You’ll note that I did not list driver update services. The component manufacturer is the first place a driver update will typically be made available. Even though a component may be supported through Windows Update or the computer manufacturer’s site, there’s often a delay before the updates make it to those locations. Check with the hardware component manufacturer.In most cases, downloading and running an installer automates installation. If I’m running Dell equipment, for instance, the Dell support site does a good job of leading me to the latest drivers for my hardware. Check with the computer’s manufacturer.Then just use Windows Update to install them. In the Windows Update settings app, be sure to look at “optional updates”, which is often where driver updates will be. This is a case where only an image backup will do, since it includes all of Windows, including your current drivers and everything else on the machine. If anything goes wrong with the update process, I can always revert to this backup. Depending on when my most recent automated backup was, I may create an image backup before I begin. The most common approaches are to let Windows Update handle it, or run installation or update programs supplied by either your computer or device manufacturer. There’s no single approach to updating drivers. When you have hardware whose drivers are not supplied with Windows, the manufacturer may supply them - typically with a setup program accompanying the device - or Windows may search online to find them. However, not all possible drivers are included with Windows. That’s what “plug and play” is all about: you install new hardware, Windows installs corresponding drivers, and things just work. When you install Windows, or when you add new hardware to your computer, Windows will frequently notice the change and automatically install the drivers.
Some confusion comes from the fact that there are a ton of drivers included with Windows. Each piece of hardware attached to your system requires a driver for this translation. That’s the job of what’s called a device driver, or just drivers.ĭrivers are software that translate Window’s generic instructions into specific commands to make the hardware do what it does. For example, it knows about network cards, but not how to make every possible network card function. Windows doesn’t know about every possible piece of hardware. Aside from letting Windows Update update drivers automatically, there is rarely cause to update drivers yourself, unless you’re tracking down a problem. If you need something more current or different, use the computer or component manufacturer’s tools or support sites. The best way to update drivers is to let Windows Update handle it for you.
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