Bought a new pair of headphones that won’t work, or your game keeps crashing midway during the boss fight?
Drivers are often a significant source of frustration to users. More often than not, it is not entirely clear what we are supposed to do to update them. To make matters worse, when searching online for a fix, we see countless fraudulent websites that offer “free” driver update tools.
This tutorial will show you every possible step to ensure that all your drivers are up to date.
Two Universal Ways to Update All Windows Drivers
A windows driver can be updated manually by the user or through automaticwindows updates.
How to Enable Automatic Driver Updates
How to Force Windows to Perform Pending Optional Updates
Sometimes non-essential updates are not automatically applied. To move windows to use any possible optional updates, follow these steps:
How to Fix Windows Update Problems
In case you still can’t force Windows to perform updates, do this instead automatically:
This is how the troubleshooter looks like, and above you’re able to see how it appears under the settings tab.
This is a valuable tool that comes built-in with Windows OS that resets the update settings to their default value (in case you somehow disabled them).
How to Update Video Card Drivers
You can update your video card drivers manually or by downloading and running the manufacturer’s driver update tool. The following steps for updating your GPU apply both for AMD and NVIDIA cards.
To Update a Driver Manually, Please Follow These Steps
Best Way to Get the Latest Driver Software for Your GPU’s
We recommend always using either Nvidia GeForce Experience if you have an NVIDIA GPU or AMD’s equivalent software – Adrenalin.
How to Install and Use NVIDIA GEFORCE EXPERIENCE
The screenshot above shows how the application looks after installation. As soon as you download it, it will automatically detect your GPU and download the latest driver.
You can always access it by clicking the arrow on the right side of the taskbar and clicking the NVIDIA logo. It will also change its icon if you have apendingupdate.
How to Update AMD Drivers With Adrenaline Software
The main benefit of using the manufacturers proprietary software isgetting the latest updates as soon as they release, without relying on or waiting for Windows, Apple or Linux to do so instead.
These applications serve for Driver updates, but they also come packed with many valuable tools like video capture or overclocking.
How to Perform Chipset Driver Updates
Most critical chipset updates are contained in the bulk automatic update download files. If they are missing, you can download them manually instead:
Chipsets are small components throughout your computer that play an integral role in controlling the various communications between hardware in your computer. Keeping them updated can decreaselatency andpreventcrashes.
How to Update CPU Drivers
AMD and INTEL offer Auto-Driver-Detection software, which will always let you run the latest driver version on your CPU’s. This is how to download and install these applications:
Best Way to Update INTEL CPU’s
Best Way to Update AMD RYZEN CPU’s
All current generations of CPUs and APU’s are supported by these apps. There is no need to download them manually unless they are a custom user-made driver.
How to Update Motherboard Drivers
Motherboard drivers must be manually downloaded from the manufacturer’s support page if they are not updated automatically. The only way to update them manually is:
Always look for the latest driver version with the newest date. Be careful since many similar-looking motherboards have different hardware configurations; always check for the full motherboard model name.
How to Update RAM Drivers
RAM or random access memory does not have any drivers. You should only update your motherboard’s drivers to ensure that the RAM inside your system is running correctly.
How to Install Custom User Made Drivers
In some instances, a custom driver might perform a specific task better, such as in the case of cryptocurrency mining for GPU’s.
Be advised that these drivers are not officially approved. They all carry some risk that is not covered under the typical warranty of the hardware manufacturer – they alter the operating parameters of components outside their intended range.
Since Intel locks most non-K-variant CPU’s, users have created drivers that allow for overclocking. These drivers are installed the same way as normal ones.
How to Update Drivers on Mac OS
For all seasoned Apple users, we know that the Mac OS is stringent for updates. I remember vividly how automatically forced updates would shut down my Mac during work.
While it is unlikely that Apple made drivers will be outdated, many times, you need to update third party devices andprintersmanually.
How to Download Drivers From Apple Automatically
In case the software is native to Apple, then follow these steps:
Drivers that are native to a Mac are typically automatically updated if the driver in question is not provided for or distributed by Apple.
To Download Drivers From Third Party Developers, Follow These Steps:
How to Update Drivers on Linux
Linux drivers work differently than regular drivers. Most of them are integrated directly into the Linux software and are part of the Linux kernel by default.
The Linux OS has a dedicated driver base for graphics, printers and other hardware devices. Since most of these drivers are made by enthusiasts, you must install them manually.
Depending on the version of Linux you have installed, the processes could slightly vary.
To Install Drivers on Ubuntu, Follow These Steps:
How to Update Audio and Sound Drivers
An outdated or missing driver is a common fix to having no input or output from your headphones or speakers. To fix possible issues related to sound, then follow these steps:
How to Update Network and WiFi Drivers
Configuring a network requires both a driver or firmware update on the router + the receiving device. If you need to update your router, please get in touch with your internet provider. I once tried to configure a satellite receiver dish manually but deleted the past configurations.
How to Update USB Drivers
USB drivers refer to the USB ports themselves and not in the peripherals you plug into them. Outdated USB drivers are a common cause for the PC not recognizing the device you plugin or simply not appearing.
To fix possible issues related to USB Drivers, then follow these steps:
To find the appropriate 3rdparty software for your device, most popular USD device manufacturers have a dedicated online webpage. The steps above address only the drivers for your USB ports.
How to Update Camera Drivers
If your computer does not recognize your external or internal camera, follow this procedure to update the camera drivers.
Suppose you have an older legacy camera that is no longer supported by Windows updates. In that case, skip these steps and find the driver online directly from the camera manufacturer. Otherwise, follow these steps:
If “Imaging Devices” does not appear in the device manager, then it means that you haven’t plugged in a USB web camera.
If you have a webcam plugged in, right-click anywhere on the screen and click “Scan for hardware changes”. Your USB camera should appear now under the Imagining Devices tab.
Note that you need to install additional software from the camera manufacturers website in some instances. In my case, the Logitech 300 was more than five years old, and I only got it to work from the proprietary Logitech software found online.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to Update Hp Printer Drivers
To update HP printers, you need to visit theHP Driver and Software supportpage. After this, you need to follow these two steps.
How to Update Lenovo Drivers
To update Lenovo laptops or other products, you need to visit theLenovo Driver supportpage.
All you have to do is click the big blue button Start Scan and let it automatically detect and install the required missing drivers.
How to Update Alienware and Dell Drivers
Alienware is owned and produced by Dell, so you can conveniently locate both of these different products drivers by visiting theirofficial site.
All you need to do is to type your laptop or desktops name and click on Search
Proceed to download and install the driver on your device; pay attention to the products full names when typing them.
How to Uninstall a Driver or Roll It Back to the Previous Version
If you installed the wrong driver, you always have the advanced option to delete a driver and install it again. Follow these steps to uninstall a driver.
If you want to install a different/earlier version of the driver, then do these steps instead:
A good practice when doing this is to always verify to have a backup of the original driver just in case.
