What are Drivers and how do you update them?

What Are Drivers?

Drivers are small programs that allow Windows to communicate with your hardware. You will have drivers for your printer, camera, network card, graphics, sound etc. Think of them as adaptors, converters or translators and you'll get the idea. 

Why Should You Update Drivers?

So, why should you update them? The most frequent reason for updating them is because something has stopped working the way it should and someone (such as me!) says: "Try updating or reinstalling the Drivers". This can be necessary for a number of reasons such as a recent update to Windows or other software has 'broken' the currently installed driver. This is why somethimes simply re-installing the drivers could work.

Sometimes you may see a message pop up saying you have an out of date driver. Be careful with this message though because it could be some kind of malware trying to part you from your cash.

How Should You Update Them?

You can go online and search for your drivers but most of the time you will be taken to sites that want to charge you. There is no need to pay for a driver: the manufacturer of the hardware will provide these and updates to them free of charge. You just need to find them!

1. The first thing I'd say is Windows Update does a check for new drivers so update Windows to make sure Windows has had the chance. Look for optional updates in the update screen (you may need to tick the optional updates to get Windows to install them).
2. Secondly, go to your computer manufacturer's website and search for drivers for your model. If you don't have a make and model then search for drivers for your motherboard. You will find this on the disk that came with the computer or the manual. Failing that, open the case and you will see the motherboard drivers there.
3. If all this fails, I use Drivermax to search for and install drivers. It's free for personal use and offers a number of useful tools.

The PC Resolver Blog