Installing drivers is the next step after installing Windows itself. In some cases, when a version of Windows 8.1 or 10 was installed on a modern computer with very common components, this process may not be necessary. Modern versions usually implement all the necessary drivers themselves, and they can only be updated if necessary. In the case of Windows 7, PCs and laptops with very old, very new or specific hardware, as a rule, user participation is required. So, how to install drivers on Windows?
What is a driver
A driver is software for an operating system, in this case for Windows, which is responsible for access to certain computer hardware. In an expanded sense - for access and correct functioning of this very filling. Windows contains the basic drivers necessary for its primitive functioning on computers, laptops, supported tablets and other devices.
If we are talking about the full operation of the system, then individual drivers must be implemented for some components and separate peripherals (connected external equipment). They are provided by the manufacturers of these components and peripherals.
Most drivers are components that are embedded in the Windows system without their own interface and personal control environment. But there is another type - those supplied with both an interface and an environment for configuring the operation of components or peripherals. For example, in the case of video cards, audio cards, printers, modems, music and other connected equipment.
Where are Windows 10 update files downloaded when upgrading to it from an older OS?
For these purposes, a special directory is created, which, like the directory described in the previous case, is not visible to the user because it is hidden. Where are Windows 10 updates downloaded in this case?
This is the Windows directory.
BT. In the event of a user-authorized transition from an outdated OS to the tenth version, the system provides the possibility of a rollback, and the old Windows.old system folder is stored for thirty days. But here’s what’s interesting: files for installing build updates (upgrades) of the tenth modification itself are also placed in the same directory. In other words, they are, in a sense, files of the new system. Therefore, it is better not to touch this directory unless necessary. On the other hand, if you completely disable the installation of updates even for assemblies (but after downloading the necessary components), you can get rid of this folder quite simply, but it is advisable to perform this operation not in manual mode, but using the C drive cleanup tool ( system partition) with additional activation of cleaning system files, where the corresponding item is marked in the list. But it should be taken into account that critical updates in the form of Anniversary Update and higher will not be subsequently installed. And this may affect the performance of some installed programs, for which such updates are initially required.
How to identify components without drivers
The lack of drivers for individual devices makes itself felt in very obvious ways. If the system has a skewed low-resolution screen, it means there is no video driver. If there is no Internet, there is no network card driver or Wi-Fi module. No sound or access to the microphone means there is no audio card driver. There is no access to the video camera - there is no driver. But we will discover the absence of USB 3.0 drivers only when slowly copying data to a flash drive or external hard drive. Outdated or inappropriate drivers for motherboard components can be felt by the clumsy operation of Windows.
Components without drivers can be found in the system device manager. In Windows 8.1 and 10, you can get to it from the menu using the Win+X keys.
In Windows 7, you can press Win+R and enter: devmgmt.msc
If a device does not have a driver, it will be marked with a yellow triangle with an exclamation point.
At the same time, the operating system does not always determine the specific type, and often the type of components. And they, in such cases, are displayed either with a general name like “Multimedia Controller” or as “Unknown Device”.
In the case of a video card, the absence of a driver will be indicated by its definition as “Basic video adapter (Microsoft)”. This means that the system runs on a basic universal driver, and not on a custom one. Hence the skewed screen - only for basic needs.
Where to find drivers on your computer if you need to update or remove them
Installed drivers are usually located in the System 32 driver folder. However, you cannot somehow use or transfer files from there, so as not to disrupt the operation of PC components and peripherals. The list presented is purely informative.
To update or remove the driver, you must follow these steps:
1. For Windows 7:
- open "Start";
- right-click on the “Computer” shortcut;
- Select “Properties” in the menu that opens;
- select "Device Manager".
2. For Windows 10:
- right-click on the “Computer” shortcut;
- Select “Device Manager” from the drop-down menu.
3. Next for both systems:
- select a program marked with a warning sign;
- double-click the left mouse button to open properties;
- select the “Driver” tab;
- click "Update".
A warning sign that looks like an exclamation point within a yellow triangle means that the device driver is not installed or is not working properly. If the update does not help, you need to reinstall it.
Installation in Device Manager
If you have access to the Internet, you can try to install the missing driver directly in Device Manager. On the problematic device, call the context menu and click “Update driver”.
Select automatic search.
We are waiting for his results.
If the system finds the driver on the network, it will automatically download it.
Install.
And he will notify us about it.
If the system does not find anything and reports that the most suitable drivers are already installed, we try searching in the “Update Center”. To do this, of course, the updates themselves should not be disabled. After installing Windows, some time must pass for the system to download update packages from Microsoft servers.
If in this case the system claims that the most suitable drivers are already installed, or honestly admits that it was unable to find anything,
We proceed to manual installation of drivers.
Manual removal of updates
Such actions can be performed directly in the programs and components section, which is located in the standard (and not the new) “Control Panel” (control in the “Run” menu).
In it you should go to the item for viewing installed updates, highlight the one you need and click the delete button. In the same way, you can simply get rid of any package by using special uninstaller programs like iObit Uninstaller.
In them you can find a special section with a list of recently installed updates, in which, as in the previous case, you need to select a package and click the delete button. The use of uninstallers is advantageous in that they are able to get rid of all residual components, since built-in system tools very often leave a lot of unnecessary entries in the system registry, as well as files and directories associated with the main package or application being removed.
