Windows Update May or May Not Cover Device Drivers

Updates Will Never Be Fully Automatic

Microsoft will distribute device drivers from manufacturers, provided that the device drivers are up to Microsoft’s driver standards and that the manufacturer makes the driver available for distribution. Not all device manufacturers choose to distribute drivers like this, so not all device drivers are distributed via Windows Update.

While some device drivers are part of the “automatic update” routine, others are left behind. By itself, this may leave some users with the mistaken impression that all device drivers they need, want or use will be delivered to their computer as updates become available. In reality, some device drivers are distributed automatically and others aren’t.

For those device drivers that are not automatically updated, the user must make the effort to go out to the manufacturer website, locate the correct driver, download it and install it. One key ingredient – letting a user know that a new driver is available – is missing. Unless the user is paying attention, or has an application installed to flag updated device drivers, the user could go for months or years not even realizing that a new device driver is available.

That’s precisely why I use Driver Detective to manage and maintain all of the device drivers on my personal computers. Driver Detective takes the work out of device driver maintenance by monitoring for driver updates. It also monitors the performance of my installed drivers and lets me know when a device driver is missing, corrupted or otherwise misbehaving.

Driver Detective stores a local copy of the device driver, so if replacement is required, the new installation can take place quickly, without having to go out to the manufacturer’s website and download a fresh copy. When a new driver is available, Driver Detective retrieves the new driver and installs it, retaining a backup copy of the old driver in the event I want to roll back to an older driver version.

Best of all, I don’t have to remember to check the hardware manufacturer’s websites for driver updates. Driver Detective does all of that for me and maintains a library of the drivers I need for my specific hardware configuration. Download your copy of Driver Detective today and see what you’ve been missing out on!

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Keeping Drivers Updated Can Improve Application Performance

OS Faux Pas Are Legendary

Most of the time, we hear about OS failures, spectacular or otherwise. A new version of the OS comes out and all heck can break loose. Applications, on the other hand rarely gain much attention, possibly because even the most popular applications aren’t as embedded in the marketplace as operating systems are.

When you download and install a new application or an application update, and you’re not entirely happy with the performance, before you blame the new software code or roll it back to an older version, be sure to check out your drivers and make sure that you’re running the latest versions.

That could include the latest versions of your sound and graphics drivers, which can be critical for a satisfying gaming experience. If you use your computer to do heavy-duty computing – like number-crunching or graphic design/engineering work, you’ll also want to be sure that your graphics drivers are in good working order.

For games or other applications that run simultaneously from the hard disk and a CD-ROM or DVD, you’ll also want to check the drivers for your media drive(s). If your old drivers can’t keep up, they can seriously impede the flow of data between the drive and the processor.

Don’t rely on Microsoft to dole out the driver updates you need. Not all manufacturers use the Microsoft distribution option, so you could find yourself operating under the mistaken assumption that your drivers are up-to-date when in fact, they’re not.

For me, I can think of few less appealing ways to spend my time than downloading driver updates. As a technician, I’m paid to maintain computers all the time, but when I’m on my own time, I try to maximize my return and minimize my efforts, all while keeping my PC completely updated.

That’s why I use Driver Detective to maintain my PC hardware drivers. Driver Detective downloads, installs and backs up copies of my current driver, ensuring that my drivers are always updated. I can also roll back a new driver to an older version if I’m not happy with the performance of the new installation.

Driver Detective has been downloaded and used by millions of users who swear by it. Download a copy today and see for yourself what a difference regular driver maintenance can make.

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Will Windows 8 Still Suffer From Driver Issues?

Driver Development Isn’t Controlled By Microsoft

Unfortunately, Microsoft still faces the same challenges regarding drivers for third-party hardware it faced for all other releases of Windows. Another not-so-fortunate fact is that Windows 8 is substantially different from Windows 7/Vista. The hardware manufacturers are going to have to come through in order to ensure that Windows 8 is a commercial success.

One of the big differences this time around is that consumers actually want Windows 8. Windows 8 is designed to provide big-time support to the mobile computing devices users simply can’t seem to get enough of. That will serve as a good motivator for some third-party manufacturers to get their drivers out the door and in good working order on Launch Day – whenever that might be.

