How do I know what drivers need to be updated ?

Welcome to the forums Paul :emotion-21:

What model system/laptop is it you've got?

Did you not get an invoice with the laptop, specifying all the hardware and software in it?

If not - do you at least know your service tag number (DON'T mention it on the forums!)?

If you open the Drivers & Downloads page, there's a 'System Configuration' link in the left menu [under 'Product Support'], which'll open a new page listing the specs of your system.

You'll obviously need to input your service tag number though, to get the correct specs of your particular system.

But you really only need to download drivers, if any components in Device Manager have a yellow exclamation mark next to them, or something isn't working.

If everything is working as it should, and there are no problems in Device Manager, leave things as they are.

The only drivers I like to keep updating on a regular basis myself, are the graphics drivers.  But that's because I'm a gamer, and new graphics driver sets often include improvements for specific games :emotion-5:

If the question is how to check if there are any new driver versions compared to what you already have, Dell currently doesn't have a simple tool to scan your system and check for updates.  You pretty much have to do it manually.

One way you can be notified of updates is Dell's Technical Subscriptions - after subscribing,  you get emails whenever anything is updated for the system.    Only thing to be careful of is you get all updates for every possible hardware option, not necessarily the ones you have.

http://support.dell.com/support/topics/global.aspx/support/notifications/en/index?c=us&l=en&s=gen

Thanks for the replies,

Yes I was hoping there would be an auto update tool or some way the to list all of the device drivers and their versions.   Windows update can include updated device drivers via Computer > Properties > Advanced System Settings > Hardware Tab > Device Installation Settings.  Are the device drivers listed on the Dell web site included in the MS Windows updates ?

Thanks

Paul C

I just installed windows 7 and my webcam just repaired or replaced by " BEST BUY." At boot up the laptop STUDIO 15 keep asking for new webcam drivers.  The webcam is working.

                                                                                                                                                    What is the problem?    .      Jean-Claude.

<ADMIN NOTE: Email Id Removed Per Privacy Policy>

Paul:  RE Windows Update:  probably not a good idea to rely on that strategy.       For one, MS gets their drivers from the the vendors anyway, so the original vendors (Dell or their suppliers) will have the update long before MS gets it into their database     There's also the problem of customization.    For example, lets say you have a Realtek audio chip on your motherboard.   Is that a custom version just for Dell, or is it the generic version used on retail motherboards?   Often as not, MS will have only the generic version of the driver direct from Realtek, not the custom version Dell has - Windows Update can't tell the difference.    It's always better to stick to the source - either Dell, or the original hardware manufacturer.

Does that mean MS drivers are all bad?  Not at all.   Many people decided to go to Win7 on systems that didn't have any manufacturer's drivers readily available, and the drivers MS had got everything working fine.

I agree with TheRealFireblade, though - updates usually don't do anything for you unless they address a problem that needs to be fixed.   As he pointed out, video is a common exception, since game and application developers often have to request video driver tweaks to work with their stuff.    However, that usually only applies to desktops with a separate video card (Dell doesn't usually use "custom" video cards, just the same ones you can buy retail).    Laptops are a whole other animal, since so much is integrated into the system board.

Confused yet?  Me too.   Join the club.

Jean-Claude:  You've got a whole other problem there.    Best to start a new message of your own rather than tack it onto this thread.

Alexandra,

Thanks to the advice "updates usually don't do anything for you unless they address a problem that needs to be fixed" no worries.  Things seem to be OK at the moment so I hope this means that I will not need to use the Dell driver download web site facilities. There is a problem though, it would help if there was a Dell utility to list and compare the currently loaded drivers with those available from the web site.   This would help to reduce the Dell support calls and costs.

Thanks

Paul C