Update the pilots (drivers) of his Windows PC

Pilots are necessary for Good functioning of components and peripherals. If you do not install the driver of equipment, Windows will not be able to recognize it and you will therefore not be able to use it.

Manually update drivers in Windows

Noticed : The best way and the safest to get pilots updates in Windows still consists of Windows Update. If you encounter problems with Windows Update, you can see if one of the Windows Update links can help you first.

Before you start

Updates of Windows drivers, as well as many devices, such as network cards, monitors, printers and video cards, are automatically downloaded and installed via Windows Update. You probably already have the most recent drivers, but if you want to update or reinstall a driver manually, here is how to proceed:

Update the device pilot

1. In the search area of ​​the taskbar, enter The apparatus manager, Then select device Manager.
2. Select a category to display the names of the devices, then right click (or press prolonged) on the one you want to update.
3. Select Automatically search for an updated software driver.
4. Select Update the pilot.
5. If Windows does not find a new driver, look for one on the device’s manufacturer’s website and follow the instructions.

Reinstall the driver of the device

1. In the search area of ​​the taskbar, enter The apparatus manager, Then select device Manager.
2. Right -click (or press the device name for a long time), then select Uninstall.
3. Restart your PC.
4. Windows tries to reinstall the driver.

Additional help

If you do not see the desktop and you see instead a blue, black or empty screen, see solving blue screen errors or solving black or empty screen errors.

Update the pilots (drivers) of his Windows PC

Update your computer pilots Allows you to have a more efficient and above all more stable system. You are victims of blue screens (BSOD), freezes, planting or untimely restarts ?

The solution could be in the Pilot update of your computer.

You don’t know how Effectively update your PC drivers ?

That’s good, this article explains to you how to do. ��

What is a pilot ?

For those of you who ignore it, a pilot (Or driver) is a program that allows an operating system Detect a device and to be able to interact with him. The pilot therefore plays an intermediary role between the operating system (ex. : Windows) and the device (ex. : a graphics card, a webcam).

Pilots are necessary for Good functioning of components and peripherals. If you do not install the driver of equipment, Windows will not be able to recognize it and you will therefore not be able to use it.

What is the point of updating the pilots of your PC ?

First of all, you should know that it is the manufacturer of a device (ex: Logitech, MSI …) which provides the driver allowing Windows to recognize and use it. The manufacturer even provides Several versions of this pilot ! Indeed, over time, the manufacturer can realize that there are bugs or incompatibilities between the pilot that he designed and a version of Windows. It is the buyers who go up the problem to the manufacturer who is responsible for solving the problem by providing A new pilot.

Let’s take an example: the manufacturer Logitech offers a new keyboard for sale with its driver in version 1.0. A few days later, buyers realize that the keyboard multimedia keys do not respond to Windows 7 64 bit and contact Logitech. The latter will then work on the design of a new driver (which he will name for example 1.1) which will resolve this bug. Once the pilot is ready, He offers it for download on his official website. The buyer only has to download and install the new driver to solve the keyboard problem. ��

In addition to solving bugs, drivers can also offer new features to your peripherals. This is particularly the case for graphics cards. Pilots also improve performance and the stability of your equipment on windows.

Be careful however: if your system is stable and if you do not notice any particular problem with your equipment, it is not necessary to carry out a Pilot update of this material. It is not uncommon for a new pilot to create bugs and problems that you did not have before ! This is particularly the case when the pilot offers new features. It’s up to you if the changes offered by the new driver really interest you !

Update the pilots of its Windows PC

Several methods are available for Update your PC pilots ::

• N ° 1: via the computer manufacturer’s website
• N ° 2: via the computer manufacturer’s update utility
• N ° 3: via the device manufacturer’s website
• N ° 4: via DriversCloud
• N ° 5: via Snappy Driver Install Origin

Note : if you are press and you are looking for a Simple and quick method To update your PC drivers, use DriversCloud or Snappy Driver Install Origin.

via the computer manufacturer’s website

You can update your computer drivers from your computer manufacturer’s manufacturer’s site. However, this is the method that I recommend the least. Indeed, the pilots offered by the manufacturer are often completely obsolete. They may make your system unstable especially if you have a recent version of Windows.

Generally, manufacturers offer drivers on their website the most recent when released from the computer, which have been tested and approved. It is very rare for the manufacturer to continue monitoring the computer by updating download links to the most recent pilots. In other words, if your PC is more than two years old or worse and if you have changed your version of Windows, I strongly advise you to download and install the pilots offered by the manufacturer. The latter being obsolete, They risk bugs on Windows !

An example with an HP Pavilion Slimline S7520 desktop computer.Fr. For the Ati Radeon Xpress 200 graphics card it contains, the HP site offers the driver in version 8.31.100.0 dating from January 23, 2007:

If we go to the official ATI/AMD website for find the pilot corresponding to the Radeon Xpress 200 graphics card, we come across the pilot in version 10.2 dating from January 24, 2010 !

Through this example, we note that computer manufacturers like HP do not update links to most recent pilots On their website. If you use a more recent Windows version than the original installed, it is better Avoid downloading the pilots On the site of the computer manufacturer and lean rather to the other methods that I will tell you about.

However, if you plan to reinstall Windows in its factory configuration, it may be good to leave with the Original pilots who have been tested and approved by the manufacturer.

via the computer manufacturer’s update utility

Computer manufacturers are increasingly offering Update utilities which automatically download and install the pilots of the components and peripherals of the computer. They also update the BIOS/UEFI firmware of the motherboard.

