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System security and stability are two of the many reasons to update drivers in Windows 10 system regularly. Updated drivers ensure that your hardware works correctly with the latest or latest version of the software. Most of these updates happen automatically, but due to a variety of factors, drivers may not be updating as they should be. Fortunately, there are a few ways to update drivers on Windows 10 computers, and we’ve compiled some of the best practices.
Most people who work with controllers don’t even know what it is or how it works. I’m going to address these questions in today’s guide, where you’ll learn all the things 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 an external flash or hard drive. It is a two-way process in which data is transmitted back and forth. This is how a typical application command and feedback flow with the device happens. The two arrows indicate the direction (backward and forward) of the communication flow whenever the user issues a command. Think about it when you press a key on a keyboard.
Windows OS Device Driver App
Sometimes some software also call some key components as software driver. The developer will split the app into two components-one that works with the user and one that works behind the scenes. The first means the graphical user interface so you can view, navigate, interact, and select options that the operating system looks for like issuing commands. And the other component works behind the scenes interacting with Windows, and facilitating the execution of the command, which only happens in kernal mode, to deal with the protected data.
In short, controllers act as a bridge between the application that queries the data stored in the internal or external device.
How controllers work
let’s first take a hardware example. For example, when you want to print a Word document, you will open the file, press the print button and the printing machine makes a weird sound and voila! Everything that was on your screen is now on a piece of paper in your hand.
This is what happened in the background.
In this case, the application is Microsoft Word. You will send the correct command to the operating system that informs you that you need to print a document. The operating system will use drivers associated with the printer to send the data 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. Click a button to view a YouTube video and play.
As simple as it sounds, we are often mistaken in the complicated chain of events that happened after such an action.
The browser is the application that communicates your desire to see that video in the operating system. The operating system involves a sound card or an onboard audio hub (to play sound) and a video chip or GPU (to display video) that are present in your computer. And a network card to use the Internet to stream video stored worldwide on a remote server. The operating system will now send requests to three different controllers and ask them to recall audio, video and network duties.
All of this happens so quickly that you neither feel nor notice. You press a button and the video starts playing. And that’s how you lose the symphony created by different drivers to play that video in a second or two.
How to install drivers on Windows
Most drivers are automatically installed the moment a hardware device is connected, such as a USB flash drive or printer. Of course this requires internet connectivity on your computer.
The process takes a while to search for it online. You should see a pop-up window with progress details. In the case of software, the drivers will be installed by the software package installer. You don’t have to worry about a thing.
Do you want to manually download and install drivers? You can always visit the download section of the manufacturer’s website or the Microsoft Download Center to get the correct or latest version of the driver. You can then use the shared method at the next point to install them.
While you may know the device manufacturer’s name, the real challenge is figuring out the exact technical name and model number of the device. This is how you look for drivers on the website. You can easily find these details using an app like CPU-Z or Speccy (both are free).
Once you get the details of the hardware device you’re looking for, go to the manufacturer’s website to check for the latest drivers. Or you can get them through Windows updates. I don’t recommend installing drivers from a third-party website. They are often unreliable, uncertified and can make your Windows system unstable. Worse, it could lead malware to steal your data.
Are you a gamer? In that case, you will need to install the latest drivers often as a Windows upgrade, or other methods often install older versions. Most graphics card manufacturers like AMD and Nvidia have their own apps like AMD ReLive and NVIDIA GeForce Experience to update drivers. These apps also offer additional features like game logging, capturing and sharing screenshots, and so on.
How to update drivers in Windows
The easiest way to do this is to update your operating system. Not only will you install new features, bug fixes and security fixes, but you will also update drivers. Press the Windows key + I in Settings and select the Update and Security option.
You can check for new updates here and apply them once they are downloaded and ready.
Here is another way that gives you more control. Device Manager is where you can view all the hardware devices installed on your system. Search and open it from the start menu. You can also press the Windows+X keyboard shortcut to locate it.
Double-click an option to expand it. Want to update your mouse drivers? Expand mice and other pointing devices, select the trackpad provider or HID option for USB-connected external mouse, right-click and select Update Controller Option.
The last option is to visit the device manufacturer’s website and download and install the drivers yourself. You will follow the same steps as above, but select ‘My System Browser for Driver Software’ and select the driver file in Device Manager.
How to check driver version and update date
Return to Device Manager and right-click on the device you want to scan. Select a Properties this time and click the Drivers tab.
you will see the device driver version along with the date it was installed.
Uninstall or rollback controller
Some troubleshooting steps involve driver uninstall or rollback. The latter simply means returning to an earlier version of the driver.
Both options are available under the Controller tab in the Properties menu. You can also uninstall the device itself here and then reinstall it as we saw before.
Drive Safe
Drivers play an important role in what you do on your computer. An outdated or missing driver will make the device simply useless. As much as you dread updates, installing the latest version will ensure that your hardware works well with your operating system. That’s why we suggest users to update them on Windows 10 systems because it resolves the error more often.