Ever since the early days of the Microsoft Windows operating system, Device Manager has been an extremely valuable tool for both desktop administrators and ordinary computer owners. Device Manager provides a graphical view of all of the hardware in your computer, allowing you to see at a glance which devices are malfunctioning and which are working properly.

This can be quite valuable to you as a computer owner, especially if you are trying to troubleshoot a difficult problem or attempting to figure out what is causing a sudden issue with your computer.

To access Device Manager from within Windows 7, just follow these simple steps.
1. Click the Start button
2. Choose Control Panel from the menu
3. Double-click the System and Security icon
4. Double-click the System heading
5. Double-click the Device Manager icon

Once in the Device Manager, you can scroll through each of the hardware categories listed to look for malfunctioning devices, hardware with outdated drivers and other problems. That makes it easy to find exactly which device in your computer is causing your problem.