I would like to touch upon an important topic, the topic of drivers. Because, having no understanding about what is a driver a novice user may encounter problems. It will not be possible to start a printer, for example, a scanner, a copier, and any device connected to a PC. In general, in this note, read about where to download, how to install and remove drivers.
What is a driver and why is it needed
A driver is a link between a computer and an external device. Driver (from the English driver) is a computer program with which the operating system gains access to the hardware of a device and subsequently has the ability to control it.
Drivers are needed for all external and internal PC devices. Video card, sound card, printer, scanner, etc. need drivers (in slang they need firewood) For example, we bought a scanner, connected it to a PC, a message pops up in the lower left corner of the screen stating that such and such a device was found and even the manufacturer was identified. But as soon as we try to scan, for example, old photos, nothing will happen. The computer does not know how to interact with this scanner. This is where the driver of this scanner comes to the rescue. If the system does not have a sound driver, it will not be possible to listen to music. With video, the same thing, the screen resolution cannot be adjusted, it will be impossible to play games.
Some of the drivers are already in Windows OS. We do not need to specifically install a keyboard driver, mice, even simple webcams no longer require drivers. Well, if you have a fancy mouse with a bunch of additional buttons or a keyboard with buttons for multimedia, then you can’t do without additional firewood.
Where are the drivers stored?
On Windows, device drivers are stored in the directory C:WINDOWSSYSTM32. Driver files can have the following extensions: *.vxt , *.drv , *.sys, *.dll, also *.inf - the file contains installation information.
Where can I download
In general, as a rule, a disk is always attached to the device, on which there is all the necessary firewood. When buying a motherboard, a disk with the necessary set of these is always attached. The same applies to video and sound cards, if they are purchased separately. If you purchase a system unit, then be sure to check the availability of disks: on the mat. board, video card ( if it is not built into the mat. fee). The same applies to the sound card if it is built into the mat. board, then the necessary driver is on the disk to the motherboard, and if the card is installed separately, then the disk must be separate.
With disks, everything seems to be clear as 2x2, but what to do if the disk is lost, deteriorated, or something else. For example, they gave an old, not needed, but working printer, but there is no disk for it. Or there was a need to reinstall the OS, but there are no disks at all, not to be found. So think how to install a sound driver, how to get drivers for a printer, video card or laptop. In this situation, those who have Win7 installed are lucky (my opinion about this system), after installation on a PC, it will automatically connect to the Internet ( provided you have an internet connection of course) and download all the missing firewood. In any case, I have not installed the driver from the driver disk for a long time. Everything happens by itself. But for XP you have to look for yourself. Although it seems to also have a download function, but how many times have I not tried any sense. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, tell me ...?
To download, you must first find out about the device all the necessary information. This can be done, for example, using the program ( it's about the video card). Another useful thing is a program that will help you find out information about the motherboard, and about the video too.
You can also find out by following the path6 Start - Control Panel - System - Hardware tab - Device Manager. In the Device Manager window that opens, you can select the required device and get information about the manufacturer and driver of this device.
We get information about the video card.
After receiving information about the device, you can safely go to the Internet and look for the necessary driver.
You can find, download and then install drivers by following these verified links:
How to install the driver
After everything is downloaded install the driver correctly. If from a disk, then just insert it and wait for it to automatically start. In case auto start does not work, then open the disk through my computer and look for the setup.exe file. The same applies to the downloaded driver, run setup.exe. It seems like everything is simple. But what to do if unable to install driver. I had a case when I could not reinstall firewood for sound. At the same time, a message popped up: realtek hd audio driver installation failed .
I also encountered such a dirty trick when the scanner driver did not want to be installed from the disk, or rather did not want to be installed in the standard way - this is when I inserted the disk and launched setup.exe. Just for no reason at all, the installation stopped in the middle and completely hung. Requires to get up the cord in USB and at least you crack. The solution to the problem was found, and therefore I share :)
We insert the disk, after auto-launch, close the installation window and go to the already familiar device manager. An unknown device with a yellow question mark should appear there.
