Driver updates - help!

[Pushkin]

Okay - I know - this is really basic stuff to you guys but how do I update drivers for my system? I know I need to go to each manufacturers site and locate specifically what driver I need for the specific part of my system - but hwat do I do then? Do I just download it and it updates automatically or do I have to do something as well as downloading it?

Be gentle with me - long time away from this kinda stuff and the brains getting foggy.

Pushkin

[pp05]

You can update driver through device manager or uninstall the old driver and install new one.

[this_is_gav]

Assuming we're talking Windows here, it depends on how the driver is packaged. A lot of the time they'll come with their own installer (graphics and sound drivers usually come this way) which you just download and run (make sure old drivers are uninstalled first though).

Some come in a compressed .zip file which will need to be extracted somewhere (usually a temporary directory of your choice - make one if you want, then delete it when finished) and you'd install the driver from the Device Manager (right click on My Computer, select Manage, and Device Manager, find the device you want to update drivers for, right-click on it, hit Properties, the Driver tab and then Update Driver, following the instructions on the screen, and pointing to the temporary directory you chose earlier).

Others will come in a self-extracting .exe file that will not automatically install drivers - you'll need to extract this to a temporary directory again, and then follow the above.

The odd one out which springs to mind is the Intel RAID controller drivers, designed to install onto a floppy disk. Not much use if you don't have a floppy drive or you slipstream the drivers onto an XP installation CD/DVD. There must be an easier way around this, but as far as I'm aware the only way to get these drivers from that small .exe file is to open it in a program called WinImage, which isn't free. You can then extract the files and do with them as you please.

[Pushkin]

Guys, thanks for the input I think it was just nerves getting the better of me - long time since I did any of this. It was new drivers for my Radion X1800 and their site was a wee bit confusing. I ended up pretty much following their instructions: deleting the old drivers and downloading the new suite toa folder I chose, then used device manager to load the new ones. It seems to have worked but geez - what a load of crap you get with them - and it knocks all your settings to hell.

I'll see how things are after a few daus or so and come back for more help if I need it. Once again cheers.

Pushkin