A Complete Guide to Updating Drivers Correctly on Windows 10

System security and stability are two of the many reasons to regularly update the drivers for your Windows 10 computer. Updated drivers ensure that the hardware is working properly with the latest or latest tested version of the software. The majority of these updates happen automatically, but due to various factors, the drivers may not update as they should. Fortunately, there are several ways to update drivers on Windows 10 computers, and we’ve compiled some of the best practices.

Most people who work with drivers don’t even know what it is or how it works. I’ll cover these questions in today’s guide, where you’ll learn everything there is to know about drivers in Windows 10.

Let’s start.

What are Windows Drivers

A driver is like a “software component” that allows the Windows operating system (operating system) to communicate with a device. One of the most common examples of this is a flash or external hard drive. It is a two-way process in which data is transmitted and reversed. Here’s how a typical app’s commands and feedback flow happen with the device. The two arrows indicate the direction (back and forth) of the communication flow each time the user issues a command. Think of it as when you press a key on a keyboard.

Application <> Windows OS <> Driver <> Device

Sometimes some software also calls certain key components as driver software. The developer will split the app into two components – one that works with the user and one that works behind the scenes. The former stands for the graphical user interface that allows you to view, navigate, interact, and select options that the operating system considers to be issuing commands. And the other component works behind the scenes by interacting with Windows and making it easy to run the command, which only happens in kernel mode, to process protected data.

In short, the drivers act as a bridge between the application which queries the data stored on the device, internal or external.

How drivers work

Let us first take a material example. For example, when you want to print a Word document, you open the file, press the print button and the printing machine makes a strange sound and voila! Everything that was on your screen is now on a piece of paper in your hand.

Here’s what happened in the background.

In this case, the application is Microsoft Word. It will send the correct command to the operating system telling it to print a document. The operating system will use the drivers associated with the printer to send the data along with a command to print it. The printer will do its job and you will see the result in your hand.

Let’s take another example. You click a button to watch a YouTube video and it plays.

As simple as it sounds, we often miss the complex chain of events that unfolded after such an action.

The browser is the application that communicates your desire to view this video to the operating system. The operating system involves a built-in sound card or audio hub (to play sound) and a video chip or GPU (to display video) that are present on your computer. And a network card to use the Internet to stream video stored across the world on a remote server. The operating system will now send requests to three different drivers and ask them to relay audio, video and network tasks.

It all happens so fast that you don’t even feel it or notice it. You press a button and the video starts playing. And that’s how you miss the symphony created by different pilots to play this video in a second or two.

How to install the drivers in Windows

Most drivers are installed automatically the moment you connect a hardware device such as a flash drive or printer. Of course, this requires an internet connection on your computer.

The process takes a while as it will search for the same online. You should see a pop-up window with the progress details. In the case of software, the drivers will be installed by the installer of the software package. You don’t have to worry about anything.

Want to download and install the drivers manually? You can always visit the download section of the manufacturer’s site or the Microsoft Download Center to obtain the correct version or the latest version of the driver. You can then use the shared method in the next point to install them.

While you might know the name of the device manufacturer, the real challenge is finding the exact technical name and model number of the device. This is how you will look for drivers on the site. You can easily find these details using an app like CPU-Z or Speccy (both are free).

Get CPU-Z

Get Speccy

Once you’ve got the details of the hardware device you’re looking for, head to the manufacturer’s site to find the latest drivers. Or you can get them back through Windows Updates. I do not recommend installing drivers from third party sites. They are often unreliable, uncertified, and can leave your Windows system unstable. Worse yet, it could contain malware that steals your data.

Are you a gamer? In this case, you will need to install the latest drivers often as a Windows update, or other methods usually install older versions. Most graphics card manufacturers like AMD and Nvidia have their proprietary applications like AMD ReLive and NVIDIA GeForce Experience to update drivers. These apps also provide additional features like game recording, taking and sharing screenshots etc.