Don’t get me wrong. Windows 8 isn’t meant exclusively for mobile devices. There will still be reasons (and hopefully good ones) to update non-mobile computers to the newest OS, too. Mobile device manufacturers will be ready out of the gate. The question still remains for the non-mobile device manufacturers – do they plan to come to the party?

Windows 8 represents a very different shift from Windows 7, so initially, users can expect some delays in getting device drivers for their current devices. They can also expect some manufacturers to drop support for even relatively new devices, as they did when Vista first hit store shelves. The standard issues with device compatibility will arise, and a large number of users – particularly at the enterprise level – will wait until the first service pack or better to migrate to Windows 8.

The “first service pack” benchmark is telltale. Those third party manufacturers who have updated drivers by that point are in the game, and those who haven’t produced working drivers for their existing hardware probably won’t. For those users who have just upgraded to Windows 7, the prospect of going on more device driver hunts probably isn’t too exciting.

Nonetheless, Windows 8 is rumored for a late-2012 release. With review copies already on the street, the pressure is officially on third-party manufacturers to build drivers that are ready for business on Opening Day.

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Microsoft Won't Be Distributing Third-Party Updates In Windows 8

Change Means That Third-Parties Are On Their Own For Distributions

This doesn’t change things for Windows driver updates, however, not all third-party manufacturers update their drivers through the Windows Update feature. The change in policy for Windows 8 means that users will have to remain on duty when it comes to keeping their Windows applications up-to-date.

In terms of device drivers, the status quo doesn’t guarantee that users have the latest device drivers, and that’s going to continue in Windows 8. Right now, the experience of updating device drivers is a mixed bag. With some third parties participating in Windows Update and others doing their own thing, users need to keep track of what’s being updated regularly and what isn’t.

For busy users, or for those who are not technically savvy, a better approach to driver maintenance is using a driver management utility like Driver Detective. Driver Detective determines – based on your computer system – what driver updates you need and downloads them right to your computer. The updates are installed and a backup copy of the current driver is stored locally, in case something happens to the active copy. You can also roll back to an older version of the driver if a new driver update doesn’t behave the way you think it should.

You don’t have to remember to check for updates. Driver Detective does that for you. You also don’t have to keep track of a lot of hardware configuration information, because Driver Detective does that, too! This is ideal for manufactures that use multiple third party component options within a single model. Driver Detective determines what your system needs – not based on the model number of your computer – but based on the components actually installed in your system. If you update a video card, add a different mouse, or attach a new peripheral device, Driver Detective can track and maintain those devices, too.

Driver Detective is one of the best driver management utilities available today. Millions of users have already downloaded it and rely on it to keep their computer systems up to date. Download your copy today and say goodbye to outdated device driver problems!

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Signed Windows Driver Protection Subject Of New Rootkit Attack

BlackHole Exploit Kit Turns Off Signed Driver Requirement

Not all system are vulnerable to the attack, but for those systems with unpatched versions of Java or Adobe Reader, to suppress the Patchguard function that checks for signed Windows drivers. Patchguard is designed to protect 64-bit versions of Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows Server. With Patchguard out of the way, additional malware exploits can be loaded that disable anti-virus and anti-malware programs.

The first step to take, of course, is to ensure that systems with vulnerable versions of Java and Reader are patched. These patches come from the manufacturer and can be applied quickly. For systems with continued vulnerability, the absence of Patchguard by itself won’t raise many (if any) ripples, since Patchguard usually works in the background unless a problem arises.

Other programs that may be disabled as part of the exploit are more likely to tip off a user that something is wrong. Anti-malware software that doesn’t work correctly, doesn’t issue standard alerts, or exhibits unusual behavior could be a clue that something is not right with the system.

This underscores the importance of keeping your system, including your Windows drivers and applications updated. Most people think that operating system flaws are the only source of OS insecurity. The BlackHole Exploit Kit demonstrates quite neatly that applications that interact with the OS at a low level also have the ability to impact the overall security of the system.

Keeping your OS patched and your drivers updated is of limited value if you don’t also keep your applications up-to-date. Hackers and other malware programmers will look for exploits in the most common applications and OS extensions. That Java and Flash, as well as “utility” applications like browsers, PDF readers, and viewers of one sort or another.

