How to identify some outdated your drivers with Windows Device Manager on Windows 11/10/7
![](/images/site-logo.png)
How to identify (some) outdated drivers with Windows Device Manager
Identifying outdated drivers with Device Manager is a very tedious process. You can’t tell, just by looking at the device in Device Manager, if its driver is out of date. You have to actually try to update the driver, If Windows thinks the driver is out of date, it will update it for you; if not, it will tell you you already have the latest driver.
IMPORTANT: As discussed later on this page, Windows Device Manager doesn’t always detect outdated drivers. Nor does it always give you the latest available version if you update a driver. If you want to be sure you have the latest available version of a driver, you need to source the driver directly from the device manufacturer or use a tool like ours, called Driver Easy , to do it automatically.
Try Driver Easy for free
If you want the certainty of knowing your device drivers are always up to date (and not just sometimes up to date, which is all you get from Windows Device Manager), and you don’t have the time, patience or computer skills to continually update them manually, give the free version of Driver Easy a try.
The free version will identify all your outdated drivers, and allow you to download them all. But only one at a time and, once they’re downloaded, you have to manually install them using the standard Windows process. (To automatically update all your drivers with 1 click, you’ll need the Pro version of Driver Easy . Don’t worry, it comes with a 30-day, no-questions-asked, money back satisfaction guarantee.)
All our drivers are certified
We use only genuine drivers, straight from your hardware manufacturer. And we employ a strict testing process to ensure they’re safe, stable, robust, up-to-date, and compatible with Windows and all the most popular combinations of hardware and software.
Microsoft WHQL Testing
Most hardware manufacturers put their drivers through Microsoft’s rigorous Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL) testing process. If they pass, they’re officially certified stable and compatible with Windows.
If your manufacturer has a ‘Certified for Windows’ driver, that’s the one we’ll use. For Windows 10 and 11, Driver Easy installs only drivers that are ‘Certified for Windows’ through the Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL) program. For Windows 7, 8 and Vista, Driver Easy installs WHQL drivers by default, if they’re available (which they are for 95.69% of drivers for those versions of Windows), but also gives users the option to install non-WHQL drivers.
But we don’t stop there. We also perform our own tests to ensure the stability of our drivers…
Certified by Driver Easy
We employ a strict testing regime to ensure our drivers are safe, secure and stable.
This is critical because not all manufacturers get their drivers certified by Microsoft – particularly for older hardware. (It’s a very rigorous and time-consuming process, and for manufacturers with a lot of devices and drivers, it can become quite expensive.)
We test on all the most popular combinations of hardware & software
Our tests are a lot more hands-on and practical than Microsoft’s tests. Because drivers behave differently on different computers, different versions of Windows, and even in the presence of different software applications, the only way to really tell if a driver will be stable, compatible and safe for everyone is to physically test it on all the popular hardware / operating system / software combinations. So that’s what we do:
- We test on hundreds of PCs – Our testing facility is strategically located in Shenzhen, China, one of the country’s biggest IT hubs. We specifically selected this estate because we’re surrounded by hundreds of PC distributors, all within walking distance. This means we have unfettered access to an almost limitless supply of hardware, and can physically test our drivers on all the most popular computers – including the latest new models available on the market, as well as second-hand computers that still have a wide user base.
- We test with physical devices attached – For external device drivers (e.g. for printers, external hard drives, mice, keyboards), we physically install the external device to test the driver.
- We test on all current versions of Windows – On each test PC, we install and test thoroughly on Windows 11 32-bit, Windows 11 64-bit, Windows 10 32 bit, Windows 10 64-bit, Windows 7 32-bit and Windows 7 64-bit.
- We test with popular programs installed – On each installation of Windows, we also install a variety of popular software programs before testing the driver (e.g. various versions of Microsoft Office, antivirus products and video players).
Here’s our full testing process
We subject all new drivers to a battery of tests.
Step 1. Filter out faulty drivers
First, we locate and download any new drivers from nearly 100 manufacturer websites, then scan them all with two proprietary tools that filter out any that:
- are incorrectly formatted;
- are missing files;
- are likely to be flagged by antivirus programs; or
- have failed our previous tests.
Then we add all drivers that pass these filters to our development-only version of Driver Easy.
