How to identify some outdated your hardware drivers with Windows Device Manager on Windows 10 & 7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How to identify (some) outdated drivers with Windows Device Manager
Identifying outdated drivers with Device Manager is a very tedious process. You can’t tell, just by looking at the device in Device Manager, if its driver is out of date. You have to actually try to update the driver, If Windows thinks the driver is out of date, it will update it for you; if not, it will tell you you already have the latest driver.
IMPORTANT: As discussed later on this page, Windows Device Manager doesn’t always detect outdated drivers.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The free version will identify all your outdated drivers, and allow you to download them all.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.
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.
Why you can’t rely on Windows to keep your drivers up-to-date
Windows comes with an inbuilt tool, called ‘Windows Update’, that’s supposed to automatically keep your drivers up to date. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work very well.
There are two reasons why…
Device manufacturers often take a long time to get their drivers into a Windows Update – It’s a time-consuming and difficult process. Sometimes they just miss the deadline and have to wait ‘til the next Windows Update, and sometimes they just give up altogether. In fact, for older devices, this is the norm.
Windows Update ignores driver updates it considers ‘optional’ – It categorizes driver updates as either ‘critical’, ‘automatic’ or ‘optional’, and it doesn’t usually concern itself with the ‘optional’ ones – even when they’re actually important. You can install them manually by going to the ‘Optional updates’ screen but, even then, as described above, you’re unlikely to get all the latest drivers.
Download Driver Easy FREE
If you’re having computer issues, the first thing you should do is see if it has outdated drivers. If it does, updating them will very often fix things.
And for this, our tool, Driver Easy FREE, is the ideal solution.
Driver Easy FREE is a driver update tool used by more than 3 million customers around the world. It will automatically identify and download all the drivers you need, so all you have to do is install them.
In other words, it eliminates the need to find and download your drivers the difficult way (via the manufacturer’s website).
You don’t need to know what system your computer is running, you don’t need to scour the web for the right driver download, and you don’t need to risk downloading the wrong driver. Driver Easy does it all for you, automatically. No computer knowledge needed, and it’s completely free.
This page describes how to do this.
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.)
Also read:
- How to Retrieve deleted photos on Honor 100
- How to recover lost data from S17?
- How to Rescue Lost Photos from Vivo ?
- How to recover deleted photos on Gionee
- How to recover old messages from your Xiaomi 14 Pro
- How to Repair corrupt MP4 and MOV files of Galaxy XCover 6 Pro Tactical Edition?
- How To Get Out of Recovery on iPhone SE? | Dr.fone
- How to Rescue Lost Photos from Tecno ?
- How to recover deleted photos from Android Gallery without backup on Infinix Hot 30 5G
- How to recover deleted contacts from Honor 90.
- How To Restore Missing Contacts Files from Honor Play 8T.
- How to fix damage to the file was so extensive PDF error?
- How to recover deleted photos from HTC U23 Pro.
- How To Repair iPhone 6 Plus System Issues? | Dr.fone
- How to fix error 1015 while restoring iPhone 7 | Stellar
- How to restore wiped videos on Vivo Y27 4G
- How To Repair iPhone 11 Pro Max System Issues? | Dr.fone
- How to Fix the Unable to Record Macro Error in Excel 2013?
- How to Rescue Lost Contacts from Motorola Defy 2?
- How to Repair a Damaged video file of Realme GT 5 (240W)?
- How To Restore Missing Music Files from Oppo K11x
- How to Recover FaceTime Call History on iPhone 6s Plus | Stellar
- How to Rescue Lost Messages from Itel
- How to Restore Contacts on iPhone 13 mini (4 Methods) | Stellar
- How to recover deleted photos from Vivo X100.
- How To Repair iPhone 8 Plus iOS System? | Dr.fone
- How to recover old messages from your X50
- How To Restore Missing Photos Files from Motorola Moto G14.
- How to Retrieve deleted photos on Blade A73 5G
- How to fix error 1015 while restoring iPhone 6s | Stellar
- How to Repair corrupt MP4 and MOV files of Honor X50i+?
- How To Restore Missing Messages Files from Tecno Spark Go (2024)
- How to identify malfunctioning your drivers with Windows Device Manager in Windows 7
- How to restore wiped call history on HTC U23 Pro?
- How to identify malfunctioning your drivers with Windows Device Manager in Windows 11/10/7
- How to sign .dot file by digital signature
- How To Transfer Data From iPhone 12 To Other iPhone 14 devices? | Dr.fone
- 2 Ways to Transfer Text Messages from Nokia C12 Pro to iPhone 15/14/13/12/11/X/8/ | Dr.fone
- How to retrieve lost files from Tecno Spark 20?
- How to retrieve erased videos from Galaxy A05
- How To Erase iPhone SE (2020) Data Permanently | Dr.fone
- How To Restore Missing Music Files from Infinix Smart 8
- How to Rescue Lost Contacts from Asus ROG Phone 8?
- How to Rescue Lost Photos from Vivo Y17s?
- How to Restore Deleted Sony Xperia 5 V Pictures An Easy Method Explained.
- How To Restore Missing Pictures Files from Samsung Galaxy F34 5G.
- How to recover deleted photos from Android Gallery without backup on Infinix Note 30 5G
- How to recover deleted photos on F5 5G
- How To Transfer Data From iPhone 13 Pro To Other iPhone 13 Pro Max devices? | Dr.fone
- How to Add Adjustment Layer (Clip) in DaVinci Resolve for 2024
- Full Guide How To Fix Connection Is Not Private on Infinix Note 30 | Dr.fone
- Top 10 Fixes for Phone Keep Disconnecting from Wi-Fi On Xiaomi Redmi Note 12R | Dr.fone
- In 2024, How to Create Discord GIF Avatar in Depth Guide
- Updated Uncensored Top 10 + Free Streaming Sites for 2024
- The way to get back lost data from X Flip
- How Screen Mirroring Apple iPhone X to TV or PC? | Dr.fone
- Methods to Change GPS Location On Vivo S17e | Dr.fone
- In 2024, Top 10 Password Cracking Tools For Vivo Y55s 5G (2023)
- In 2024, How to Reset a Realme Narzo 60 Pro 5G Phone that is Locked?
- In 2024, A Perfect Guide To Remove or Disable Google Smart Lock On Oppo Reno 11F 5G
- How To Change Country on App Store for iPhone 12 Pro Max With 7 Methods
- Google Play Services Wont Update? 12 Fixes are Here on Tecno Phantom V Flip | Dr.fone
- Top 15 Augmented Reality Games Like Pokémon GO To Play On Apple iPhone 6 | Dr.fone
- In 2024, 3 Solutions to Find Your Nokia C12 Pro Current Location of a Mobile Number | Dr.fone
- Updated Level Up Videos By Applying Keyframe with Filmora
- Updated Unbeatable Free Video Editors for Gaming Content Creators for 2024
- In 2024, Recommended Best Applications for Mirroring Your Lava Yuva 3 Screen | Dr.fone
- In 2024, How to Make Stunning Glitch Effect in Photoshop? Ultimate Guide
- 5 Solutions For Honor 90 Pro Unlock Without Password
- In 2024, How To Leave a Life360 Group On Nokia C110 Without Anyone Knowing? | Dr.fone
- In 2024, 3 Methods to Mirror Tecno Phantom V Fold to Roku | Dr.fone
- Can’t view MOV movies content on Samsung Galaxy M54 5G
- Title: How to identify some outdated your hardware drivers with Windows Device Manager on Windows 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-hardware-drivers-with-windows-device-manager-on-windows-10-and-7-by-drivereasy-guide/
- License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.