Sites to Find and Download Drivers

You might think you're the driver when it comes to operating your PC. But when you're dealing with the devices attached to your computer—peripherals like printers and scanners; inputs like keyboards and mice; even internal devices such as video adapters, network cards, and hard drives—there's actually another driver.

It's called a device driver. It's a little computer program for communicating and translating between your PC and its hardware. They're operating system-specific; a driver for the same device on Microsoft Windows will be different for Mac OS. Sometimes you don't even use the same driver across different versions of Windows. A bad device driver can be a disaster; it's not easy to stop one from running like you can stop a browser or word processor running.

Like all software these days, drivers are constantly being updated. This means running an old version of a driver with your hardware can cause minor performance problems, or at worst, leave gaping security holes or even crash your system outright. So you should keep drivers as up-to-date as possible. After all, the companies that make your peripherals write those updates for a reason.

The question is: where did you get the device driver in the first place, and where do you find and download the updates?

Direct From the Manufacturer
Your PC came with all the device drivers installed for its internal hardware—the video drivers, network adapter, sound card, etc. Also, Windows is pretty good about having drivers on hand for many things you'd plug into your computer, from the keyboard to the printer to the monitor(s). If not, the device probably came with either a CD with the driver to install or instructions on where to get the device driver online.

You have a couple of choices when you want to ensure your devices have the most current driver.

First, you can go directly to the website for your PC manufacturer. Search for the exact model number for your computer and you'll typically find a page for your PC with a link to "downloads" or "support." Pictured below is the page at the Asus site that has both labels for an Asus VivoBook S400CA.

But note that as your computer gets older manufacturers don't always update these pages, even though the maker of the individual components might still have updates available.

A second option is running Windows Update; it's one of the control panels in Windows 7 and 8. This is always a good idea for your operating system, but keep an eye on it for "optional updates" as well—they're frequently new drivers for peripherals.

That doesn't mean Microsoft always has the latest/greatest driver versions on hand however. Make a habit of visiting the manufacturers' webpages for peripherals like printers, scanners, external drives, monitors, and even digital cameras every three to six months. These devices frequently have added bonuses in their drivers. Most modern printers, for example, have software that will inform you when it's out of ink or toner.

Driver Download Sites

Driver Download Sites
Getting drivers for your hardware directly from the manufacturer ensures you'll always have the latest—but it's not very efficient. There are plenty of websites out there that aggregate all the driver downloads they can from manufacturers. No site has them all, but you should check the ones listed below. You'll need the exact make and model information of your hardware to find what you want.

• DriverGuide.com – This site provides a Google-like search of its more than 1.5 million drivers, and lets you scan your PC with a third-party Windows program called Driver Detective.

• TechSpot – This site provides direct downloads from the manufacturer, and has forums to discuss problems with other users.

• DriversBay – This site lays out the hardware categories nicely and has separate sections to get drivers for Mac OS and Linux.

Programs for Getting Drivers
You can also download and run software that will scan your computer and all the current device drivers to tell you which needs an update. A favorite of PCMag's is SlimWare Utilities DriverUpdate (4 stars, $29.97 per year), which downloads all the new drivers you need at once. There's also a free version called SlimDrivers. The software monitors your Windows PC in real-time and downloads and installs drivers when needed.

DriverMax is another popular tool for Windows users that not only finds new drivers, but also backs up your existing drivers for restoration if you run into trouble. It's free to download and use, but for $29 per year you can upgrade to the pro version for more direct downloads. (The free version opens webpages with extra info about the driver.) Other software to try includes Driver Magician ($29.95) or Driver Genius 12 ($29.99); both offer driver backup, restoration, updates, and removal of useless or invalid drivers to clean up your system, which improves performance. All of the above fully support Windows 8.

For the Mac OS, there are no equivalent programs like Driver Genius or SlimDrivers. Make sure to frequently run Software Update to get the latest drivers that are acknowledged by Apple, or just hit the vendor sites to get the latest.