How do we know which driver to download

Got a new notebook a few weeks ago and the microsoft website says there are new drivers available.
How do i know which ones i need?

 

The Windows Update Page? It should automatically scan your hardware and tell you what you need. You don't have to do much work there.

 

There should be an option to view the available updates. Usually it's just some patch to fix a potential security flaw in ether XP or IE or an updated driver for the NVidia card. MS also tends to use the "updates" to detect whether or not you're using a pirated version of XP, you crafty devil you.

 

If MS Update can detect that there's a new driver available, it's also able to install it for you.

Apart from that, I always install my drivers directly from the manufacturer. I don't trust MS Update to pick the right ones.

 

I've never had any driver updates show up on the Windows update page for any of my computers. I've had the HP notebook for 3 years, the Gateway desktop for 2 years and the Toshiba laptop for almost a year. Doesn't that seem strange or not?

 

not quite, sometimes if one does not choose "customized/user defined" updates, microsoft would ignore the hardware bit of the systems

cheers ...

 

qhn, I do the custom install if that's what you mean. But there's never any hardware ones to install.

 

interesting - but then in my case, the only picking.up of hardware from microsoft updates is ethernet/lan
my guess is that either ur system manufacturer has always submitted changes/updated windows files or it has no bock of working with microsoft in delivering driver modifications

cheers ...

 

I don't quite understand what your saying. It's probably a blonde thing, but could you elaborate?

 

sounded confusing - i agree with ya

what i was trying to say is that some manufacturers would always submitted the changes to their drivers direct into microsoft repository (perfect example is Vista), and then they are manufacturers that just take microsoft changes and incorporated into their own version releases (mostly in sound and graphic and external hardware manufacturers)

hope that is a bit clearer

cheers ...

 

For driver updates, I second (or third) getting them from the manufacturer of the device. Not all the companies have working agreements with Microsoft, as ghn said.

The few times I've tried those independent sites that scan your computer and offer driver updates, they've caused more problems than they're worth. I also had problems with Catalyst/ATI drivers downloaded from Asus' website. No problems when downloaded directly from ATI's site.

 

I tried once to go to the Intel site to update the chipset on the Gateway desktop and I never could figure out which one I was supposed to download. So that was my last visit there. That was a couple years ago. I'd like to think I'm a little bit smarter now, so maybe I'll try again. Thanks guys!

 

If you figure it out Blondie 56, would you share?

I have a Gateway, too, and never have been able to figure it out. Intel's site wants some bizarre info like the motherboard ID number or something. Whatever it asks for, it's info I've never been able to find. Even in the properties tab for the chipset and going through the entire dropdown list in the Details tab.

Thanks!

 

Sure thing.