You Can't Always Rely On Windows For Driver Updates

The Cost Of Not Having Drivers

Microsoft can’t be expected to hit a home run each time it steps up to the plate, but without having updated Vista drivers for hardware, there’s little incentive to upgrade for the home user. In some ways, Microsoft can force an upgrade by not allowing manufacturers to ship with an older version of the Windows OS – which Microsoft did to address customer complaints – but that just pushes the problem farther down the line.

We’re at that point right now with Windows 7. Windows 7 was meant to install on top of Windows Vista. The penalty for having skipped Vista is that the user must then do a “clean” install, which turns out to be a messy prospect. Windows 7 came with a raft of third party drivers, but that doesn’t free the user from having to do manual updates.

Having done them countless times, I can say that manual driver updates can be painful. Now, Windows can download and install driver updates if the system is configured to do so and if Windows Update has found (or been handed) an updated driver. If not, you’re manually updating your computer either as often as you remember, or when you start having hardware problems.

I’ve solved this problem by using a driver management tool called Driver Detective. Driver Detective does more than just locate the correct driver for a particular installation. It locates, downloads and installs updated drivers automatically. It also archives the correct driver on the hard disk and monitors the operation of each driver so that it can quickly reload a driver that’s been damaged or deleted.

What I like best about Driver Detective is that it saves me the time of having to go out and locate new drivers or find old versions of drivers that I want to use. I don’t have to wonder about whether a driver is current. Driver Detective finds out for me. I don’t have to figure out whether a driver is corrupted, because not only does Driver Detective figure that out, it also replaces bad drivers.

Not every IT “tool” is worth having , but Driver Detective is one of those software packages that is. If you haven’t already, download a copy and see for yourself how easy it can be to make driver management problems a thing of the past.

Photo Credit: Jenny Dowling, via Flickr

New ATI Drivers May Improve Video Performance

Video Playback Could Be Improved With New Driver

According to ATI, the new driver release will address a host of issues that arose from a variety of common actions, including playing YouTube videos using the Adobe Flash player on Firefox, and problems with video or system response while using certain games. The new drivers are available for immediate download.

ATI is one of the premiere video card manufacturers and it’s no surprise that these drivers contain a number of fixes for nagging issues. In addition to fixing problems, the driver updates also improve the performance of certain cards on specific games, like Left 4 Dead 2.

Not all Windows users are lucky enough to find driver updates so easily, however. For many users, the process of downloading and installing drivers manually is time-consuming and frustrating. Manufacturers often make several different updates available for either a variety of products or different configurations of the same or similar products.

New drivers may or may not be available based on the chipset that your computer or hardware device uses, and users may not know offhand which devices they have installed. This can be a recipe for disaster, or at least a lot of wasted time and poor outcomes. Downloading the wrong driver can be as bad as downloading no driver at all, or working with a damaged driver.

I always recommend working with a driver management software package like Driver Detective. Driver Detective has a database of millions of drivers and can determine precisely which drivers are required for your specific hardware configuration. You don’t have to worry about using the wrong drivers or missing a driver update.

Once Driver Detective is installed, you can trust it to monitor your existing drivers and look for updates. If an update is located, Driver Detective will automatically download it, install it and archive it.

The archiving feature is important because Driver Detective can also watch your system to make sure your existing drivers don’t get corrupted, damaged or deleted. Should this happen Driver Detective will download a fresh copy and you’ll be on your way! You can continue to hunt for new drivers, download them and install them as you always have, or you can automate the process and get back to work on the things that really mean something to you.

As for me, I’m going to try these new drivers on Left 4 Dead 2.

Photo Credit: Tom Francis, via Flickr