Driver Updates Can Make A Difference

Driver Updates Are Important

Microsoft isn’t responsible for creating driver software, but they do distribute driver updates from manufacturers that pass driver updates along. Not every manufacturer does driver updates through Microsoft, however, so it’s not a good policy to rely on Microsoft for driver updates.

If your hardware manufacturer doesn’t use Microsoft to distribute its updates, you could be several revisions behind on your drivers. You might be asking yourself, “How bad can that be?,” especially if your computer and hardware seem to be working just fine without the updates.

Driver updates can provide additional security, extended functionality and corrections to the code you’re already using. They can also help your hardware work correctly after Microsoft has made a major update to the operating system. In addition, they can improve the overall performance of the hardware, so you get faster response and better control over your hardware when you keep your driver software updated.

You’ll miss out on these things if you rely exclusively on Microsoft to distribute your driver updates. Instead of waiting for Microsoft, or relying on your memory to visit the manufacture to check for updates, I recommend that my customers use Driver Detective to locate, download, install and manage driver updates for their computers.

Driver Detective is an all-in-one driver management solution for Windows computers. Driver Detective looks for, downloads, installs, and backs up drivers for your Windows computers. You don’t have to rely on Microsoft to notify you of an update, and you don’t have to remember to visit the manufacturer support site periodically to download drivers.

Driver Detective keeps track of your hardware, so you always receive the drivers you need when you need them. Driver Detective also keeps track of driver performance, and lets you replace a driver that is missing, damaged or destroyed.

Driver Detective takes the drudgery out of maintaining your Windows Drivers. There are certainly other driver management software packages on the market, but none are as reliable or as trusted as Driver Detective. Download your copy today and give yourself the driver security you’ve been looking for.

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Driver Detective Windows 8 Beta Is Available Free Of Charge

What Does Driver Detective Do?

Driver Detective offers users a great way to manage their Windows drivers. The product is well-developed and tested, and allows users to manage their Windows drivers with virtually no effort. Driver Detective has been available for years, and is a recognized leader among driver management software packages.

Instead of navigating through countless manufacturer websites looking for the right driver, users can simply download, install and configure Driver Detective. The software does the rest of the work.

Driver Detective will maintain a library of current drivers for each PC it’s installed on. Driver Detective monitors the installed drivers, locates new driver software and updates, and takes care of download and installation for you. You never have to go back out to a manufacturer’s website looking for drivers, and you don’t have to worry that you haven’t installed the correct version of the software.

Driver Detective downloads the driver package from the manufacturer and installs it, without making any changes to the manufacturer’s original installation package. That’s great news because you get the driver from the manufacturer, exactly the way the manufacturer distributed it. You won’t find any hidden extras, malware, adware or other unwanted items – just the correct driver for your computer system every time.

Driver Detective is highly reliable and stable, and the publisher is now making the Windows 8 beta version available for public testing. This is ideal if you already have a copy of the Windows 8 beta and want to ensure that you have the correct drivers for your computer.
The download is absolutely free of charge until July 2012, and can be installed and used as much as you want. There are absolutely no restrictions on the product, and the Windows 8 beta version is yours to use and test.

This is also great news for Driver Detective users who want to know that they can continue to rely on the product for Windows 8 support. As with previous versions of the Windows operating system, Driver Detective will available to deliver the same reliable service for Windows 8!

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Having The Right Windows Drivers Can Improve Laptop Battery Life

Battery Is Everything For The Average Laptop

Most laptops come pre-configured with the drivers they need to run their hardware. Keeping these drivers updated is critical because every device that your laptop runs consumes precious battery life. Old drivers sometimes consume more power than is necessary to ensure that a device or peripheral works properly. By updating your laptop drivers regularly, you can help assure yourself that you’re getting the most out of your battery life.

Getting the right driver is also crucial, especially for laptops. Most laptop manufacturers take care of the driver distribution for their products. That’s because a product with the same name and model number may have a variety of different components in it. In other words, two “identical” laptops won’t always have the same components in them, even though they may have the same model number and may perform identically. Laptop manufacturers often base their driver distributions on the unit’s serial number to ensure that the user receives the correct drivers and driver updates.

Video drivers are of special interest because the video display is one of the most power-hungry components in a laptop. Keeping the video driver up-to-date at all times can help preserve battery life and performance over the long haul.