Official websites of device manufacturers
You can manually install device drivers in the same way as regular programs - by running their installation files in EXE format. You can get such driver installation files on the DVD that comes with the package for laptops, motherboards, video cards, external audio cards, external network cards, video cameras and other components or peripherals. However, such a DVD is not available in every case. Moreover, it will most likely store outdated versions of drivers. It’s better to look for fresh and always up-to-date versions on the website of component manufacturers.
To get to the manufacturer’s website, in the case of laptops, enter the name of their model into the search engine and add the word “site”. For example, “Samsung R780 website”. A special type of software will help us find out the names of internal components and peripherals - diagnostic programs AIDA64, CPU-Z, Speccy, etc. With their help, you can determine the names and copy them to the clipboard.
Then, we insert the names into the search engine, add the word “site” and find the official website of the required manufacturer among the first search results. Open the device page and find driver installers. As a rule, they are published in the “Support” section.
With video cards we do this: find out the model.
Let's go to the manufacturer's website:
- For Radeon here https://www.amd.com/ru/support;
- For Nvidia here https://www.nvidia.com.ua/Download/index.aspx?lang=ru;
- For integrated Intel graphics, go here downloadcenter.intel.com/ru/product/80939/-.
We indicate on the website the series, model and other required characteristics of the video card, select the version and bit depth of Windows.
And download video driver installers.
Unknown devices
How can I find drivers for unknown devices that are not identified by Windows Device Manager or diagnostic programs? In such cases, we need to search by ID. In the manager on the problematic device, call the context menu and select “Properties”.
In the properties window we go to the “Details” tab. Select the “Equipment ID” item in the “Property” column. And copy its first value.
We enter the copied value into an Internet search engine. And we look for the driver by ID. If nothing is found, use the second, third, etc. "Equipment ID" value. To avoid downloading a dummy, non-working junk, or even a virus instead of a driver, it is better to look for drivers (at least initially) on special sites like:
- https://drp.su/ru/catalog;
- https://devid.info/.
Driver auto installers
There is a simpler and more convenient alternative to manually searching and installing drivers - special programs for automatically installing and updating drivers. Many of them include:
- DriverMax;
- Driver Talent;
- DriverPack Solution;
- Driver Booster;
- Driver Genius;
- Advanced Driver Updater;
- SlimDrivers;
- Snappy Driver Installer;
- DriverHub, etc.
The essence of their work comes down to complete automation of the task. These programs scan Windows for missing and outdated drivers, download their installers from the Internet and install them into the system. For example, in the free DriverHub program we need to run a search.
Wait for the system scan to complete.
Select by ticking all or individual drivers from those detected for installation/updating. And, in fact, start the installation process itself.
The convenience and usability of this method, unfortunately, has a downside: if the driver is incorrectly identified, installing it or updating to some unfinished alpha version can lead to problems in Windows. Based on this, some of these programs provide for the creation of a system restore point before starting their work. When using programs that do not provide for the creation of a point, you need to create it yourself.
Another disadvantage of auto-installers is that free programs can simultaneously introduce various commercial junk into the system. And of course, auto installers will be powerless in the absence of a network card driver, Wi-Fi, or simply an Internet connection. In such cases, auto-installers with a local driver database will help.
Windows 7, and sometimes modern versions 8.1 and 10, can surprise us in the form of the absence of at least a basic driver for a network card or Wi-Fi. If there is no DVD with laptop or motherboard drivers, you should always prepare for such cases in advance, before reinstalling the Windows system. I advise you to store on a non-system drive or external media the network card or Wi-Fi driver installer downloaded from the website of the laptop or motherboard manufacturer. Or even store the auto-installer program with a local database.
Why is the ReportingEvents log stored on disk?
In the SoftwareDistribution directory there is a text document ReportingEvents that does not have an extension, but it can be opened with any text editor. An example of this is the standard Notepad.
The log records all actions related to update processing: downloading, unpacking, installation, checking, their status, start and completion times. When errors occur, their identifiers must be recorded. This makes it possible to download the problematic update in msu format from the Redmond corporation website and deploy it manually. The prefix “KB” must be added before the name of the object.
The next time you reinstall Windows 10 from scratch, the folder with updates or only the ones you need can be copied to the installation flash drive to speed up their installation. Documents with the prefix “EXPRESS” are optional and can be skipped.
The issue of installing updates for the tenth version of Windows, like any other of this family, worries many users, since the process of downloading and installing them does not always go smoothly. The appearance of many errors can sometimes be eliminated if you know exactly where the Windows 10 update files are saved. In the same way, you can simply reinstall some update packages manually or cancel their installation, so issues of managing such processes must be considered in the context of determining the location of downloaded files and how what actions can be performed with them.
Driver auto-installers with local database
There are not so many auto-installers of drivers with a local base on the software market. Their absolute advantage is that they are independent of the Internet. The disadvantage is that they have an impressive weight due to the fact that, in fact, they come with drivers for all possible computer hardware. A popular such auto-installer, the Snappy Driver Installer Full program, weighs more than 16 GB.
But it can quickly bring Windows into working condition. When launched, it will scan the system for missing or outdated drivers. All we have to do is select all or individual drivers and install them.
That's probably all. See you on the next blog pages. For now... Bye.