This utility is generally present on your system under a name of the type “Live Update” or “Pilot and peripheral updates”. For example, in Asus, the update utility is called “Asus Live Update”. Do a search in the start menu to see if such a utility is installed. If you do not see it, take a look at the official website of the manufacturer of your PC to see if the latter offers such a tool.

Updating your pilots with the manufacturer’s update utility is the safer method. Failing to offer the most recent pilots, it ensures a maximum reliability Because the pilots are tested on the same machines as you have before being offered for download on the‘Update utility.

Take the example of the update utility Lenovo. Do not worry if you have the utility of another manufacturer, they all look alike so you will not be disoriented ! The Lenovo updates utility is called “Lenovo – Update and device pilots”.

1. RunPilot update utility. This one will scan your PC and the manufacturer’s servers to see if new updates are available for your computer.
   
2. In the capture below, the utility offers An update of the BIOS. If new drivers For the graphics card or the audio controller were available, the utility would have offered to install them ��
   
3. Select them updates that you want to install then click on Install To launch their installation.

Very simple to use and very reliable, update your pilots via themanufacturer’s update utility is the method to favor for those who wish to update their system smoothly !

via the device manufacturer’s website

Update your pilots from the official site of each component/peripheral is the Longest method But it allows you to have a hard time most recent pilots.

Only prerogative, you must know the Windows version installed on your PC and know precisely the component/peripheral model names From your computer as I explained to you in a previous article:

I will show you how to do through two examples: the update of the pilot of the Graphic card then that of audio controller.

Update the graphics card driver

Take the example of a graphics card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060.

1. The graphics card manufacturer being Nvidia, go to the Nvidia Download Download page. A simple search on your favorite search engine takes you there !
2. Inform it Graphics card model name (GeForce GTX 1060) as well as the operating system version (Windows 10 64 bit) then click on To research.
   
3. Click on the button Download To launch the download of the latest version of the graphics card driver.
   
4. Run the downloaded installer To update the graphics card driver.

The method is the same if you have a AMD graphics card, The only difference is that you should go to the official AMD website.

Update the audio controller driver

Take the example of an audio controller Realtek ALC888.

1. Go to the official Realtek website.
2. Head to the page Downloads then click on High Definition Audio Codecs (Software).
   
3. Accept the conditions of use, Then Select the compatible driver with your operating system. To do this, you should know if you have a 32 -bit or 64 -bit version of Windows.
   
4. To download the audio controller driver, you must click on one of the links in the column Download. Try different links to find the fastest, Realtek servers are sometimes slow enough. The fastest should be in theory UK (for the United Kingdom) since it is the server closest to us (in France).
5. Once the pilot has been downloaded, install it like any software. A restart will undoubtedly be necessary to finalize the pilot update.

To sum up : First search the official site of the manufacturer of the component/peripheral. From this site, access the technical material sheet. Finally, click on the link that allows you to download the latest version of the hardware driver, depending on the version of your operating system.

Via DriversCloud

This methode is undoubtedly the best known : update your pilots using the DriversCloud website.

As a reminder, DriversCloud scans your computer to find all the components and peripherals it contains. He then offers you to download the corresponding pilots. The site works relatively well but it is necessary to remain vigilant And do not install without thinking all the pilots he offers you: it happens that the site does not know what is the most suitable driver for your equipment. He then offers several download links that lead to different pilots.

be careful ! If you have any doubts, refer to the previous methods which are certainly longer, but more effective.

1. Go to the DriversCloud website and click on To start up.
   
2. Install the detection agent on your system by clicking on Install.
3. Once the agent is installed, click the button Detect To start detection of your configuration.
   
4. The agent analyzes your computer then displays a List of all components that he found, allowing you to have a global overview of the Configuration of your PC.
   
5. Click on the button Find the pilots Located at the bottom of the page.
   
6. Then click on the button Download opposite the peripherals for which an update of the pilot is available. Do not hesitate to take a look in the game Further information, which generally indicates to which peripherals/components this pilot is intended. Check that yours is in it !
7. Once the executable file has been downloaded, install it for update the pilot of your component/peripheral.

Via Snappy Driver Install Origin

You want even easier and faster to update your PC drivers ?

Turn to Snappy Driver Install Origin : Windows software that detects, installs and updates automatically and in one click all the drivers of your system or only the drivers that interest you !

For more information, see this tutorial:

Useful links

• Reinstall the pilot of the graphics card (NVIDIA, AMD, Intel) properly with DDU
• The Windows driver auditor, to detect defective pilots
• Update the driver of an Intel HD graphics graphics card on Windows 10
• Buying guide: which “gamer” laptop pc to play video games ?

The final word

There Updating your computer drivers is very important since it allows you to have better performance and especially a more stable system.

Before updating the pilots of his PC, the most important thing is to know what is in his PC. What components (motherboard, graphics card, etc.) and what peripherals (keyboard, webcam, etc.) ? What is the brand and model of these components/peripherals ? It is only when you have the answer to these questions that you can Effectively update your computer drivers !

You don’t have to choose one and only one method for updating your drivers. These methods are complementary especially if one of them does not allow you to find the pilot you are looking for. ��

This article was published for the first time on March 1, 2013 . It was completely revised on November 10, 2022 and updated for the last time on December 29, 2022 .

• update
• pilot
• windows