Driver Detective » managing Windows drivers

Finding Windows Driver Updates Doesn’t Have To Be Hard

paul — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 07:00:43 +0000

Finding Windows Driver Updates Doesn't Have To Be Hard

I often encounter people who believe their computer is up-to-date. They’ve set Windows to download updates automatically (not a bad thing), and they assume that the rest of their software is kept up-to-date. Unfortunately, people don’t always distinguish between “Windows” and the rest of the stuff on their computer. “The rest of the stuff” includes Windows driver updates, which may or may not be automatically loaded.

Windows Can Be Set To Retrieve Driver Updates

Microsoft realized a long time ago that their flagship product had a major vulnerability over which they had virtually no control: third-party driver updates. Aside from a limited number of peripherals, Microsoft doesn’t make hardware. They make software.

The software they make runs the computer itself, and they also make a large number of applications. Since they don’t make hardware, they don’t make Windows drivers – which tell Microsoft’s software how to operate a piece of attached hardware. A problem may arise when Microsoft changes its operating system software. Hardware drivers may not work properly, and Microsoft must rely on hardware manufacturers to make the necessary changes to support their devices under the updated (or upgraded) operating system.

Microsoft doesn’t make changes without notice, in most cases. Security issues may be corrected without much warning from Microsoft, but in terms of operating system upgrades, the manufacturers have plenty of notice that changes are coming. Unfortunately, some manufacturers may not make the necessary changes to support older equipment. Sometimes the age of the hardware has nothing to do with a manufacturer’s decision to support or not support OS revisions.

When the vendor makes Microsoft aware of a new hardware driver, Microsoft can distribute it as a “critical update.” Microsoft doesn’t always get the latest hardware drivers from third-party vendors, which ultimately means that some users who think their computers are up-to-date are mistaken. Windows driver updates can pass by unnoticed.

That’s why I use and recommend Driver Detective. Driver Detective is a driver management software program that seeks out, downloads, installs and monitors hardware drivers. Driver Detective keeps track of the drivers your computer uses, and detects and corrects problems before they become a problem for you.

Driver Detective keeps a backup copy of the most current driver and monitors driver performance to ensure that your computer hardware will work correctly all the time. Driver Detective saves a lot of time and effort on the user’s part. With Driver Detective installed, you don’t have to go out to the manufacturer’s Web site to determine whether a driver update is available. I’m all for anything that saves time and effort, which I why I’m all for Driver Detective.

Photo Credit: quinn.anya, via Flickr

Who Has Time To Manage Windows Drivers?

paul — Fri, 28 May 2010 16:52:57 +0000

Who Has Time To Manage Windows Drivers?

As a professional PC technician, I have to admit that I’ve spent hours searching for, downloading, installing and managing Windows drivers. I also have to say that I have better things to do with my time. Looking for Windows drivers isn’t fun. Sure, Windows says it can find drivers, and in some cases, that’s true. In many other cases, however, the search for a new driver begins and ends with the user rather than the OS.

Manufacturers Don’t Always Come Through

Hardware manufacturers are ultimately responsible for providing hardware drivers, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get much satisfaction from them. Manufacturers are notorious for dropping support for old (and not-so-old) devices, simply by not issuing new drivers for their existing hardware.

It’s frustrating for the user, but this is the manufacturers’ way of prodding users to buy newer hardware, even when the old hardware is working just fine. Windows 7 users may find themselves in a particular bind. They’ve upgraded their OS based on the positive reports from other users, only to discover that their hardware has been deemed “obsolete” by the manufacturer. Likewise, a manufacturer may never have issued a Vista driver based on the users’ “strong preferences for Windows XP.” The unavailability of a Vista driver might just be the best predictor of whether or not your device ends up on the long, slippery slope to oblivion. If a manufacturer hasn’t made a Vista driver, there’s a great chance that you won’t be seeing a Windows 7 driver, either.

You may still be able to find Windows drivers that will talk to your hardware, but the real value of having the right driver is that all of the device’s “built-in functions” will work. Without the correct driver, the device may have limited operating capabilities, or may not work at all.

If you’ve upgraded to Windows 7 and you can’t find a driver for your device inside the OS, the first place to check is with the device manufacturer. Some manufacturers have already identified the devices they support (or plan to support), so verify that your device is on the supported list.

If your device isn’t on the supported list for Windows 7, check the vendor’s site to see if they’ve issued a device driver for Vista. The Vista OS is remarkably compatible with Windows 7 in many areas, including hardware drivers. A Vista driver may work just fine with your Window 7 installation. Failing that, there is a possibility that a Windows XP driver will work. (You’ll need to watch out for 32-bit v 64-bit versions.) The XP driver is far less likely to be a perfect fit, though.

You can always do what I do, which is rely on Driver Detective to locate, download, install and manage drivers. It saves me a great deal of time, which makes Driver Detective worth its weight in gold.

Photo Credit: John Trainor, via Flickr