In this article, we will discuss the importance of updating drivers in Windows and how to accomplish it using the Command Prompt. Keeping your drivers up to date is crucial for maintaining system stability, performance, and compatibility with the latest software and hardware releases. By using the Command Prompt, you can easily update drivers without the need for third-party software or navigating through multiple menus.

Examples:

1. Checking for driver updates: To check for driver updates using the Command Prompt, follow these steps:

   • Press the Windows key + X and select "Command Prompt (Admin)" to open an elevated Command Prompt.
   • Type the command "driverquery" and press Enter. This will display a list of all installed drivers on your system along with their details.
   • Look for drivers with a "Yes" under the "Signed" column, as these are signed by Microsoft and are likely to have updates available.
   • To check for updates for a specific driver, note down its name and type the command "driverquery /v /fo csv | findstr /i [DriverName]". Replace [DriverName] with the actual name of the driver in question. This command will provide detailed information about the driver and its version.
   • Visit the manufacturer's website to download the latest version of the driver if an update is available.

2. Updating drivers: To update drivers using the Command Prompt, follow these steps:

   • Press the Windows key + X and select "Device Manager" to open the Device Manager.
   • Locate the device for which you want to update the driver and right-click on it. Select "Properties" from the context menu.
   • In the Properties window, go to the "Driver" tab and click on the "Update Driver" button.
   • Choose the option "Browse my computer for drivers" and then select "Let me pick from a list of available drivers on my computer".
   • Click on "Have Disk" and browse to the location where you have downloaded the updated driver.
   • Select the driver file and click on "Next" to start the driver update process.