Windows 7 - Fixing Wireless Gaming Issues and Updating Device Drivers

In this video, I try to show how to update a driver using Device Manager as well as possibly fix a long-dreaded wireless networking gaming issue in 7/Vista, which involves packet loss and high ping. This does not apply to XP. If you do use XP, however, you can follow the tutorial all you want. I cannot guarantee positive results.

Symptom: Using a wireless networking card with 7/Vista as the operating system, high ping may result while playing a multiplayer game such as the Unreal series, even if next to the router. However, when plugged in directly to the router with ethernet, there are no lag spikes and games run like there was no issue at all for multiplayer play.

What needs to be done:
-Device name/Model found in Device Manager
-Locate your architecture (in Windows properties)
-Download of the XP version of a specific driver and specific architecture of that driver
-Update the driver through control panel using manual install
-Possible Restart of the system.

FAQ:

1. Q. My driver is an exe file. What do I do?
A. Download a program called WinRAR or use 7-Zip to extract the setup file. Sometimes the setup files can be extracted. Most nvidia drivers for example are easily found to do this.

2. Q. Can I use a 32 bit driver on a 64 bit operating system?
A. No.

3. Q. I can't find an XP version of my driver. What can I do?
A. Most of the time a wireless card can be researched based on their chipset. So on google, you could easily type your wireless card in and type in chipset in the search, and sometimes yield a decent result. Sometimes you won't. It just depends. However, if you're lucky, a linux site that talks about 'ndiswrapper' will tell you the chipset of your specific wireless card. Then you look up that chipset instead of your specific model.

4. Q. When I find the downloads to my drivers, I see a windows 7 version and a vista version, but not an XP. What can I do about that?
A. Same as the answer to question 3 in respect to finding the chipset model. However, if you don't want to bother with that, and you have windows 7, you can try the vista driver, but I guarantee that the vista and 7 driver are practically similar.

5. Q. When I try to update the driver in device manager, it says that the driver isn't signed. I can ignore it, but then my wireless card won't work. Is there a way to make it work?
A. In 32 bit versions of Windows Vista and 7, an unsigned driver can pass really easily. However, under 64 bit, it refuses to use a driver that is unsigned, no matter what you do. Reboot your computer, and press F8 until you get a menu asking safemode, etc. Choose 'Disable Driver Signature Enforcement'. This will allow your card to work properly. Also, contact your manufacturer for a signed version of the driver or request they do so. There are also tutorials around to teach you how to sign your driver.

6a. Q. When I choose the file in Have Disk, I get a huge list of devices. Which one do I pick?
A. Look for your model.

6b. Q. What if I can't find it in the list?
A. Look for your chipset according to question 3 and look for that in the list.

7. Q. Why do you say that this doesn't apply to XP (fixing the wireless)?
A. The reason why is because most of the time you don't get wireless issues in XP. It started in Vista. However, if you do get wireless issues like described for 7/Vista, you can follow the tutorial straight forwardly, and find an updated driver, or even an older driver that can fix the issue. You can't use 7/Vista drivers on XP, also.


8. Q. How do I find out what architecture I have?
A. Right click 'Computer' and click 'Properties'.

9. Q. What if I can't find my wireless card driver on google? Can you help me?
A. In most cases, I can. Send me a message and I'll try to help you.

10. Can I have your background?
A. Debatable topic.

label91@cox.net

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Closed Caption:

hello everyone my name is Louis and ind
commentator for starcraft sports now
we're coming to you once again for
another windows seven tutorial this will
be about wireless network cards gaming
and updating driver software so if you
want to watch this video just to learn
how to update drivers because you want
to learn how to do it because you have
to do it or you just want to do it
this is perfect this is an educational
video and this will really help you out
in the long run because you'll know how
to do it to any competitor you want to
use and this is an educational video and
should be treated as such but for those
of us who want to fix the high pings and
the lag spikes and all that
keep on watching and we'll learn how to
find our wireless card drivers and what
to do where to go what architecture all
that great stuff so here's a symptom
people who use Windows Vista or Windows
7 who use a wireless card to get to the
internet or whatever experience packet
loss high pings and just horrible
gameplay when they play multiplayer
online games such as starcraft and real
tournament or any other game that can
experience some heavy lag the for some
reason and XP it was perfectly fine but
will become to vista or seven there's an
issue why is there an issue we we don't
know and it turns out registry tweaks or
a that doesn't really fix the problem
well the problem lies right in with in
vista and seven in the way the drivers
were made by the manufacturer so we
actually have to go back a version of
the driver or actually go back a whole
operating system version of the driver
in hopes that it'll fix the issue and I
did that to all three computers in my
house and this is work and so the thing
is that on all those computers when i
plugged in to the router directly
through an internet cord and played the
games they work perfectly fine there was
no lag spikes there were just the
everything was perfectly fine and if
you've experienced that before I mean
you know how frustrating that is and you
don't want to be gaming plugged in by
the cord especially if you're complete
there's wireless and you're downstairs
or whatever I mean we don't want to put
up with that
so let's get this pic shall we click the
star bubble right click computer and go
to manage now in here in the left column
is gonna be someone called device
manager go ahead and click that there's
another way to get to the device manager
you can do it your way or whatever but I
like going to computer management we're
going to look for network adapter so
we're going to expand that i got for him
but we're going to be looking at my
wireless one now it's going to say
wireless adapter or wireless network
adapter or whatever on yours
it has to because that's the only way
windows is going to identify its kind of
obvious and most of the time it will
also give you a model number what
exactly it is just depends on the
manufacturer of the computer or
manufacturer of the wireless card or
built-in device whatever
in my case I already have my model
number so I am perfectly fine so we need
to know that model number and just go to
google and look it up
so let me open up Internet Explorer here
and open up a new tab google now let's
type in rtl8187 now Google's already you
know bringing up a whole different type
so i'll assume that this is the right
choice
so here's a link I've been to already
that died download my driver from now
some of you might have an issue with
finding the drivers that's perfectly
fine i mean sometimes you just got to go
through loops but if your laptop or
computer was from gateway or whatever go
to their site if the link is provided
because most likely their drivers their
drivers might actually have an XP 1 or
whichever so it would be perfect so you
should look up your computer model
instead of the wireless card model but i
recommend looking up the wireless card
model instead because you can find a
better driver than what your computer
manufacturer will provide in this case
right here
and besides i bought my card you know
from fry's electronics and just brought
home since like custom make my computers
anyway so it doesn't really matter so
we'll go to this site here
follow the link now some sites will give
you the download link on the spot
someone that's just you know how it is
and of course is gonna take a while but
now there's getting now when you find
the download link
you're obviously going to have to go
ahead and click it you know sometimes
it's going down right away sometimes
it's going to list out a whole bunch of
you know different versions of the
download different dates and all that
great stuff you gotta pay attention to
that stuff that is the most important
thing you gotta pay attention to the
also important thing you got to pay
attention to is the architecture
architecture are you using a Windows
Vista or Windows 7 to find out you can
actually go to your Start bubble right
click computer and go to properties it
will tell you right there
32-bit or 64-bit i'm using 64-bit so i'm
going to use a 64 bit driver provided
for XP now already have it downloaded so
i don't have to click the download links
but you should download the driver now
if they offer a set up inside it then
and you can't find a set of information
file or an INF file or cysts file or
whatever then you're out of luck you're
gonna have to get WinRAR or 7-zip or
whatever program that can extract at the
setup file to get the files out and
video for example when you're you know
want to update your driver you can
actually right click their setup and
extract it with Renard it helps me back
my unintended installs so I already have
my zip installed downloaded excuse me
and I already extract my 64 bit driver
so in device manager
all right click my wireless my wireless
card and go update driver software now
we don't want to say search
automatically we're gonna go browse my
computer and we're not going to look for
the location here because this was not
this is not going to work
there's no way windows
for windows seven is gonna take an XP
driver as the best one you gotta tell it
that you want to use this driver because
the way windows works is that it says if
that's the updated driver is the best
driver and I want to use it
that's just how it works so we'll say
let me pick from a list so what we'll do
is we'll click have disk
there we go
click browse it will take a minute or
two
so go and find your folder and I put
mine on the desktop to find it really
easily
now if you look in your folder and you
get a file like this which is a set of
information file you're in luck
go ahead and open it and then click OK
and then one thing is going to pop up
most likely one thing just depends on
the driver five you're given so i'll go
ahead and click next and i'll say
installing driver software so we'll give
it a moment or two for to get it
installed and ready to go when there is
windows is finished installing the
driver software for this device so you
can go ahead and click close and it will
try to reconnect to your network might
take a minute or two but just gotta let
it go
I don't think mine is going to reconnect
yeah mine is not going to reconnect for
some weird reason or another
not sure why but either way so now you
just learn how to get the other driver
now this is when the testing comes in
you have to play one of those games to
know that it worked so go ahead and open
up one of your first person shooter
games or whatever games you play find a
server plan line and make sure the
server has people in it and make sure
that ping is between between a hundred
and twenty from highest low hundred all
the way down to 20 make sure you find
the most suitable server you can play on
with people and see if you get the lag
spikes if you don't congratulations the
XP driver just did it
and for some reason the XP drivers seem
to be a lot better than the vista or
seven drivers at the manufacturers
provide i'm not sure why and I when I've
done this almost on these three
computers it is not failed so that's all
there is to it
so not only did you learn how to update
a driver if you've never done it before
you've also probably fixed day long and
hard dreaded wireless network issue with
gaming so there we go
so my name is Louis keep in touch