Here’s another thing to think about: sometimes your laptop comes with peripherals you don’t use. For example, my laptop has a trackpad that takes the place of a traditional mouse. Unfortunately for me, I happen to like using a traditional mouse. To accommodate this preference, I purchased a wireless USB mouse that I carry with my when I take my laptop on the road. That means the trackpad is essentially useless. To ensure that the trackpad doesn’t consume extra power, I disable it and disable the driver.

Here’s another example of unused hardware: my laptop also comes with a built-in Webcam. The Webcam on my laptop was undoubtedly designed to appeal the Skype fans among us. I don’t happen to be one of them, so I don’t use the Webcam. Under the default load on the laptop, the drivers for the Webcam get loaded, whether I use the Webcam or not. Since I definitely don’t use this hardware, I disabled the Webcam drivers, which prevents them from loading. If I ever change my mind about the Webcam, I can simply reactivate the drivers and my Webcam will be back in business.

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What Can You Expect From Windows 8?

Performance, Performance, Performance

Microsoft has made no secret of the fact that Windows 8 is directed toward mobile devices. That would include laptops, netbooks, tablet devices and even the mobile phones that run the Windows OS. That doesn’t mean that more stationary devices will be left out in the cold, though.

Thanks to changes in the OS, users can expect better (read: faster) performance from Windows 8 than they see with Windows 7, and that’s a deliverable that doesn’t require the upgrade of existing hardware. Yes, under some (maybe most?) circumstances, Windows 8 will run faster than Windows 7 does using the same hardware.

Aside from faster operations, users can also expect a boatload of new drivers – after all, that’s how the user will actually reap the benefit of the new operating system. Microsoft has gotten very sensitive lately about the availability of drivers for its operating systems, largely because of Vista’s less-than-spectacular consumer debut. Regardless of what flavor of Windows you run, the product doesn’t generate a lot of joy when manufacturers don’t make the drivers you need.

While Windows 8 is “new,” it borrows heavily from the Vista/Windows 7 architecture, so users can expect to find drivers that work on the new system pretty much out of the gate. That’s not to say that every manufacturer will toe the line and produce drivers on Release Day, but the installed user base for Windows 7 is growing, and users are either migrating to Windows 7 or they’re replacing their old computers with one that runs Windows 7. Third party manufacturers support Windows 7 for their new equipment, Windows 7 works well with its Windows 2008 Server enterprise counterpart, and that sets the stage for what Windows 8 needs to succeed on the hardware compatibility front.

For users that haven’t upgraded past XP, the writing is on the wall. Microsoft no longer distributes XP, though Enterprise users can load whatever version of the Windows OS they like, and the company has announced the drop-dead support date for the product. Once that date arrives (in 2014), there will be no more security patches or other support available for that OS, and what little (if any) driver development is occurring now will be abandoned at that time.

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Windows XP Migration? Keep An Eye On Your Windows Drivers

Migration Is Worth The Effort

Windows 7 isn’t perfect, to be sure, but migrators who are adopting the system from Windows XP will certainly be in for a pleasant surprise. Microsoft hasn’t ditched its considerable investment in Windows Vista, so there are a lot of similarities between Windows Vista and Windows XP. Microsoft has also made it abundantly clear that much of the development on the Vista/Windows 7 platform will be used in Windows 8, which should be on the market by the end of 2012.

If you’re migrating, that should neither scare you nor stop you from moving away from Windows XP. After all, Windows XP was introduced to computer manufacturers in mid-2001. Do you really want to use an operating system that’s eleven years old? (Most computer hardware is retired after 5-7 years, as a basis of comparison.) More pointedly, if you’re using the upcoming Windows 8 release as a way to put off the inevitable, do you really want to skip TWO major revisions of the OS?

Now, there are some users that have a very good reason to use Windows XP in favor of Windows 7, and those users aren’t looking at migration, even when considering the inevitable. For everyone else, the need to move to a more modern operating system is driven by both the hardware available for computers today and the applications that have been updated over time. Further, from a technical support standpoint, Windows XP will be taken off technical “life support” sooner rather than later. The very last thing you want – at least as a technician – is to use an operating system that the manufacturer no longer supports.

The argument that kept many users from upgrading to Windows Vista was the availability of Windows drivers for hardware. Today, most manufacturers have worked out the driver issues for their products. While you may find that there are no drivers available for some legacy hardware, avoiding an upgrade because of it is of limited value.

The bottom line on migration to Windows 7 is that the longer you wait, the more work you’ll have in front of you, and the less likely you are to have an optimal result in terms of peripheral hardware operation and support. It’s better to confront reality now than it is to continue waiting.

