Keeping device drivers up to date is crucial for maintaining optimal performance and compatibility on Windows systems. While there are various methods to update drivers, using the Command Prompt (CMD) provides a quick and efficient way to accomplish this task. In this article, we will explore the command-line options available in CMD to update drivers in Windows, along with practical examples.

Examples:

1. Using the "pnputil" command:

   • Open Command Prompt as an administrator by right-clicking the Start button and selecting "Command Prompt (Admin)."
   • To list all the installed drivers, type the following command and press Enter:

     pnputil /enum-drivers

   • Identify the driver you want to update from the list and note down its published name.
   • To update the driver, execute the following command, replacing "oem.inf" with the published name of the driver:

     pnputil /add-driver oem.inf /install

   • CMD will display the progress of the driver installation. Once completed, restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

2. Using the "devcon" command:

   • Download the DevCon utility from the Microsoft website and extract it to a convenient location.
   • Open Command Prompt and navigate to the folder where DevCon is located using the "cd" command. For example:

     cd C:\DevCon

   • To update a specific driver, execute the following command, replacing "driver.inf" with the actual name of the driver:

     devcon update driver.inf

   • DevCon will update the driver and display the result. Restart your computer to apply the changes.

3. Using the "driverquery" and "pnputil" commands:

   • Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
   • To list all the installed drivers, type the following command and press Enter:

     driverquery

   • Identify the driver you want to update from the list and note down its "Inf Name."
   • To update the driver, execute the following command, replacing "oem.inf" with the Inf Name of the driver:

     pnputil /add-driver oem.inf /install

   • CMD will install the driver and display the progress. Restart your computer to complete the update.

Conclusion: Updating drivers using the Command Prompt (CMD) in Windows provides a convenient and efficient method to ensure your system remains up to date. In this article, we explored various commands such as "pnputil," "devcon," and "driverquery" that can be used to update drivers from the command line. By following the provided examples, you can easily keep your drivers updated, enhancing system performance and compatibility.