{"id":109249,"date":"2019-12-17T12:57:59","date_gmt":"2019-12-17T04:57:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/?p=109249"},"modified":"2020-12-15T15:33:14","modified_gmt":"2020-12-15T07:33:14","slug":"worse-than-useless-debunking-howtogeeks-article-about-driver-updaters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.drivereasy.com\/worse-than-useless-debunking-howtogeeks-article-about-driver-updaters\/","title":{"rendered":"Worse than useless? Debunking HowToGeek\u2019s article about driver updaters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A couple of years ago, HowToGeek published an article, colorfully entitled, Never Download a Driver-Updating Utility; They\u2019re Worse Than Useless<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And ever since, a week rarely goes by when we don\u2019t get asked about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So we figured it\u2019s about time to write an official response. Here goes\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long story short<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here are the main claims the article made:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claim<\/strong><\/td>True or False?<\/strong><\/td>Why?<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
You don\u2019t need a tool to update your drivers<\/td>TRUE<\/td>You can do it yourself if you have the skills, patience and inclination.
Learn more\u2026<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Outdated drivers are very unlikely to cause problems<\/td>FALSE<\/td>Outdated drivers cause all sorts of problems. All IT professionals know this.
Learn more\u2026<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Updated drivers usually don\u2019t provide new features<\/td>FALSE<\/td>Driver updates often provide very important new features.
Learn more\u2026<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
You don\u2019t need to update drivers that are included in Windows<\/td>FALSE<\/td>Hardware manufacturers actually advise you to do it.
Learn more\u2026<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Windows Update will always keep your drivers up-to-date<\/td>FALSE<\/td>Microsoft freely admits Windows Update doesn\u2019t always include the latest drivers.
Learn more\u2026<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Read on to learn the truth about each of these claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CLAIM: You don\u2019t need a tool to update your drivers — (Verdict: TRUE but do you want<\/em> to do it manually?)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The HowToGeek article says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cyou don\u2019t need any driver-updating utility\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

And this is true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You definitely don\u2019t need<\/em> a tool to update your drivers. Just as you don\u2019t need<\/em> a washing machine to wash your clothes, a calculator to do your sums or a chef to cook your dinner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But do you really want<\/em> to do it yourself? Do you have the time, patience and skills to do it properly?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obviously the author of the HowToGeek article does. He\u2019s the publication\u2019s Editor in Chief, he\u2019s been writing about tech since 2011, he\u2019s written for some of the biggest tech publications going around, and he\u2019s somewhat of an expert on open-source operating systems like Linux and Chrome OS. So he really knows his onions and he probably loves to tinker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I know I don\u2019t. Do you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I could think of far better, more profitable and less frustrating ways to spend my time than updating my drivers manually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It takes me ages to figure out what devices my PC has. Brand, model, etc. I never remember where to look. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And after I\u2019ve finally done that, I have to trawl my PC manufacturer\u2019s website looking for the latest drivers for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And guess what? Quite often, they\u2019re not even supported by my PC manufacturer anymore. So I have to source them from the chipset manufacturer instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And when I do finally find the driver I think<\/em> I need? There\u2019s always a voice in the back of my head reminding me of the last time I did this manually and my monitor stopped working altogether. (Turns out, I\u2019d downloaded and installed the wrong driver, even after investing all that time.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, sure. It\u2019s technically true that it\u2019s possible<\/em> for me to do all of this by myself. But I challenge Chris to poke his head into my office while I\u2019m doing it. It\u2019s not just possible<\/em> he\u2019ll learn a few very creative expletives, it\u2019s guaranteed<\/em>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fact is, I hate working on computers. I don\u2019t know enough about hardware to do it safely and efficiently, nor do I do it often enough to remember where I went and what I did last time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And above all, I hate spending time on things that can be done automatically<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And before you say it, no, it\u2019s not that I\u2019m a dummy. I\u2019ve been working in and around the IT industry since 1994 – as a technical writer, copywriter, product manager, tester, project manager and UX designer. And still I hate updating drivers manually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still not convinced? Then maybe check this instruction for how to update a driver<\/a> from a Windows Insider MVP and Microsoft forum moderator:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Some<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Long story short, updating your drivers manually is a lot<\/em> more complicated than Chris would have you believe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By contrast, with Driver Easy Pro<\/a> you can update ALL your drivers with just a single click. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CLAIM: Outdated drivers are very unlikely to cause problems — (Verdict: FALSE)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The HowToGeek article claims it\u2019s \u201ctechnically true, but very unlikely\u201d that updating your drivers can cause problems, system slowdowns and bluescreen errors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t have to be an IT expert to know this is false.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outdated and mismatched drivers are one of the most common causes of Windows problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why Microsoft published this explanation<\/a> of how to…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Update a driver for hardware that isn’t working properly\u2026”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Why they say<\/a>: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you’re still seeing a blue screen error, try rolling back, disabling, or uninstalling the recently installed drivers.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Why they say<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you recently installed new drivers, you can rollback, disable, or uninstall them to determine if that’s what’s causing your issue.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