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The Basics of Downloading Windows Drivers

What You Need To Know About Windows Drivers

The first thing you should always keep in mind is that “windows drivers” don’t come from Microsoft. Drivers are pieces of software written by third-party hardware developers. The driver software is designed to tell the Windows operating system how to access all of the hardware’s functions.

It’s easy to see why people think drivers come from Microsoft. After all, Microsoft distributes drivers through their website and as updates to the system software. While Microsoft tries to ensure that the drivers it distributes are fully functional and meet all of the company’s standards, it is possible that a clunky driver will slip through the cracks. It’s also very possible that your hardware manufacturers choose not to use the Microsoft update vehicle to distribute driver updates.

If you rely exclusively on Microsoft for driver updates, your driver could be several revisions behind! Outdated drivers can certainly cause problems for your computer, so when you suspect a driver problem, it’s best to check with the manufacturer to see if any new driver updates have been issued.

In most cases, you’ll get your driver updates from the manufacturer of the device you’re trying to update. For example, if you have an NVIDIA video card, you’d go to INVIDIA’s support site to pick up your updated driver. If you have a laptop, you may want to check with the laptop manufacturer, rather than the hardware manufacturer, for driver updates. Laptop manufacturers may use a large number of different components created by different manufacturers when they build a computer. Two identical models could have radically different internal components, so it’s best to verify what’s in your laptop with your manufacturer before you go driver hunting on your own.
Downloading a driver is like downloading any other file. Select the file you want and download it to your computer. Open the file up and run the install routine to install the new driver. When you do this, the new driver will overwrite the older one. Normally, you don’t need to uninstall the old driver, but there’s no harm in doing so if you want to take the extra step.

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Windows drivers downloads not always a fix

Managing Windows Drivers Isn’t Fun

Managing Windows drivers is neither easy nor fun. Aside from having computer equipment that may not work properly, there’s not much incentive to go out looking for new drivers. Microsoft does supply some drivers that work in some situations, but the potential for getting the wrong driver, or no driver updates at all exists when you rely on Microsoft for driver updates.

Don’t get me wrong. Microsoft isn’t the bad guy here. They try to distribute the drivers that third-party manufacturers have made available, but the chances of getting the correct driver from Microsoft are lower than they would be if you managed your drivers yourself, and knew what you were doing, and knew where to go to get the proper driver for your computer. And were sure that your problem was related to a driver in the first place.

In short, there are a lot of questions about downloading and updating Windows hardware drivers.

Here’s another wrinkle in the driver saga: desktop users typically go to the third-party manufacturer to get the right driver for their hardware, while laptop users typically go to the laptop manufacturer’s support site to get the right driver for their computers. (Don’t even ask.) It’s no wonder that getting a driver – which isn’t fun or interesting in the first place – is routinely and strictly avoided except when no other solution is apparent.

Ultimately, the idiosyncrasies of finding, downloading and installing the correct drivers for a computer prove to be a major hassle for many users who simply want to use their computers. To avoid becoming an accidental expert in the vagaries of Windows hardware drivers, I recommend Driver Detective as a way to get the drivers you need without the hassle of managing your own driver setup.

Driver Detective locates and downloads the drivers you need for your computer. It retrieves newly released drivers and stores a copy locally, just in case a driver becomes corrupted and needs to be reloaded. I’ve found it to be reliable, easy-to-use and a real help. The program has been downloaded by millions of users around the world and it really works!

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How Do You Know When Windows Drivers Have Gone Bad?

Symptoms Of A Bad Driver

When you’re on the road, spotting a bad driver isn’t hard. They’re weaving around, changing lanes without signaling, tailgating, driving too slow or too fast. As it turns out, spotting a bad Windows driver isn’t all that hard, either.

Drivers are software programs that the computer uses to communicate with the hardware devices attached to it. The first sign of trouble, therefore, might be that your computer no longer “sees” a device. This is common for things like USB drives or other USB devices. You plug the device in and it responds to power, but the computer can’t see the device. The computer might even know that a USB device is attached to it, but can’t tell what it is. In cases like this, replacing the driver is a good bet.

Sometimes, drivers allow the computer to work with more important devices like your video display, the keyboard or mouse. If your display doesn’t seem to work, or doesn’t work correctly (distorted video, missing colors, blank display, etc.), you can boot into safe mode and see if the problem resolves. (Safe mode uses a very basic set of internal drivers to boot the computer, and is designed for troubleshooting. You can’t really run your computer to do practical work in Safe Mode.)