Next, right-click on this device and select update driver, and there you can select automatic search, the system will find it on the disk itself. In general, somewhere I read that all firewood must be installed in this way. I don't know how true this is. But in this way I made friends with my scanner with a computer.
Driver Issues
Drivers are an integral part of the computer software package, but sometimes there are also enough problems with them. It happens that drivers conflict. consequences: Blue screens, device malfunctions. In both cases, you must either reinstall, update the device driver, or, if problems start after the update, roll back, as can be seen in the screenshot above in the text, the button rollback. Often blue screens occur due to problems with video drivers. A subsequent update resolves the issue.
In general, the topic of drivers is quite extensive and I did not stupidly copy texts from other sites. I described what I experienced myself, tried more than once, so that’s all, if I haven’t added anything, I’m sorry, I also don’t know everything yet, I’m just learning. Bye, good luck and less problems with firewood.
Hello dear reader! The topic of today's article will be drivers. We will understand the very concept of what a driver is, their purpose, and also learn how to install a driver.
Let's start with the concept of a driver - this is a special program through which the operating system can control any device. It is necessary for every computer device (both external and internal).
Not all equipment needs an installation that requires user intervention. This is because the operating system has a built-in set of drivers for the most popular devices, when connected, you only need to wait a while before starting work.
In order to check if the device driver is installed, you can use the Windows Device Manager. To open it, you need to right-click on "My Computer" and select the "Properties" menu.
If you have Windows 7, then click "Advanced Options" on the left, a window will open in which go to the "Hardware" tab and click on the "Device Manager" button.
If you have Windows XP installed, then when you click on "Properties", a window will open where you need to go to the "Hardware" - "Device Manager" tab.
If there are no items in the list that have yellow question or exclamation marks in a yellow circle next to them, you can assume that all the necessary drivers are installed on the computer. Otherwise, you do not have any driver installed or there is a device conflict.
So, we figured out what a driver is.
Now let's talk about the pressing problem, the lack of the necessary driver on the computer, where you can get it and how to install it.
Driver installation procedure
Driver installation usually occurs using two methods: an executable file (.exe) and an installation information file (.inf).In the first case, the installation comes down to running the file and answering the installer's questions. The installer itself will find the device for which the driver is being installed or report its absence if the wrong file was launched. For most devices, driver installation is not possible if it is not connected to a computer.
With this installation method exe) additional components are often installed with the driver. Sometimes the user is asked if these add-ons are needed, and sometimes they are installed automatically without notification. These can be various support centers that report the status of the printer and offer to buy consumables or utilities for more detailed configuration of the device.
Additional programs that are installed with drivers play an auxiliary role, but are not responsible for the device's performance. Such components can be convenient and useful, or they can interfere. If, after installing the driver, you find new programs, and they do not bring any benefit at all, you can safely remove them.
When installing from a file. inf You must first run the driver update wizard for the specific device. To do this, right-click on the line with an unknown device, and in the manager select the menu item "Update driver" (in Windows XP) or "Update drivers" (in Windows 7).
You can also wait until Windows detects a new device and starts the installation wizard when you boot your computer. In the window that appears, you will need to refuse to search for a driver on the Internet and click "Next".
At the next stage, you can leave the switch on the item “Automatically” or “Automatically search for updated drivers”, in this case it will take a long time to wait, so it’s better to check the box “Install from a list or specified location” or “Search for a driver on this computer”.
In this case, you will need to specify the path to the folder that contains the file with information about installing the driver. The installation wizard will scan the folder or all removable media and select the appropriate file for the device. If you select "Search on Removable Media" in Windows XP, the procedure will take a little longer than when specifying a specific folder. With this method, only the driver itself will be installed without any additional components.
During installation, a message may appear stating that "The driver is not digitally signed." The digital signature of the driver is a guarantee that you are dealing with an original product that has been tested for compatibility with the OS.
"Originality" means that the file has not been modified by anyone other than the hardware manufacturer itself. If the file is obtained from a reliable source (the disk supplied with the equipment or the official website of the manufacturer), then you can agree to install without a signature, otherwise it is advisable to abandon the installation and look for a reliable driver.