By keeping your entire system properly updated, you can keep your computer protected. You should also be aware of what constitutes proper and improper behavior from your computer, and investigate when unusual events start to occur.

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What A Difference Updated Windows Drivers Can Make

Windows Hardware Drivers Are Maintained By The Manufacturer

Windows hardware drivers are made by hardware manufacturers. They don’t come from Windows, although some users get confused on this point because, in fact, driver updates can be delivered via Windows Update. The hardware manufacturer makes and updates the driver; Microsoft just distributes it.

You don’t have to get your driver updates through Microsoft, and in fact, Microsoft doesn’t always have the driver updates you want. Unfortunately, the drivers distributed through Windows Update aren’t always the correct version for the hardware you’re running, and installing such a mismatch can be … well… less than satisfying.

Another option for installing new drivers is to go to the driver manufacturer and look for the correct drivers on your own. This is also somewhat unrewarding because it can take quite awhile to find the right driver, and driver installations are about as interesting as watching cars go by.

One great alternative to either hoping Microsoft has gotten things right or spending an hour of time searching for driver updates that may or may not exist is to turn the entire process over to Driver Detective. Driver Detective is a hardware driver management program that keeps tabs on all of the installed drivers on your computer. It downloads the correct drivers, looks for new updates, installs new drivers, backs up the drivers that are in use on the computer and keeps tabs on the driver’s operation so that if it gets corrupted or lost, a new copy can be installed right away.

Driver Detective saves me (and you, and anyone else who uses it) the trouble of having to go out searching for new or updated drivers. Driver Detective can determine which drivers are needed based on the hardware that’s installed on your computer, so you always get the right driver downloaded and installed. Driver Detective is one of the tools I recommend. Driver management can be simple or complicated. With Driver Detective, driver management is about as easy as it gets.

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Driver Detective Is A Timesaver

Driver Detective Does What You Don’t Have Time To Do

Driver Detective saves me a lot of time. Whether I’m troubleshooting a driver problem or just performing routine maintenance, I need to spend some amount of time with the computer. With Driver Detective, however, I don’t need to check on the status of the installed drivers, because Driver Detective does that for me.

I don’t need to figure out whether a driver has gotten corrupted or deleted because Driver Detective watches the installed drivers and can tell me whether something has gone wrong. I don’t need to spend even one minute going out to a manufacturer’s Web site and checking for driver updates because Driver Detective does that, too. When a driver update is released, Driver Detective automatically downloads it and installs it.

I don’t need to back up a copy of the installed driver because Driver Detective will take care of that for me. I also don’t need to back up the registry before I install a new driver because Driver Detective has that covered, too. In fact, I don’t even need to install new driver updates because once again, Driver Detective takes care of that.

If you’ve ever performed these steps manually, you already know how much a driver management program like Driver Detective can help. If you’ve never downloaded drivers for your hardware, I invite you to spend an afternoon searching for the correct drivers for your hardware, downloading them, and installing them. It’s not fun, but it is time-consuming. You also run the risk that one or more of your driver downloads will goof up something else on your computer. Then you can have the experience of rolling back a driver update and restoring the backup copy of your registry. (You did remember to back up the registry, didn’t you?)

After spending an afternoon on this little project, you’ll understand why I like, use and recommend Driver Detective.

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When Will Windows Driver Updates Be Available?

Driver Updates Aren’t As Automatic As You Think

The issue of Windows drivers came right to the forefront with Windows Vista. Many manufacturers didn’t provide updated drivers for their existing products. In fact, many vendors basically abandoned the products they had on store shelves and in development because they would not create a working driver that was compatible with Windows Vista.

The “whys” involved in the situation are too long to go into, but many devices were not designed with a newer operating system environment. With Vista (and with XP to a lesser extent), manufacturers had to worry about making 32-bit AND 64-bit drivers. Windows XP and earlier operating systems were designed to work as 32-bit systems; 64-bit operation was an option but it wasn’t all that popular.

With Windows Vista, the system has a 32-bit mode, but its really designed as a 64-bit system. This is something of a problem for users who upgrade their system bit-by-bit because running the 64-bit version of any operating system requires you to have a processor that can DO 64-bit processing. If you were hoping to get by with just an OS upgrade from XP to Vista, you’d be disappointed unless your processor had the right stuff.

