Giveaway of the Day Forums » Software Talks

1. ender
   Member

   Ok, i have seen recently this software: http://www.drivershq.com/Home.aspx on another freeware blog(it was a mistake, the author thought, it was freewware, but corrected his mistake now).

   and i was thinking, are updates for drivers only for desktop PCs or also necessary for laptops?
   I am not a gamer, dont play a single game on my laptop, though its a completely new one (HP, with Vista home premium, and 2 GB Ram, and well, a chip from Intel, and 2 x 160 GB harddrives.)
   i mainly use it for of course, browsing, and making slideshows, and sometimes cutting vids. and watching lots of tv shows on it.

   are updates on the graphic chips and the rest of drivers as necessary as e.g. on desktop computers?

   Posted 6 months ago #

2. goodgotd
   Member

   mostly keep an eye on the oem website, but I think it'll be more bios updates, but one never knows.

   Posted 6 months ago #

3. BuBBy
   Administrator

   Drivers, like any software can have bugs. Also over time, sometimes incompatibilities with new applications or other drivers can surface. New features may be added, and additional performance or memory savings obtained by removing unnecessary code, or even rewriting altogether (sometimes just using an updated compiler to recompile the old code without any changes can result in performance and stability improvements).

   Most laptop vendors are generally very conservative in releasing changes often testing the updates for weeks or months, before they appear on the website for download, and generally are quite stable.

   I generally only update if I am having problems, or the new drivers include improvements that are likely to impact my experience using the laptop.

   Usually, I am much more concerned with the Microsoft updates that get squeezed out on a rigid timeframe on "Patch Tuesday" each month. As a rule, you will miss out if you simply refuse to update - but always approach updates with care and common sense.

   Posted 6 months ago # | Login to Send PM

4. ender
   Member

   thanks a lot for the replies, expecially to Bubby for your thorough answer!

   Posted 6 months ago #

5. sukibabe
   Member

   Just after my Laptop turned 1, I had to update the graphics drivers, as I do alot of Beta testing and gaming on all my PCs. Dell had a new support center up by then and it was easy to have them check my Laptop and install the updates I needed. HP might have something similar. Still amazing how they get so much in a little 17" case!

   As for M$, I do custom install!!!!!!!

   Suki

   Posted 6 months ago #

6. Theleecher
   Member

   Updates can deliver security, performance and bug fixes, or just a whole new set of bugs!
   Doesn't matter if it's desktop or laptop, other than that laptop drivers are often customized and "common" updates may not be usable.

   In Order of importance:
   1. Antivirus - MUST update, if you no longer get updates and don't want to pay, then get a free one!
   2. MS/Windowsupdate - generally a MUST, though a few updates have been problematic. Also worth checking the "optional updates" for anything relevant.
   3. Internet facing software of any type - eg. Quicktime, Adobe Reader, Real player - you can also choose to do without (eg. use Foxit reader to read PDF, instead of Adobe).

   I'd generally apply any video/sound/LAN/WLAN updates as they become available.

   NB. Since BIOS and DVD/RW "updates" are actually device flash loads which cannot be fixed by a re-install if they go wrong, excercise caution with those, unless you have an issue. One common BIOS update is for "security freeze lock", which prevents malicious use of drive security features (while also preventing any intentional use of those features).

   Posted 6 months ago #

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