Driver Installation

If you have bought a second-hand or refurbished computer, or if you have just installed a fresh copy of Windows, you will need to check that all the right hardware drivers are installed.

These days, the Windows Update service is rather good at installing all the correct drivers for your specific machine, but occasionally there are some drivers that it can't find, or that install incorrectly.

Sometimes there are additional apps from the OEM which dramatically improve hardware functionality and even enable otherwise-inaccessible features.

Some tech shops really are too lazy to do this process for you.

Checking for driver updates

1. Windows Update — just open Windows Update and check for updates.

2. Computer company website. Look for the drivers section of their website and search for your laptop or desktop device. They might have a tool to auto-detect your device's model and/or hardware. Their website or tool will also provide their latest drivers for all the hardware in your device.

3. Graphic card website. Install their desktop app if they have one, usually this app will take care of GPU driver updates. Some graphics cards are too old, so you will have to download the driver from their website and install it manually.

4. DriverIdentifier.com can usually find any drivers that are still missing. Sometimes it even provides you with download links for newer drivers than are provided by Windows Update and your computer company!