At the time Windows Vista was introduced, Microsoft was betting that most computer users had the right stuff to run Vista, and most peripheral manufacturers were betting that most users didn’t. They hedged their bets a little bit by not writing Vista drivers for much of their product line. By slowing down the upgrade curve, manufacturers could save themselves a lot of work and head off consumer complaints – at least for a while. Windows Vista was a nice operating system, but for the lack of drivers for even the most common peripherals.

When Windows 7 hit the shelves, hardware manufacturers were behind the 8-ball, so to speak. They had no functional 64-bit drivers but the consumers were squarely in the “upgrade the OS” corner. Windows 7 is a nice operating system, too. Even a year after its release, manufacturers are scrambling to catch up by releasing drivers for their existing product line. No one should expect that third party manufacturers will come to the table later in the game. Instead, consumers should reward the manufacturers who are ready with Windows 7 drivers, and leave behind the manufacturers that want to engage in brinksmanship on the issue of drivers. Windows 7 turns out to be a great opportunity for companies with ready-to-go drivers that want to make the most of the switch to Windows 7.

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Microsoft Cuts Support Options For Windows XP Users

Unsupported OS Can Be Tricky

Running an unsupported OS can be tricky, since users won’t be able to get patches and revisions. Although development on the XP OS ended long ago, Microsoft was still providing maintenance releases that closed holes and kept the system as up-to-date as possible.

According to Microsoft, Service Pack 3 can be applied only to computers running the 32-bit version of Windows XP. Prior to installing Service Pack 3, the computer must also have Service Pack 2 and Service Pack 1(a) installed. These service packs are still available from the Microsoft Web site.

If you’re not sure whether your computer is a 32-bit or 64-bit system, you can find out by taking the following steps.
Go to Start > Run
Enter sysdm.cpl and click OK.
This will open a dialog box that will provide additional information about your system. Within the dialog box, select the General tab. If your system is a 32- bit system, you’ll see the words “Windows XP Professional Version XXXX under System. XXXX will be a date, expressed as a year.
If your system is a 64-bit system, you’ll see a slightly different set of words under System: “Windows XP Professional x64 Edition Version XXXX.” Again XXXX represents a year.

Service Pack 3 isn’t used with 64-bit systems, so it’s important to know whether you need the service pack or not. Do not install Service Pack 3 if you have a 64-bit system. Microsoft has provided a different method for patching and updating 64-bit versions of the XP operating system.
The installed user base for Windows XP is still quite large, however more users are adopting Windows 7. Importantly, many of the new adopters are Microsoft’s corporate customers, most of whom have been working with XP for nearly 10 years. In the coming year, Microsoft will likely examine its plan to drop support for Windows XP altogether.

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Monthly Driver Updates Aren't Just For Windows Anymore

Will Adobe Sign Up For Patch Tuesday?

Patch Tuesday releases include security updates, driver updates and patches to the operating system that have not been deemed a flat-out, “all-hands-on-deck” emergency. The system has worked relatively well since it was introduced by Microsoft in 2003. Now Adobe says that it may move to monthly product and security updates.

Several prominent attacks against Windows Vista and Windows 7 have been launched using Adobe Flash and Adobe Reader, and users and vendors alike are pressuring Adobe to pay more attention to product vulnerabilities and to address potential exploits faster. Currently, Adobe issues product updates once per quarter. This leaves malware designers significant time to discover and develop attacks using the company’s products.

Another problem for Windows users is that Windows Update does not automatically download and install Adobe product updates. Instead, Windows Update handles only new third-party driver releases. Adobe says it plans to adopt Microsoft’s Security Center Update Publisher (SCUP) by the end of 2010. This move will enable Adobe to distribute product updates to Windows users more quickly and effectively.

Currently, Adobe doesn’t post its most recent product updates on the company’s Web site. Instead, users download an update, then use the Adobe Updater tool to patch the version of the software they’ve just downloaded. One drawback of this approach is that it relies on users to update the product. If users don’t seek out the updates, or don’t allow automatic updates on their computers, the unpatched, out-of-date product(s) will remain.

Since Adobe products are becoming the vector of choice for certain types of attacks against Windows, expect Microsoft to notch up the pressure on Adobe to move to a more regular system of patching, adopt more efficient methods of updating products, and to design products with tighter security controls in mind.

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