Update Drivers

  • Thread starter Thread starter tooh
  • Start date Start date
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tooh

How important is it to keep drivers updated? With Win XP Home Edition I
updated the Nvidia driver and then installed Driver Dective which indicated
Nvidia need to to be updated! Is there a better app for updating drivers?
 
Using a monitor or version checking app isn't really necessary. As to
updating drivers that depends on several factors. If you are having a
issue that a driver resolves you should install it. That would also apply
to BIOS firmware updates. Performance is another benefit of driver
updates. This especially applies to Video and Network drivers.
A PC is never a static device. There are always interactions and items
that interfere with each other. Some times updating a driver ( or app )
may trigger the need to update something else.
Windows provides a driver roll-back feature, so if an update fails to
deliver you can roll back to the previous working one.
Personally I never update anything on my primary PC unless I take
the 4-5 minutes to run a Image beforehand.
The best way to track driver updates is simply build a list of what
hardware your PC has inside it. On a regular schedule go to the site
of the hardware vendor ( or PC OEM ) to check for new releases.
 
tooh said:
How important is it to keep drivers updated? With Win XP Home Edition I
updated the Nvidia driver and then installed Driver Dective which
indicated Nvidia need to to be updated! Is there a better app for updating
drivers?
Click to expand...

The First Law of Driver Updates is "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". And I
would definitely stay away from the "Driver Detective" type of programs.
Normally if everything is working you want to leave things as they are. The
exception is that heavy-duty gamers will usually want to update their video
and sound drivers to squeeze every last bit of performance out of the
hardware to get the fastest frame rates. If you're not one of those people,
you don't need to update your drivers if there are no problems you are
trying to solve.

Never get drivers from Windows Update. Get them from:

1. The device mftr.'s website; OR
2. The motherboard mftr.'s website if hardware is onboard; OR
3. The OEM's website for your specific machine if you have an OEM computer
(HP, Dell, Sony, etc.).

Read the installation instructions on the website where you get the drivers.

To find out what hardware is in your computer:

1. Read any documentation you got when you bought the computer.
2. If the computer is OEM, go to the OEM's website for your specific model
machine and look at the specs (you'll be there to get the drivers anyway)
3. Download, install and run a free system inventory program like Belarc
Advisor or System Information for Windows.

http://www.belarc.com/free_download.html - Belarc Advisor
http://www.gtopala.com/ - System Information for Windows

Malke
 
I use Driver Detective to diagnose my computer and recommend drivers. It
detects and links to the driver updates, so far, I have updated at least 15
drivers without incident. The software keeps a log of what drivers have been
loaded so there is a history. There is cost for the software - around $30,
it seems to do the job pretty well.
<http://www.tech-pro.net/driver-detective.html>
 
DennyF said:
I use Driver Detective to diagnose my computer and recommend drivers. It
detects and links to the driver updates, so far, I have updated at least
15
drivers without incident. The software keeps a log of what drivers have
been
loaded so there is a history. There is cost for the software - around
$30, it seems to do the job pretty well.
<http://www.tech-pro.net/driver-detective.html>
Click to expand...

You may want to spend the money, but it is 1) completely unnecessary; 2)
these programs are often wrong; 3) even when the information is not wrong,
these programs spur people to make driver changes they don't need. As a
professional computer repair/support tech, my recommendation is to not use
these sorts of programs.

Of course, what you do is your choice but it will not change my opinion
which is based on many years' experience working on client's broken
computers. Many of whom tinkered and included driver update programs in
their tinkering.

Malke
 
seconded

Malke said:
You may want to spend the money, but it is 1) completely unnecessary; 2)
these programs are often wrong; 3) even when the information is not wrong,
these programs spur people to make driver changes they don't need. As a
professional computer repair/support tech, my recommendation is to not use
these sorts of programs.

Of course, what you do is your choice but it will not change my opinion
which is based on many years' experience working on client's broken
computers. Many of whom tinkered and included driver update programs in
their tinkering.

Malke
Click to expand...
 
After taking my sick or broken computers into computer "experts" over the
years and having drives unnecessarily wiped clean because the experts couldnt
figure out how to fix relatively simple problems, I am more inclined to do a
little research and take a few swings at the best guess myself. To each
his/her own.
 
Better app, likely yes. I'm running a MOBO with NVidia chipset and Driver
Defective often tells me I need drivers that will not work, so I uninstalled
it.
You say you updated NVidia drivers. I hope you read the caution at their
site to download drivers from the MOBO makers site. Many manufacturers build
MOBO using the basic NVidia chipset, then alter from the NVidia basic
design, what you would get if you bought the board made by NVidia.
Is your board made by NVidia? Then you should have no problem.
Others alter some parts such as audio, on-board video, USB, memory
parameters, SATA, networking chip, may add hardware RAID, or FireWire.
To get those things working properly, you need drivers from system
manufacturer if available.
If not, then the MOBO maker, not the chipset maker. It does not hurt to see
if chipset maker made an update to specifically address your situation.
And then of course from manufacturers of any add-ins you have.

Obviously you have a NVidia chipset, although you did not say which one.
That could be helpful toward getting advice from those who have the same.
Also which MOBO or system.
I can tell you that after loading the intended audio chipset drivers for
some earlier NVidia chipsets, the NVidia audio driver will load and it
seemed to work. Many claim it does, but I did not like the clunky interface
so I stayed with the CMedia.

If you are looking for the most out of your system, check the system
manufacturer and if not available then the MOBO maker for a BIOS update.
CAUTION! BIOS updating can be risky and is something you should only do
after you have studied the situation well and are confident of doing, unless
you have a MOBO that has an auto feature for doing this. But then it is
still risky if you should get a power interruption. I have a UPS. And then
if possible that you find one that fits a concern you have, that is assuming
they list the reasons for the changes, I would back up old BIOS first to
floppy and maybe even more than one copy just in case something goes bad on
the first floppy disk. My current MOBO went through a major change BIOS that
had big help for XP, but it also required reinstalling the OS because of the
changes to ACPI.
And, the BIOS must absolutely be the one for you MOBO or you can ruin it.
Good Luck
Norman
 
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