Here is
a workaround but this process will not guarantee that the driver will
install or work properly but it’s definitely worth giving it a try.

If you have a driver for your Network Adapter Device and it is only
certified for use with Windows Vista or XP but you want to install it on
a Windows 7 machine, some drivers will install using the compatibility
mode.

Begin by extracting the downloaded file from the device manufacturer’s site, then locate and right click the setup.exe file and choose Properties.



Click on Compatibility Tab



Under Compatibility Mode put a checkmark in Run this Program in compatibility mode for: from
the drop down menu. Choose the appropriate Operating System and Service
Pack that is applicable to the driver. I will choose Windows Vista Service Pack 2 in this Tutorial, but yours may be different from mine, then click on Apply and OK.



Important note: For x64 (64-bit operating systems)
this may not work if the driver only uses 32-bits; the driver should use
64-bits for a successful install and performance. You may consult your
driver documentation or manufacturer’s website as to whether your driver
uses 64-bits or contact the device manufacturer.