It's also not uncommon for Windows to show a message that a driver has not been tested for your version of Windows. See below for what the message looks like. If you are sure that the driver you are installing is suitable for your system, then click Continue Anyway.
During the installation of the driver, the system may issue a security warning, do not worry and click "Install this driver software anyway". See below for what the error looks like.
Where to find drivers
The easiest and most reliable way to find the right driver is to use the disc that comes with the hardware. They usually have two installation methods. That is, there are both inf- and exe-files. In addition, the autorun has a convenient menu in which it is easy to navigate and select the desired component.
After clicking on the menu, the autorun program will automatically launch the desired driver file. The presence of .inf files also makes it possible to use the Windows Driver Update Wizard by specifying an optical disc as the search location. In such disks, there is an "Install all" button ("Install all").
Such an installation source may not work for several simple reasons: the disk was not included with the equipment, it was lost or became unusable, it is also possible that there are no drivers for your operating system on the disk (for example, the printer was bought in the days of Windows XP, and you switched to Windows 7).
If there is no disk, you will have to contact the manufacturer's website. To find the right driver on the site, you need to navigate by the words: “Download”, “Support”, “Driver”.
Once in the desired section, select the category of the device (video card, sound, etc.), and then the model from the list (or manually enter it in the search field), and the operating system in which the device will work.
Let me remind you that you can find out the name of the OS in the system properties - "Win" + "Pause Break" or right-click on "My Computer" and select "Properties".
If we talk about laptops, then you should remember that the same model may have different modifications, respectively, some components may be missing or, on the contrary, added to the kit, a discrete card, for example. Therefore, you do not need to download everything from the page with drivers for your computer.
There is also another source of drivers, jokingly referred to by experts as a "secret weapon". This tool got such a big name because it is able to install the driver on almost any modern device, and usually the installation takes place within 5-10 minutes.
This is a driver installation manager. This is a program that has a large collection of drivers for almost all current devices in one program.
It can be downloaded from the Internet. The most popular, but not the only one of its kind, is the Driver Pack Solution program. After launching, it may ask you to download the latest drivers, then scan the system (this will take some time) and display a message about how many drivers need to be installed and how many need to be updated. After that, you just need to click the button that will start the installation process.
In order to see a list of devices for which the program intends to install drivers, you need to check the "Expert mode" box in the left part of the window. In this case, you will be able to choose which of the drivers you want to install and which not.
There is, of course, another way to find a driver - use google or another search engine and download it from the so-called warez sites. But it is not advisable to use this method, since you can easily run into a malicious program.
The administration of such sites usually disclaims all responsibility for the posted content, in addition, information on them can be added by ordinary users without additional verification.
Of course, there are resources that have been tested for many years, from which you can download without fear. And yet, you must understand that no one is safe, and even with drivers found on reliable sites, problems can arise.
See you soon!
P.S. I found a video for you where you can see clearly how to install the driver through the device manager.
Drivers are software that allows Windows to communicate with computer components and connected devices. Drivers are released by device manufacturers and need to be updated periodically.
Do drivers need to be updated?
In general, we do not recommend updating drivers unless there is a good reason to do so. For example, the built-in card reader may well work with the version of the driver originally installed on the computer. Even if the manufacturer has since released an update, you probably won't notice any difference. It is not necessary to have the latest drivers for all system components.
But in some cases, replacing drivers is objectively useful. In particular, gamers should always install the latest graphics card drivers to ensure maximum performance and minimum errors in modern games. Also, updating the driver can help if the current version does not work correctly.
If you need to update drivers, do not rely on a variety of software to update them. We do not get tired of repeating: drivers should be downloaded directly from the manufacturer's website or through Windows Update.
Updating drivers through Windows Update
In Windows 10, Update downloads and installs the latest drivers automatically. Windows 7 and 8 also distribute drivers through Update, but Windows 10 takes a more strict approach. The update happens automatically, and even if you try to install the necessary drivers yourself, Windows will overwrite them with the latest version.