Step 2. Test on all modern versions of Windows
We then scan a small selection of computers with our development-only Driver Easy. These computers have typical devices attached, like a mouse, keyboard, monitor and printer. On each computer, we test all modern versions of Windows (Windows 11 32-bit, Windows 11 64-bit, Windows 10 32 bit, Windows 10 64-bit, Windows 7 32-bit and Windows 7 64-bit):
01. We install each driver that Driver Easy recommends, one at a time.
02. After each driver installation, we check that the computer functions normally and all devices work properly. E.g. If it’s a network card driver, we test the internet connection, if it’s a video card driver, we test the screen resolution, if it’s a keyboard driver, we test that the keyboard is functioning properly, and so on.
03. We then check Windows’ Device Manager to ensure no device drivers are flagged as problematic.
04. We then restart the computer to ensure that the driver installation didn’t cause any issues with Windows (e.g. no blue screen of death on startup, no error messages, no unexpected behavior).
05. If all is working as expected, we return to step 1, and install and test the next driver.
06. If there are issues, we check the driver install log to see if any errors were detected during installation.
07. If the log is inconclusive, we do further testing to determine if it was the driver that caused the issue. Usually we test an alternative driver to see if it causes the same issue. If it doesn’t, then it’s likely the first driver is the culprit. If the same issue occurs with the alternative driver too, we test to see if the computer itself is the issue. Often this involves performing a system restore on the test PC.
08. If we can prove that the driver was the cause of the computer or device issue, we remove it from Driver Easy, then return to step 1, and install and test the next driver.
Any drivers that make it through our first two test phases are then added to the live Driver Easy database.
Step 3. Test on many popular computers
We then use Driver Easy to scan dozens of the most popular computer setups (PC, operating system, video card, sound card, network card, printer, default software, etc.):
- We install each driver that Driver Easy recommends, one at a time.
- After each driver installation, we check that the computer functions normally and all devices work properly. E.g. If it’s a network card driver, we test the internet connection, if it’s a video card driver, we test the screen resolution, if it’s a keyboard driver, we test that the keyboard is functioning properly, and so on.
- We then check Windows’ Device Manager to ensure no device drivers are flagged as problematic.
- We then restart the computer to ensure that the driver installation didn’t cause any issues with Windows (e.g. no blue screen of death on startup, no error messages, no unexpected behavior).
- If all is working as expected, we return to step 1, and install and test the next driver.
- If there are issues, we check the driver install log to see if any errors were detected during installation.
- If the log is inconclusive, we do further testing to determine if it was the driver that caused the issue. Usually we test an alternative driver to see if it causes the same issue. If it doesn’t, then it’s likely the first driver is the culprit. If the same issue occurs with the alternative driver too, we test to see if the computer itself is the issue. Often this involves performing a system restore on the test PC.
- If we can prove that the driver was the cause of the computer or device issue, we remove it from Driver Easy, then return to step 1, and install and test the next driver.
Over the course of a year, we test on hundreds of different computers in this way.
If a driver fails our tests…
If we establish that a manufacturer’s driver causes issues on any combination of hardware, operating system and software, we find an alternative version of the driver for that particular combination.
For example, if an audio driver supplied by Dell for a certain laptop causes issues on Windows 10, we’d source a different version of it. Typically from the audio card’s chipset manufacturer (e.g. Realtek). They’d usually have the most up-to-date drivers available because they continue updating their drivers almost indefinitely, whereas Dell would typically stop updating the laptop’s drivers as soon as it’s superseded by a newer model.
Once we’ve located an alternative driver, we start over at step 1 of our testing process with it.
Why update your drivers in Windows 11, 10 & Windows 7?
Many computer issues are caused by outdated device drivers. Particularly in Windows 10/11.
So if your computer has slowed down, you should update your drivers. If it’s crashing or hanging, update your drivers. If you can’t connect to the internet, update your drivers. If your mouse, keyboard, monitor or speakers are acting up, update your drivers. In fact, no matter what your issue, there’s a good chance updating your drivers will fix it.
To understand why, you first have to understand what drivers actually are…
What are drivers?
Drivers are like interpreters between Windows and your devices. For example, when Windows needs to display something on your monitor, it sends a command to your graphics card, and your graphics card then displays what Windows wants on your monitor.
But Windows and your graphics card don’t actually speak the same language. To understand each other, they need a translator. That translator is called a driver. It takes the Windows command and translates it into something your graphics card can understand. Your graphics card can then do as it’s told, and display the right thing on your monitor.
Similarly, if your graphics card needs to send some sort of response back to Windows, the driver translates the response into something Windows can understand.
