How to update Windows 10 drivers without third party applications

Windows is an open operating system, with a large number of options for the user, important customization possibilities for manufacturers … However, its great virtues are, at the same time, its major flaws. Each manufacturer is different and they often introduce customizations in the audio drivers, screen, touchpad … Today, We will teach you how to update and install drivers for Windows 10 in the most optimal and safe way possible.

What is a driver?

The drivers are i connections between the operating system and the hardware of our PC. For example, if we have a sound card in our laptop or computer, it will require a series of instructions on how to act and function in the operating system. This function is performed by the audio driver provided by the card manufacturer (in this case we could quote Realtek as an example).

When you buy a laptop from a manufacturer like ASUS, HP, or Lenovo, they usually come with the right drivers and you won’t need to do a lot of research. But nevertheless, It may be that after reinstalling Windows by doing a clean install or over time some component starts to give problems and you need to check if you have the best drivers installed.

What NOT to do when updating drivers

A very common mistake when updating or installing drivers is go to third party applications such as Driver Booster, Driver Talent, Snappy Driver Installer … In our experience, these types of applications, although they may seem comfortable, they can be problematic. This is because they do not always find the most up-to-date drivers and, sometimes, do not take into account the existence of custom drivers by the manufacturer (drivers designed specifically for our device). Therefore, the most recommended ways to install Windows 10 drivers are the ones we offer below.

Here is a summary of the best ways to install Windows 10 drivers:

Option 1: Update your drivers with Windows Update

Before experimenting, we recommend that you try the simpler and safer option first. If you are having trouble with any PC component, the first thing you should do check for pending updates in Windows Update. This is highly recommended as more and more manufacturers are uploading their drivers to Windows Update.

You just have to write “Check for updates” In the Windows 10 search bar, select the first option and click the button “Check for updates”. Install pending updates.

Option 2: Use Device Manager

This other option, like the first one, is not always effective but it is just as easy, fast and safe when installing the drivers. You just have to do it type “device manager” in the search bar Windows 10, search for the device what’s troubling you, do it right click on it and select the option “Update Driver”.

For example, if my device screen was having problems, I should go to the “Display adapters” section, open it, right click on my graphics (Intel HD Graphics 620) and select “Update Driver”.

Option 3: Go to the manufacturer’s website

For this, first we need to know the exact model of our PC, which we can do from Windows or, usually more reliably, through the adhesive on the front or back of our equipment.

For what concern first method, you must only write “system information” in the Windows 10 search bar. Once there, look at the information section of “System model”. In many cases it will be enough, but in others, like mine, it will only inform you of the rough model (HP Pavilion) and not the concrete. Therefore, we recommend the second method.

This other method is based on check the label which is usually found, in the case of laptops, on the front, next to the touchpad or on the bottom, next to a barcode. Next, we leave you a series of links where the most important brands explain how to find this information on their devices:

Once we have our model, to update the drivers of our PC we will only have to go to our favorite search engine (usually Google), search for your computer manufacturer’s website and go to the software and drivers section. We can also google the drivers section of the manufacturer’s website directly. In my case, I should search for “HP software and drivers”.

Many times the manufacturer’s website will automatically recognize your computer and take you to the list of available drivers for your device. If not, we’ll have to manually enter the template we found earlier. When we get to the driver list, we just have to search for the one that is giving us problems, download it and start the installation (which will require one or two reboots).

Don’t be obsessed with installing the latest drivers. You must be guided by the maxim that “what works well is not touched”, so we recommend that you only update your drivers if one of them is giving you real problems.