How to update your HP Notebook software/driver?

I was wondering a couple of things updating software/drivers in an HP notebook, specifically HP dv5t. If I uninstalled all the HP software, thus no Total Care Adviser (which, I believe, helps install updates? Not sure...). I was told to go to HP website to get updates, but does this have all the updates needed for my laptop? Will all my updates be through windows updates and HP updates? Also, how do I know when I need an update? I don't know how to check my versions.

 

If you're trying to make the notebook perform better and without lag, then uninstall Total Care Adviser. Don't uninstall HP WLAN, HP WIRELESS ASSISTANT, etc. You should only uninstall the Total Care Adviser, Health Check, HP Smart Print, etc. You can remove Norton and MS Office 2007 as well.

 

Not exactly what I was asking, but that's some helpful info. Why not uninstall HP Wireless Assistant? I already did. I don't know about WLAN, maybe i uninstalled it, but I don't remember having it. I have no bluetooth on mine, and my wireless internet is fine, so what's the use of keeping it?

 

If you are not using any HP software, there is little need to look for any HP updates (unless you are having a specific driver-related problem).

Your notebook ships with the latest updates available at the time, sometimes with versions that have yet to be posted to the site.

Windows Update will also offer you driver updates when available.......

 

Ah, so for my drivers, I should just let Windows Update do its work, so I won't have to worry about manually downloading updates? For example, NVIDIA video drivers, I downloaded off of laptop2video (or something like that). Did i not need to do that? I don't know how to tell if it's up to date or not and when installing it, even though i might have the same version, it still installs it. For the HP thing, i do have the HP Quicktouch/quickplay/quick launch buttons, and I went to the HP website and got (I think) a newer version quick launch buttons.

 

I just let WU handle the general drivers. As I said, unless you are experiencing specific issues, I would leave the other drivers alone.......

 

Well, i thought updating drivers (or is it only video drivers?) will improve laptop overall, and i was having a problem with my quicktouch buttons yesterday. They were shaking erratically. My volume quicktouch was causing my volume to go up and down like it was shaking. I heard a clicking noise (that happens when you adjust the volume) and i checked my volume was going up down. I thought this was physical, then i started to play around with the buttons. My play/rewind/forward/stop buttons didn't work for a min, then suddenly they did and along with it my volume button stopped making my volume shake so violently.

 

Yeah, I'm hearing that the Quicklaunch buttons can get quite erratic on the new models. Hopefully HP will have a fix soon.....

As for video, swapping drivers constantly could result in a fractionally better 3DMark06 score sometimes, and then sometimes not. I got tired of constantly updating because I saw no real difference between one version & another..........