In this example, what we’re talking about is a video driver, but your computer has many other drivers on it too – one for each device. Your speakers, your printer, your mouse, your USB hard drives, your network card, your keyboard and so on – they each have an associated driver.
And without all these drivers, none of your devices will work.
How to update all your drivers with just 1 click
The easiest way to automatically update your drivers is with our tool, Driver Easy Pro.
With Driver Easy Pro :
- You can update all your drivers with just one click.
- You don’t have to know anything about computers. Driver Easy will automatically recognize your system and all your devices, and install the latest correct drivers for you – direct from the manufacturer. You don’t need to know exactly what system your computer is running, you don’t need to risk downloading and installing the wrong drivers, and you don’t need to worry about making a mistake when installing.
- You get the latest version of every driver, direct from the manufacturer, certified safe and stable.
- You get all driver updates, even the ones Microsoft considers ‘optional’ and wouldn’t provide.
- You’re not relying on the device manufacturers getting their updated drivers into Windows Update on time (because we proactively source the latest drivers from them).
Here’s how Driver Easy works:
Step-by-step instructions
To automatically update to the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system:
(To automatically update all your drivers with 1 click, you’ll need the Pro version of Driver Easy. Don’t worry, it comes with a 30-day, no-questions-asked, money back satisfaction guarantee.)
- $29.95- Single Computer License / 1 Year
- $29.95 - 3 Computers License / 1 Year
- $59.95 - 5 Computers License / 1 Year
- $99.95 - 10 Computers License / 1 Year
- $269.95 - 30 Computers License / 1 Year
- $399.95 - 50 Computers License / 1 Year
- $795 - 100 Computers License / 1 Year
- Run the downloaded executable file and follow the on-screen prompts.
- Run Driver Easy and click
UPGRADE
.
- Paste or type the software key you were emailed when you bought Driver Easy.
- Click
Scan Now
. Driver Easy will then scan your computer and detect any devices with missing or outdated drivers.
- Click
Update All
to automatically download and install the correct version of all the drivers that are missing or out of date on your system. - That’s it. You can go grab a coffee, while Driver Easy does all the work for you!
Also read:
- How To Restore Missing Photos Files from Tecno Spark 10 Pro.
- How to restore wiped messages on Honor X7b
- How To Reset iPhone 14 Pro? | Dr.fone
- How To Recover Data from iPhone 13 Pro? | Dr.fone
- How to Remove iPhone 12 mini Face ID?
- How To Restore Missing Messages Files from Tecno Spark 20
- How To Restore Missing Messages Files from Poco C51
- How to play MOV files on Huawei ?
- How to Reset iPhone 6s Plus without Losing Data? | Stellar
- How to restore wiped videos on Nokia C210
- How to play HEVC H.265 video on Xiaomi Redmi K70 Pro?
- 4 Ways to Transfer Music from Realme V30 to iPhone | Dr.fone
- How To Install the Latest iOS/iPadOS Beta Version on iPhone 12? | Dr.fone
- How to Repair corrupt MP4 and AVI files of Asus ROG Phone 8 Pro?
- How to retrieve erased call logs from OnePlus Nord N30 5G?
- How to restore wiped messages on Nokia
- How to Rescue Lost Videos from Oppo A2
- How to restore wiped videos on Realme C67 4G
- How to Rescue Lost Music from Play 40C
- How to recover old messages from your Oppo A18
- How to retrieve erased call logs from Honor X8b?
- How to remove Google FRP Lock on Tecno Spark 10 4G
- How to restore wiped videos on Lava Yuva 2 Pro
- How to Recover Deleted Data from iPhone 14 Pro using Stellar Data Recovery for iPhone? | Stellar
- How to Retrieve deleted photos on Poco X6
- How To Recover Lost Data on iPhone SE (2020)? | Dr.fone
- How To Restore Missing Contacts Files from Oppo Reno 11 5G.
- How to Honor 90 GT Get Deleted Pictures Back with Ease and Safety?
- 2 Ways to Transfer Text Messages from OnePlus 11R to iPhone 15/14/13/12/11/X/8/ | Dr.fone
- How To Reset iPhone 6s Without iTunes? | Dr.fone
- How to Electronically Sign a Excel 2021 Using DigiSigner
- How to remove Google FRP Lock on Edge+ (2023)
- How to Recover Lost Data from iPhone 6 Plus After iOS Update? | Stellar
- 5 Easy Ways to Copy Contacts from Realme C51 to iPhone 14 and 15 | Dr.fone
- How to fix videos not playing with my Infinix Hot 30i?