If your video display clears up in Safe Mode, use the opportunity to replace your video driver. You might get some mileage out of removing the old driver and installing a fresh copy of the latest driver, but simply installing the latest driver should get you back on the road.
Sometimes, a bad driver isn’t completely bad. Some functions of a device work, while others don’t. If your device is only partially responsive, you may want to replace the device driver to see if you get better results.

Crashing can also be a symptom of a bad driver. If your computer suddenly starts crashing, or crashes predictably when you access the device, the problem could be a corrupted driver. Replace the driver and see if your results improve.

Finally, the driver itself isn’t always the problem, but the rest of the OS might be. This situation sometimes arises after you’ve applied a slew of updates or a service pack to your OS, and the old driver suddenly doesn’t work anymore. Go to the manufacturer’s website and download a copy of the latest driver to see if that resolves your problem.

Spotting a bad Windows driver isn’t always hard, especially if you know what to look for.

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64-Bit or 32-Bit Windows? Your Drivers May Decide

Device Drivers Can Play A Deciding Role

If you’re starting from scratch and have no peripheral devices to worry about, then you’ll probably want to use the 64-bit option. 64-bit processing is standard among modern OS’s. You’ll also want to spend a little thinking time when you choose your version of the operating system.

With Windows, you may end up paying more for the 64-bit version of your OS, but you’ll also get some added benefits – like increased RAM addressing. Strictly speaking, the hardware determines how much memory your system can take, but Windows has a hand in the memory pie, too. For comparison’s sake, Windows 7 “Starter” limits the computer to using 2 GB RAM. Progressively more capable versions increase the amount of memory that can be addressed. For example, Home Basic can work with up to 8 GB RAM. Home Premium can address 16 GB RAM, and Professional and above can use as much as 192GB. Windows Server, which you wouldn’t use in a home setup, can address as much as 2 terabytes (TB) of RAM.

If you have a killer peripheral or piece of hardware that you absolutely have to have, you’ll need to know whether your device has 64-bit drivers, 32-bit drivers or both. If it has only one or the other, you’ll need to match your OS to the driver. If both 32-bit and 64-bit drivers are available, you’re back to making your own choice.

As a rule, you shouldn’t rely on the idea that a manufacturer will come out with the driver you need for the piece of equipment you have. Drivers are a basic necessity and manufacturers can be notoriously unreliable about producing the driver you need when you need it.

If you haven’t upgraded to Windows 7 yet, or you’re in the process of sizing up a new computer, take stock of the peripherals you own and do a little research on the drivers that are available right now. If you can’t live without the peripheral, or you don’t have a budget to upgrade to a newer model, choose the OS that will work with the available Windows drivers for your hardware devices.

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Windows 8 Beta Hits The Streets

What Will Windows 8 Require?

Ironically, Windows 8 is definitely designed for mobile computing devices all the way. Microsoft has hit mobile support in a big way, so you would think that a laptop or tablet would be the ideal test device. Well, maybe not. Windows 8, like earlier versions of Windows, will have make-or-break hardware requirements that your test device will need to meet or exceed. That old laptop you have laying around may not be in service, but that doesn’t automatically make it a good candidate for a beta OS test.

Don’t consider loading Windows 8 unless your test device can meet all of the following minimum requirements:
• 1 GHz processor
• 1 GB RAM (2 GB if you want to run in 64-bit mode)
• 16 GB free disk space (20 GB for 64-bit support)
• A DirectX 9 graphics device with a Windows Display Driver Module driver (1.0+)

In other words, if your candidate hardware can run Vista or Windows 7 without any trouble, you’ve passed Step 1. If, on the other hand, your proposed hardware runs XP or an earlier version of Windows, you may not be able to get the beta product to load/work properly unless it also meets the minimum hardware standards for Vista/Windows 7.

And as long as we’re talking hardware, I think a better approach would be to load the Windows 8 beta onto a desktop computer because a desktop will be the most tolerant environment for basic hardware compatibility. What do you give up by doing this? Well, remember that Windows 8 is designed for mobile devices and a desktop isn’t exactly mobile. Unless your desktop is outfitted with the trappings of a mobile device (touch screen devices, wireless networking, etc.), you won’t be able to test these functions immediately.

Keep in mind that you’re dealing with a beta version of the OS, and there could be some lurking deficiencies that still haven’t been addressed in the initial release. The key here is evaluating the operating system through a series of baby steps. If Windows 8 can function in the most tolerant device environments, then move it to a more demanding mobile device environment later in your evaluation period.

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