Driver Updates

If you’re like most casual computer users, the only time you have had to deal with drivers is when you put the CD-ROM that said “Printer driver” or “Digital camera driver” into the correct drive when you bought a new piece of computer hardware.. Most of us simply follow the instructions that come in the box with our new toys and don’t think about it again. But do you know what the drivers actually do and why they are important?

What does a driver do?

A device driver as they are called is basically a small software program that controls a device connected to your computer. The operating system of your computer cannot directly access or communicate with the device, so the driver translates the information into a form the operating system understands.

You need a device driver for any type of peripheral you hook up to your computer—printers, modems, webcams or scanners all use drivers. There are actually drivers for your hard drive, CD drive, keyboard and mouse also, but generally these are already installed in your operating system. Even some things you might consider internal components such as video graphics cards, sound cards and network cards require drivers. “Every time you install new hardware, you need to install a driver to make it work.” (PC Nine One One)

Why would I need to update a driver?

You might think that once you have loaded the driver for an item you are done. As long as it’s working, why would you need to change it? The fact is that drivers are software and as such are subject to errors and bugs. In fact, they may be more prone to errors than some other types of software. Microsoft’s Error Reporting Service discovered that 70% of Windows crashes reported to them involved some type of device drivers, (Slate)

To prevent errors and system problems, the best thing to do is to stay current with your drivers. Updated drivers may contain patches or security fixes as well, so it is always a good idea to update device drivers when a new version is available. PC Nine One One recommends updating all drivers annually noting “This is called preventive maintenance and really helps to prevent you from experiencing conflicts, crashes and other unwanted behavior”. (PC Nine One One)

How do I know which driver version I have?

If you installed a new hardware item and have the CD-Rom, it should tell you which version driver you have. If you don’t know, there is a tool called the Device Manager in Windows that lists all devices attached to the computer and their drivers. “You can reach the Device Manager by Right-clicking on the My Computer icon, choose Properties, then click the Hardware tab. From the Device Manger window, highlight a hardware device, then right-click on it. Choose Properties again, then click the Driver tab. Here you can see the device driver’s name and version number.” (Wise Geek)

You can write down the driver information for each device and then check for updated versions.

Where will I find updated drivers?

The best place to obtain updated drivers is from the manufacturer of the device. They will usually have the most up-to-date versions of drivers for their products. In most cases, you can simply go to the manufacturer’s website and look for a section called “Support” or “Downloads”.

For example, if you have a Nikon digital camera, you can go to NikonUSA and find a section called “Service and Support” on the home page that will take you to a list of current driver and software downloads. You can then compare the information on your driver and check to see if an updated version is available.

It is always best to download driver updated directly from the manufacturer if possible. If you need to use a download from a second-party site, be sure it is a safe and well-respected site. The largest and one of the best driver download sites is DriverGuide with over a million drivers from over 10,000 manufacturers. They have received awards form PC Magazine, PC World and PC Today among others. (Driver Guide)

Another well-respected site is Cnet’s Downloads where all downloads are checked and guaranteed to be spyware free. This site also offers a free download of VersionTracker Pro, software that checks your drivers and detects and corrects any out-of-date versions automatically. (Download)

In most cases, the driver updates are self-installing and don’t require any specialized knowledge.

How often do I need to update drivers?

It depends in part on what type of activities you use your PC for. If you mainly use the computer for email, word-processing or surfing the Net, you may want to check into updates on an annual basis. If you are into computer gaming, you may want to update more frequently, particularly for graphics card drivers. As gaming technology advances, it requires advances in graphics software and drivers to utilize the full potential of new games. “Graphics cards receive more driver refreshes than any other PC component.” (Smart Computing)