There are lots of reasons why you might want to know the version number of a driver in Windows Vista, the most common of which is to avoid an unnecessary update.
If you're about to update a driver in Windows Vista, check the version number of the driver you already have installed against the version number of the driver you're about to install. You may have the latest driver for the hardware already installed.
No matter the reason, finding a driver's version number in Windows Vista is really easy.
Follow these steps to find a driver's version number from within Device Manager in Windows Vista:
Note: Not using Windows Vista? See the tip at the bottom of the page for help.
Here's How:
Open Device Manager from the Windows Vista Control Panel.
Note: There are a few other ways to access Device Manager in Windows Vista as well but opening it via Control Panel is probably the most simple.
In Device Manager, locate the device that you want to find the driver version number of.
Note: Work through the hardware categories by clicking the + icon. You'll find the specific hardware device you're looking for under one of these hardware categories.
After finding the hardware device you're looking for, right click on the device's name or icon and click on the Properties option.
In the Properties window for the device, click on the Driver tab.
On the Driver tab, look for Driver Version among the other statistics about the driver. It will be located above the many buttons.
Next to Driver Version you'll see the version number of the currently installed driver for this device. This is the number you're after.
Important: Be sure to pay attention to the Driver Provider as well. It's possible that the currently installed driver is a default driver (probably from Microsoft) in which case comparing version numbers will be pointless. Go ahead and install the updated manufacturer's Windows Vista driver but only if the new driver was released after the Driver Date listed here.
Tips:
Remember to choose correctly between 32-bit and 64-bit drivers when downloading updates for your device.
Not sure which one to choose? See How To Determine if You're Running Windows Vista 32-bit or Windows Vista 64-bit for help.
Not a Windows Vista user? See How Do I Find a Driver's Version Number in Windows? for specific instructions for your version of Windows.
