Best way to update drivers
I recently purchase a laptop and want to know a few things about driver update
Firstly i discovered there a few ways by which one can update drivers but i want too know which one of these is better and should be preferred :
1) Driver provided on equipment manufacturer website like Dell and HP
2) Driver provided on component manufacturer website like Nvidia, AMD & Intel
3) Update driver by going to Device Manager then right click then update driver
4) Driver provided by Windows 10 Update
PS: I also noted while trying to update driver by auto detect by Intel. It told me that it detected that a custom driver provided by OEM installed on my device and I should go with it and not generic driver provided by Intel (Does this mean I should go with driver provided by OEM and not by component manufacturer & does the same goes true for graphic card, sound card, network etc)
1) Well tested on hardware, but usually outdated, it can sometimes cause problems, which are fixed in a new version.
2) The latest version, generally used as the best option, occasionally new drivers might cause issues, especially GPU.
3) It is used only, when automatic installer fails to update the driver or the driver is distributed as cab by Microsoft.
4) This one is tricky, it is mostly outdated and sometimes it replaces a good working driver, but generally it is OK.
Then there are driver updaters like DriverEasy, it is good for checking for new drivers, but not to download via it.
P.S.: Yes, OEM version is probably the best option for you, basically: "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."
I always download the latest version, never caused me any problem, as far as I can tell, quite the opposite.
I like the order your list is in right now.
If no 1, then 2. If no 2, then 3......
The only exception for me would be drivers direct from Intel. You really need to know what you are doing to get the correct drivers direct from them. I rarely, if ever, do it.
Best way to update drivers
- Windows Update
- Device Manager
- OEM
- PC mfgr
Windows update guarantees, as much as any guarantee, that your drivers work well with Windows.
Many BSODs occur when user try outsmart Windows - the latest driver is NOT always the best.
As a rule of thumb - let WU provide tested and stable drivers - only resort to manual update options if a driver is not provided OR a known issue can be resolved with the OEM driver.
In most cases, but not always - some are better than others keeping the driver downloads up-to-date, the PC mfgr drivers are static after the first year for that model.
The OEM generic disclaimer is just that - a disclaimer. For the most part, the OEM driver is fine. Few PC mfgrs mod the drivers. BIOS is an exception - you have to get that from the PC mfgr and only if the newer version solves a known issue.
There's a pattern here - let WU do it's job - only try to update a driver manually if you know that it solves an issue.