This is an automatic “set it and forget it” solution. You don't need any special software to update drivers as this feature is already built into Windows.
In Windows 7, 8, and 8.1, drivers appear in the Update Center as optional updates. If you want to install the latest drivers, first open Update Center, check for updates, and install any new drivers. They are distributed through Microsoft servers, so they should work stably.
Update video card drivers
You can use the control panel that came with your video card drivers to update them. NVIDIA, AMD, and even Intel have control panels that can automatically check for updates and install the latest drivers.
Simply open the NVIDIA GeForce Experience, AMD Catalyst Control Center (soon to be renamed Radeon Software Crimson), or Intel Graphics Control Panel, whichever you have installed. Often the icons of these applications are in the system tray, and in addition, they can be found by searching in the Start menu.
Well, you can just go to the NVIDIA, AMD or Intel website, download the latest driver for your video card from there and install it.
Even on Windows 10, this doesn't hurt, especially if you like to play modern games. Windows 10 does not automatically update NVIDIA or AMD video card drivers with each new version as they are primarily for gamers.
Update from the manufacturer's website
Look for any other drivers directly on the manufacturer's website. If you have a laptop or prebuilt computer, go to the manufacturer's website and find the driver download page for your specific model. Usually, such a page contains all the drivers for a given computer or laptop and is updated as new versions are released. Often a release date is given for each driver.
You can also find BIOS and UEFI updates here, but we do not recommend installing them without a good reason.
If you built your computer yourself, look for drivers on the websites of the manufacturers of each specific component. For example, you need to look for motherboard driver updates on the website of the motherboard manufacturer, etc.
The good news is that you don't have to do this at all. Windows, and in particular
In many articles related to troubleshooting problems on a computer, the user can see advice on how to update drivers and wonders if they need to be updated at all? The so-called "firewood" is responsible for the interaction of the system and the hardware of the computer. Without them, the OS cannot interact with the hardware at all or does so with limited functionality. Equipment manufacturers often release firmware updates that fix bugs, optimize performance, or add new features. So an update is a good tip for fixing a bug, it's possible that the developer has already found the same bug as the user and fixed it in the next version.
When to update and why you need it
In most cases, driver updates do not need to be done regularly, if the computer works well and does not give errors, then you should not touch it. Each version of the firmware fixes bugs and optimizes the work, but the addition of new failures is inevitable, which may occur specifically in the case of the user. So, in the case when everything works, you should not twitch once again and download new software.
However, if the drivers were not installed independently from the manufacturer's website, but installed by the system or one of the specialized utilities, it is worth downloading the latest versions and installing them, in some cases this can fix some system problems. An update will also be required if you install a new application or game, if it gives an error at startup, closes or slows down. Especially if a message is displayed on failures that indicates problems with some equipment.
Also, installing new versions can be useful if the computer started to slow down and the user suspects some hardware component of his device. This can happen when there is a load on the video card, processor, or if there are problems with data transfer over the network.
Which drivers should be updated
To begin with, it is worth noting that when buying a new computer or laptop, you should also install drivers. The same must be done when installing the system. In most cases, the device will work immediately after installing the system, it will be able to connect to the network, run simple games and applications, and play sound. However, you should immediately go to the website of the manufacturer of the laptop or equipment and download drivers from there for the system. They may not even be the latest version, however, these should be programs that are designed specifically for this equipment and for this particular system - this will allow the user to avoid many errors and failures in the future. 
- Drivers for motherboard or chipset will allow you to fully use and realize all its functions, as well as use all the built-in equipment, such as network and audio cards.
- video card, the difference in the operation of games and graphic applications when using native drivers is easy to notice compared to standard ones. The image becomes better, and the program starts to work faster.
- Audio and network cards if they are not built into the motherboard.
Do I need to uninstall the old driver before installing the new one?