And there\u2019s plenty more where that came from. Not just from Microsoft, but from just about any vendor you can poke a stick at. They all know that outdated and mismatched drivers can cause serious problems, and that updating your drivers is one of the first things you should do when you encounter a problem. Usually right after restarting your computer!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, and let\u2019s not forget the problems caused by missing<\/em> drivers. The HowToGeek author conveniently failed to mention this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once again, Microsoft makes it very clear what can go wrong if you\u2019re missing drivers<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithout drivers, the devices you connect to your computer\u2014for example, a mouse or external hard drive\u2014won’t work properly.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Clearly, outdated, mismatched and missing drivers do cause problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which is why more than 3 million people around the world use Driver Easy<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CLAIM: Updated drivers usually don\u2019t provide new features — (Verdict: FALSE)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The HowToGeek article says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s very unlikely any driver will offer new features\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

By way of answer, let me show you how some manufacturers describe their driver updates\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Radeon Software Adrenalin 2019 Edition 19.10.2 Highlights<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"AMD<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

NVIDIA Gamescom Game Ready Driver<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"NVIDIA<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Intel\u00ae PROSet\/Wireless Software 21.50.1 Release Notes:<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Intel<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Intel\u00ae Wireless Bluetooth\u00ae 21.50.0 Release Notes:<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Intel<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Clearly some important new features there!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CLAIM: You don\u2019t need to update drivers that are included in Windows — (Verdict: FALSE)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the HowToGeek article, Chris criticises a driver update tool because it recommends he update the driver for his Human Interface Device (HID) compliant mouse. He says:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a standard type of hardware \u2014 you should never need to update this basic mouse driver; it\u2019s included in Windows.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Again, he\u2019s wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take a look at what Logitech has to say<\/a> on the matter:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Screenshot<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In other words, the tool was probably right to make this recommendation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CLAIM: Windows Update will always keep your drivers up-to-date — (Verdict: FALSE)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sure, if you don\u2019t like updating drivers manually, you could just wait for the next Windows Update, and hope to get the drivers you need there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But you know what? That\u2019s nowhere near as clean-cut as Chris claims here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDriver updates occasionally arrive via Windows Update, so a serious problem will be fixed just by installing your normal updates.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The reality is, Windows Update isn\u2019t actually very good at updating drivers. Particularly Windows 10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It categorizes driver updates as either \u2018critical\u2019, \u2018automatic\u2019 or \u2018optional\u2019, and it doesn\u2019t usually concern itself with the \u2018optional\u2019 ones. So long as you have the necessary \u2018critical\u2019 and \u2018automatic\u2019 updates, it\u2019s happy. It won\u2019t, for example, install a new \u2018optional\u2019 update, if it already has an old \u2018critical\u2019 update installed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t have to take my word for that either. Here\u2019s a quote from Microsoft itself<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWindows ranks critical or automatic drivers highest. If a matching driver is not found, WU looks next for optional drivers. As a result, an older critical driver of otherwise equal rank takes precedence over a newer optional driver<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

But all<\/em> driver updates are important, even when Windows calls them \u2018optional\u2019. If they weren\u2019t, the hardware manufacturers wouldn\u2019t go to all the trouble of coding and releasing them, and getting them into a Windows Update (that process is very difficult and time consuming for them).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes these \u2018optional\u2019 updates include just a new, nice-to-have feature, and you can arguably do without that. But sometimes it\u2019s an important bug fix \u2013 perhaps the old driver is causing your device to stop working or your computer to crash. Windows often categorizes these updates as \u2018Critical\u2019, but definitely not always.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other problem is that device manufacturers often take a long time to get their drivers into a Windows Update. It\u2019s a time-consuming and difficult process. Sometimes they just miss the deadline and have to wait \u2018til the next Windows Update, and sometimes they just give up altogether. In fact, for older devices, this is the norm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Oh, and let\u2019s not forget, sometimes Windows Update simply fails to work. My computer kept telling me for a full year that I had an update available, but every time I tried to install it, it would fail. What drivers were part of that update? I\u2019ll never know.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, no. I\u2019m not a big fan of waiting for Windows to update my drivers for me. Especially if I have a problem right now!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plus HowToGeek conveniently overlooked a few things<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The other thing that the HowToGeek article overlooked is the fact that some driver update tools do a lot more than just update drivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Driver Easy Pro<\/a>, for instance, offers all of the following additional features:<\/p>\n\n\n\n