- How To Repair System of iPhone 11 Pro? | Dr.fone
- How to Rescue Lost Videos from Realme Narzo 60 5G
- How to recover deleted photos from Tecno Spark 10 Pro.
- How to rescue lost call logs from Tecno Pova 5
- How to retrieve erased call logs from Play 7T?
- How to Recover lost Calendar on iPhone 12 Pro | Stellar
- How to sign .dotx file electronically
- How to recover old messages from your Huawei Nova Y91
- How to restore wiped music on Xperia 5 V
- How to recover deleted photos on Realme Narzo 60 5G
- How To Erase Private Data From iPhone 6 Plus | Dr.fone
- What To Do When Nubia Red Magic 9 Pro+ Has Black Screen of Death? | Dr.fone
- In 2024, iSpoofer is not working On Apple iPhone SE (2020)? Fixed | Dr.fone
- Best 10 Mock Location Apps Worth Trying On Oppo A1x 5G | Dr.fone
- In 2024, Forgotten The Voicemail Password Of Vivo Y100t? Try These Fixes
- Authentication Error Occurred on Vivo Y02T? Here Are 10 Proven Fixes | Dr.fone
- In 2024, Do You Need a Royalty-Free 5 Seconds Countdown Video for Your Video but Dont Not Where to Find One? We Will Introduce You to the Best HD and 4K Clips that You Can Always Try Anytime
- Forgotten The Voicemail Password Of Realme 12 5G? Try These Fixes
- Remove Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra unlock screen
- In 2024, How to Send and Fake Live Location on Facebook Messenger Of your Apple iPhone 7 Plus | Dr.fone
- Your Complete Guide To Reset Xiaomi Redmi Note 12R | Dr.fone
- How to Get and Use Pokemon Go Promo Codes On Realme Note 50 | Dr.fone
- In 2024, How to Watch Hulu Outside US On Vivo V27e | Dr.fone
- Network Locked SIM Card Inserted On Your Oppo A59 5G Phone? Unlock It Now
- In 2024, What Is a SIM Network Unlock PIN? Get Your Oppo Find X6 Pro Phone Network-Ready
- What Pokémon Evolve with A Dawn Stone For Nokia C22? | Dr.fone
- How To Bypass iCloud By Checkra1n Even From iPhone 11 If Youve Tried Everything
- 8 Solutions to Fix Find My Friends Location Not Available On Apple iPhone 12 Pro | Dr.fone
- How to Change Your Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 Location on life360 Without Anyone Knowing? | Dr.fone
- In 2024, Apple iPhone XS Backup Password Never Set But Still Asking? Heres the Fix | Dr.fone
- How to Change Google Play Location On Vivo X Flip | Dr.fone
- Guide How To Unbrick a Bricked Nokia XR21 Phone | Dr.fone
- Unlocking Apple iPhone 12 Pro Lock Screen 3 Foolproof Methods that Actually Work
- In 2024, How to Mirror PC Screen to Lava Yuva 2 Phones? | Dr.fone
- Possible ways to recover deleted files from Infinix Zero 30 5G
- In 2024, Ultimate Guide on Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max iCloud Activation Lock Bypass
- In 2024, Ways to trade pokemon go from far away On Honor 80 Pro Straight Screen Edition? | Dr.fone
- Use Device Manager to identify some outdated drivers in Windows 10
- Best Apple iPhone 14 & iPad Screen Mirroring App | Dr.fone
- A Perfect Guide To Remove or Disable Google Smart Lock On Samsung Galaxy A05s
- In 2024, How to Change your Realme 12+ 5G Location on Twitter | Dr.fone
- MOV playback issues on Redmi K70E
- How to Mirror Oppo Find N3 Flip to Mac? | Dr.fone
- How To Fix iPhone 13 Could Not Be Activated/Reached Issue
- Title: How to identify some outdated your drivers with Windows Device Manager on Windows 11/10/7
- Author: Nova
- Created at : 2024-05-19 18:32:13
- Updated at : 2024-05-21 02:34:23
- Link: https://blog-min.techidaily.com/how-to-identify-some-outdated-your-drivers-with-windows-device-manager-on-windows-11107-by-drivereasy-guide/
- License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.