In the Windows environment, the Update-PnpDevice cmdlet is a powerful tool that allows users to update the drivers for Plug and Play (PnP) devices. This cmdlet is particularly useful when a device is not functioning correctly or when a new driver version is available. By updating the device driver, users can improve performance, stability, and compatibility with the Windows operating system.

The Update-PnpDevice cmdlet is available in Windows PowerShell, which is a command-line shell and scripting language designed for system administration. It provides a convenient way to manage Windows devices and their drivers.

To use the Update-PnpDevice cmdlet, you need to open a PowerShell session with administrative privileges. You can do this by right-clicking on the Start button and selecting "Windows PowerShell (Admin)".

Once you have the PowerShell window open, you can use the Update-PnpDevice cmdlet with various parameters to update specific devices or all devices on the system. Some of the commonly used parameters include:

• -InstanceId: Specifies the instance ID of the device to update. This can be obtained using the Get-PnpDevice cmdlet.


• -DriverPath: Specifies the path to the driver package that should be used for the update.


• -Force: Forces the update even if the currently installed driver is the same or newer than the one being installed.

Here is an example of how to use the Update-PnpDevice cmdlet to update a specific device:

Update-PnpDevice -InstanceId "PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_1C3A&SUBSYS_844D1043&REV_04\3&11583659&0&B0" -DriverPath "C:\Drivers\Intel"

In this example, we are updating a specific device with the instance ID "PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_1C3A&SUBSYS_844D1043&REV_04\3&11583659&0&B0". The driver package is located in the "C:\Drivers\Intel" directory.

If you want to update all devices on the system, you can omit the -InstanceId parameter:

Update-PnpDevice -DriverPath "C:\Drivers\Intel"

This will update all devices with the driver package located in the "C:\Drivers\Intel" directory.