Earlier this week we covered the process of rolling back a device driver in XP.  One step we can take to help verify the driver we download will work is to use a little known XP utility called Verifier.  

To access Verifier go to Start \ Run and type in “verifier” without the quotes.

The Driver Verifier Manager utility will open up.  Here you have different options, where you will choose a task best suited for your setup.

In the next screen you can choose to auto select a driver or select from a list.  For this example I am going to use the list.

Let’s say I am having a problem with my audio driver.  I select that device driver and am prompted to reboot the computer.  If there are any issues with the driver you will get the famous Blue Screen of Death with an error message.  If the driver is working properly then the system will start up normally.

To disable the Verifier utility go to Start \ Run and type in “verifier /reset” without the quotes.

SOURCE