There is no need to uninstall the old version yourself when installing a newer one. In this case, the program will do everything itself, and the utilities will be updated without any problems. However, there are times when you need install old driver instead of new. This can happen if there are a lot of bugs and crashes with the new version, or the applications don't work properly. In this case, it may require the removal of the program, because the installer may refuse to install the old version of the utility, referring to the fact that the version is better.
How to check driver versions
First, the user needs to launch the device manager. You can find it through start or right-click on the computer's shortcut, go to its properties and select the desired program there. 
Next, the user will have to right-click on the device that interests him and go to properties. 
Here, on the driver tab, the necessary information will be available.
How to update drivers on a computer
There are several ways to do this, you can carry out all the operations yourself or use one of the programs.
Manual update
To begin with, the user will need to go to products webpage laptop or device and enter the model in the search bar. After it is found, you should click on it and go to driver section, you can usually download the newest version from here. After downloading, all that remains is to run the downloaded file and follow the instructions of the installer, after the process is completed, you will need to restart your computer.
Automatic update
You can also download one of the programs that will themselves search for outdated software versions and update them, for example, Driver Booster Free, which can be downloaded from the link https://ru.iobit.com/driver-booster/ 
In the main menu, just click on the scan button and wait for the process to finish. 
After that, the program will show all the drivers, here you can update only the ones you need or all at once, simply by pressing the top button. The download and installation may take a long time, after which a reboot is required.
To maintain the normal operation of the computer, it is necessary to update drivers from time to time, but searching for and installing them manually is boring and time consuming. And why? After all, this work is easy to automate. Today we will consider the ten best programs for updating drivers on PCs and laptops of all brands and models.
Intel Driver Update Utility Installer is a proprietary utility for finding and updating drivers for any Intel products (processors, system logic, network devices, drives, server components, and more). Compatible with Windows XP, 7 and newer editions of this system.
The hardware of the PC on which it is installed is automatically recognized by the utility. Checking for new versions of drivers on the Intel website is done by clicking the "Search" button, downloading and installing - at the request of the user.
In addition, the Intel Driver Update Utility Installer allows you to find and download drivers for any other Intel devices of your choice from the list (option "Search manually").
The developers warn that the application installs only typical drivers that do not take into account the features of a particular brand of computer. Therefore, before launching it, it is worth visiting the website of the manufacturer of your PC or laptop and checking if there is anything suitable there.
AMD Driver Autodetect
AMD Driver Autodetect is a similar proprietary tool from AMD. Designed to keep drivers of video cards of this brand up to date (except for AMD FirePro).
After installation, the utility will monitor the relevance of video drivers and ensure their timely updates. It automatically detects the model of the video card installed on the PC, as well as the bit depth and version of the operating system. When launched, it checks to see if there is a fresh driver on the AMD website. If there is, it informs about it and offers to download it. To start the installation, the user just needs to confirm his consent by clicking on the "Install" button.
AMD Driver Autodetect is also available exclusively for Windows.
NVIDIA Update
NVIDIA Update is a proprietary Windows utility for installing drivers for NVIDIA devices. Like AMD Driver Autodetect, it independently recognizes hardware models and checks for the latest driver on the manufacturer's website. The decision to install is up to the user.
Driver Pack Solution
DriverPack Solution is a lifesaver for service engineers, system administrators and those who earn extra money by providing Windows and software installation services. The application is a huge collection of drivers for devices of various brands and models, as well as a module for installing them.
DriverPack Solution is released in two versions - online and offline.
- The online distribution is designed to be used on a PC that has an Internet connection. Its difference is a small file size (285 Kb). After starting, the program scans Windows for installed drivers and the relevance of their versions, after which it connects to the database (on its own server) and performs automatic updates.
- The offline distribution (size 10.2 Gb) is intended for installing drivers on a machine that is not connected to the Internet. In addition to the installer, it comes with a database of 960,000 drivers for Windows 7, XP, Vista, 8 (8.1) and 10, both for 32 bit and 64 bit. After launch, the scanning module recognizes device types and installs drivers from its own offline database.
