To update drivers, you can search for individual ones or perform a full-system scan. Accessing Device Manager in Windows allows you to update individual drivers. For a full scan, download a driver updater or update through your operating system. MacOS updates drivers automatically.
There are several ways to run a driver scan, and how you do it usually depends a lot on what exactly you’re trying to get and update. You can search for and update individual drivers for specific products or hardware, depending on what you’re having trouble with, or you can perform a full-system driver scan which will allow you to update drivers on multiple pieces of hardware at once. For the latter, you’ll likely need to choose a software program designed to scan your system for old or outdated drivers and find updated versions for them.
Exactly how you can run a driver scan depends a lot on the type of computer you’re using, especially the type of operating system (OS) and version installed on your computer. Different versions of Windows®, for example, typically allow you to update device hardware and drivers in different ways. To scan for drivers on individual devices, you will need to access Device Manager in Windows®.
For most versions of Windows®, this can be done by accessing the Start Menu and accessing the Control Panel. You will then need to select “System” and go to the “Hardware” tab in that menu. From there you can access Device Manager; you can also right-click the “My Computer” icon and select Properties, then navigate to the Hardware and Device Manager tab within that menu. Within the device manager you can then select individual hardware and devices connected to your computer. You can then right-click those devices and look at each device’s Properties for more driver information, or select “Update Driver” from the right-click options.
To perform a full system driver scan and update older drivers in one easy step, you will probably need to download or install a driver updater. Many of these programs are available for sale, and some have shareware versions that you can try and try, although they may require a purchase to actually download and install the drivers found. These programs will walk you through the fairly simple process of running a driver scan and allow you to update your entire system rather quickly and easily.
However, some operating systems do not require third-party programs to perform this type of driver scan. If you’re using a computer running Mac OS, for example, you can simply update your Mac OS and it will handle individual driver updates for your system. To do this, access the “Apple” menu and select “Software Update”. You might also consider installing drivers from a compact disc (CD) that came with the product or device you’ve installed, as well as checking the manufacturer’s websites for updated drivers for your devices.
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