How to Find FireWire Drivers and What
You Should Know Before You Install
FireWire is the high speed serial bus IEEE 1394 created by Apple (Macintosh) to create a means for peer-to-peer device communication (i.e., scanner-to-printer) without using internal computer memory or the CPU. FireWire drivers can easily be found by typing in the device name into your preferred web browser.
It comes in six-circuit or nine-circuit variations that are made from copper wire that is more flexible than other cables. It can supply up to 45 watts of power per port at up to 30 volts, a relatively moderate power consumption that allows the FireWire to operate without a separate power supply.
Microsoft Windows XP, FreeBSD, Linux, Mac OS 9, Mac OS X, NetBSD, and Haiku operating systems all fully support FireWire IEEE 1394a. Some FireWire hardware is manufactured to provide custom device drivers that replace the host adapter drivers set. This allows the FireWire to work in older versions of Windows and in Windows Vista.
In Windows 7 operating systems, the bus driver was rewritten for FireWire to provide support for higher speeds and alternative media. Expansion cards are available to Windows PCs for adding the FireWire bus onto the PC.
Fully functional FireWire interfaces are also found within digital cable TV boxes, which can be used to display or record Cable TV.
FireWire allows for networking between computers, peer-to-peer access (camera-to-computer, printer-to-computer, and camera-to-printer) with a speed bitrate unlike any other wire’s. It is available for use in automobiles in digital and audio media devices as the IDB-1394 Customer Convenience Port.
Formerly, all digital video (DV) devices were equipped with FireWire interfaces for device-to-PC data transfer. Now, more and more consumer devices have switched over to USB as their main mode of camera-to-PC data transfer.
How to Find FireWire Drivers
FireWire, as with any hardware on your computer, can be found in the Device Manager or, in the case of Macs, in the System Profiler.
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Windows XP and earlier: Go to Control Panel, double-click "System", Click the "Hardware" tab on the System window, and then select "Device Manager"
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Windows Vista and 7: You can find the Device Manager in the Control Panel
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Mac - Apple Menu > About This Mac > More Info
Here you will find the information you need about the hardware on your PC. Locate your FireWire bus, most likely named IEEE 1394. Right-click, select properties. Use the device name to search through your favorite web browser for the appropriate drivers.
Update FireWire Driver in Windows
If you simply want to update your FireWire driver:
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Go into the Device Manager
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Right-click on the FireWire icon
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Select Properties
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Select the Driver tab
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Select Update Driver
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Let the Windows Driver Wizard walk you through it
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Automatically Update
Your Drivers
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