Device drivers are the software elements that make the hardware you add to your PC work. They allow devices like printers, USB sticks and mp3 players to run seamlessly with your existing hardware and operating system, and making sure that they are up to date and from reliable vendors will keep your computer and all its hardware functioning efficiently. If you own a PC that operates from a Windows platform then checking your computer to make sure you are running at the latest versions of your devices drivers is fairly simple and straight forward, and locating the appropriate updates safe with these tips in mind.

Using the Windows Device Manager

Microsoft has included a program that manages all your device drivers appropriately called Windows Device Manager. This program allows you to determine whether all your hardware is running properly, allow you to change its settings, and identifies device drivers that are loaded for each device. It also can locate updates that are needed for all your installed hardware. To run Windows Device Driver and find if your devices need updated drivers follow these simple steps. These steps are for Windows Vista, but the overall steps are the same for most newer versions of the Windows Operating System.

1. Click the Start Menu


2. Click Control Panel from the right-hand column. A new window should pop-up


3. Click on the Hardware and Sound option


4. Locate the Device Manager from the list: Notice there is two options below, including Update Device Drivers. Click this option.


5. A new window should pop-up that lists all the types of hardware that are installed on your computer, including things like Imaging Devices, Keyboards, Modems, etc.


6. Double-click the category of devices that you want to update, and right click the specific device you are looking to find driver updates for. Select Update Driver Software.

Windows gives you the option to search manually, or to let it do an online search for you. The automatic option is appropriate for most users, and will update the drivers that need to be automatically.

Finding Drivers from Vendors

Another way that you can find out if your devices need driver updates is through major hardware vendors’ websites. If you have a lot of hardware from a particular company, this may a good way to keep up to date. Here is a list of some of the more common device vendors, where you can find their latest drivers, and they are all free!

www.nvidia.com

Their website has a handy link right at the top that say “Download Drivers”. Here you can find all the latest drivers for this major graphics company.

www.realtek.com

Realtek is also a popular computer hardware vendor, and their drivers can be located by clicking the “Downloads” link at the top of their homepage, and navigating to the right hand side of the page for the series of drivers you are looking for.

www.hp.com

Hewlett Packard is a top vendor for a lot of computer hardware, and their website can give you all the latest drivers free to download. From their homepage select the “Support and Drivers” link at the top of the page, and select “Download Drivers and software”. From there you can search by category or product model.

www.apple.com

While Apple creates products and software that are best run on their Mac operating system, if you own an iPod, iPhone, or the new iPad then you will want to make sure that the drivers on your PC are up to date. From their homepage select the “Downloads” link at the top, and the “Drivers” link on the left hand side of the page.

http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/downloads/default.mspx

Of Course Microsoft’s devices are usually updated automatically, but it is always worth a check to see if there may be any downloads that you may have missed.

These are just a few of the vendors that offer free driver updates through their websites. There are also a lot of websites that claim to offer free downloads, but make sure you only use reputable websites to download your device drivers.