The online version of DriverPack Solution is convenient for permanent home use. In addition to keeping drivers up to date, it allows the user to automatically install and update individual applications, remove software junk, view a list of equipment, information about the operating system and computer security.
The offline version is an emergency solution. Its task is not to select the best, but simply the right driver to start the device. And then update it online.
DriverPack Solution and the proprietary utilities listed above are completely free.
Driver Genius
Driver Genius is a universal driver management tool. The latest edition of the program is the sixteenth, optimized for Windows 8 and 10, but can also run on older systems.
In addition to updating the versions of installed drivers, Driver Genius can:
- Create backup copies of drivers and save them as archives - regular and self-extracting, as well as in the form of an installer (exe). To restore from a backup, you do not need to use Driver Genius.
- Remove unused and failed drivers.
- Display information about computer hardware.
The backup feature is a real treasure for those who frequently reinstall Windows. However, the program itself is by no means a gift: the cost of one license is $29.95. You can use it for free only for 30 days.
Snappy Driver Installer
Snappy Driver Installer is an application created by one of the developers of DriverPack Solution and has a lot in common with the latter. Also available in two versions: SDI Lite and SDI Full.
- The SDI Lite variant is a module for recognizing devices and searching for suitable drivers on the Internet. Its size is 3.6 Mb. It does not have its own base.
- The SDI Full option is an installation module plus a base (31.6 Gb). Designed to install drivers regardless of Internet access.
Features of Snappy Driver Installer:
- Works without installation (only portable version, can be run from a flash drive or DVD).
- Completely free - no premium features or ads.
- With an improved selection algorithm, which is based on the principle of "do no harm".
- It has a high scanning speed.
- Creates a system restore point before installing the driver.
- Allows you to change themes according to the user's choice.
- Multilingual (there is a version in Russian, Ukrainian and other national languages).
- Adapted for Windows 10.
driver booster
iObit Driver Booster is an application loved by gamers. Available in editions Free - free, and Pro - paid. The subscription price for the latter is 590 rubles per year.
Driver Booster has one single function - scanning the system for outdated drivers and installing updates in one click. And not simple updates, but (according to the developers) tuned games to improve performance.
is a free and very simple utility for installing and updating PC drivers based on Windows 7, 8 and 10. Its database includes only original, signed drivers from the official websites of equipment manufacturers.
The application is designed for users with no experience. Support for the Russian language, a minimum of settings and one-button control practically exclude the possibility of confusing or breaking something. And if the new driver is not suitable, DriverHub will remove it from the system and return the old one to its place.
All features of DriverHub:
- Search for missing, update outdated drivers and additional software. Automatic installation.
- Simple and expert mode of operation. In expert mode, the user can select a driver from several available ones, in simple mode, the program itself selects the optimal version.
- Daily replenishment of the database of drivers.
- Storage of download history.
- Recovery - roll back drivers to previous versions.
- Display basic information about the computer.
- Launching Windows system utilities from its interface.
DriverMax Free
DriverMax is a free, uncomplicated, English-language utility, the main purpose of which is the same driver update. Unlike other free applications, it has another useful option - creating a system rollback point and backing up installed drivers of the user's choice. As well as restoring from a backup.
After installing DriverMax, it persistently reminds you that it would be nice to register on the site and buy a paid license with advanced features, one of which is fully automatic operation. Annual usage starts at $10.39.
Driver Magician
Driver Magician is the last hero of today's review. I had 2 versions in the recent past, one of which was free. Today there is only a paid one with a 13-day trial period. The cost of the license is $29.95.
There is no Russian language in Driver Magician, but it is not difficult to use it. The set of features is about the same as in Driver Genius:
- Scanning and updating.
- Creating backup copies of drivers with the ability to restore both with and without using the program (the backup is saved as a zip archive or an installer application).
- Uninstalling the driver.
- Backing up and restoring individual user folders - Internet Explorer Favorites, Desktop and Documents, as well as the system registry (in one file).
- Identification of devices unknown to the system.
In the trial period, the program is fully functional. Compatible with any version of Windows.
That, perhaps, is all. Choose what you like best and enjoy.
