Hewlett Packard is a technology company that was originally founded back in 1939, which today focuses on developing new technologies in personal computer systems, imaging and printing, and business products and software. The company designs and builds:

• laptops
• PCs
• printers
• scanners
• servers
• software

In addition to its technical line of products, HP also offers the needed accessories like inks and toners and printer paper. The odds are good that somewhere on your desk is a piece of HP equipment. For a complete line of HP products visit them online at http://welcome.hp.com/country/us/en/prodserv.html.

What are HP Drivers Anyway?

Each piece of hardware that HP makes will have its very own drivers. Drivers are the controllers that communicate between your PC’s operating system and hardware, acting much like an instruction manual for your computer. The driver will explain to your PC what your new printer’s/scanner’s/mouse’s etc. capabilities are and how to access these capabilities.

As a side note, device drivers are usually included with the product purchase on a disk. It’s a good idea to keep these disks in a safe place should you need to reinstall the driver at any point in time on your PC.

How Do You Know When It’s Time to Update Your Drivers?

The general rule of thumb is when stuff stops working, start looking at your drivers.

Most often when your hardware isn’t functioning properly (i.e. can’t type on your keyboard, can’t move your mouse, can’t run your favorite CD of show tunes) it can be attributed to a simple driver problem. Either the original driver became corrupt or you need a newer version of the driver. Any time you install new software or update existing software, there is a possibility that your current drivers will be rendered useless. So that’s where updating your drivers comes in.

Update Your HP Drivers using Windows Updates

1. Open the Start Menu


2. Click “All Programs”


3. Click on “Windows Update.”


4. Enter your search query in the Update Driver Software window.

If Windows Update finds any new drivers, it will install them on your PC automatically for you. You can set Windows Update to automatically download and install recommended drivers for your PC. Open Windows Update (under All Programs in your Start menu) and select Change Settings. You can choose to either have your PC automatically install important and recommended, or just important updates. This way you don’t have to continue to “shop” for drivers whenever you suspect a driver issue. Your PC will do the looking and installing for you!

Updating Your Drivers at HP.com

Visit HP’s driver support page at: http://www.hp.com/#Support.

Here you can either type in a specific product name or number in the search query or you can browse the product categories listed on the page. Choose your hardware from the search results.

On the results page you will most likely find a picture of your HP product and several links to choose from. Under “Tasks for (Insert Your Product’s Name Here)” click on Download Drivers and Software. From there you will follow the onscreen instructions.

1. Find your exact hardware and click on it.


2. Review the HP Software License Agreement (downloading a driver will count as your acceptance of the agreement).


3. Choose your software/driver language from the drop down menu.


4. Select your operating system.


5. On the next page, scroll down to the Driver section and click the Download button next to the appropriate driver.


6. Follow the installation instructions.

You can also sign up for driver and support alerts so you know when you need to update again.