How to install and update official Windows drivers. Windows Driver Update

The Android operating system is very popular and the reason for this is its many advantages. Many modern smartphones and tablets run on this operating system, which indicates its reliability, otherwise well-known gadget manufacturers would not use Android. In general, this OS has enough advantages, but the purpose of this article is not to describe the advantages and disadvantages of Android. This rather voluminous manual is intended for users who want to know how to update Android.

From time to time, every owner of a smartphone, tablet or other device running on the Android platform needs to update the operating system version. Of course, updating is not mandatory and if this is not done, any device will continue to function normally. However, the old version of the OS often becomes a problem. For example, it may be difficult to install new programs or games whose developers did not take care of later versions of Android. In addition, developers regularly release new versions of the Android OS for a reason. First of all, this is done to eliminate all the shortcomings of previous versions and add new, user-friendly features.

So, we figured out the need to update Android, now let's find out how to update Android on different devices. In this article we will look at using the official and non-official firmware versions. You will be presented with step-by-step instructions on the basis of which you can update Android on your phone and tablet. We will also tell you how to update Android via a computer. So let's get down to business.

Before you update Android, you need to choose the most suitable method for yourself, and there may be several options here. Perhaps the most convenient is automatic software updates directly through the phone. That is, this method does not require the use of a computer and pre-downloading a new firmware version, since all necessary actions will be performed in the smartphone settings. This OS update method is suitable for all devices with Android version no later than 4.0. The software update procedure is extremely simple and will take very little time.

It should be noted that the Android update process may vary slightly depending on your specific smartphone model. We have prepared step-by-step instructions using the most common software as an example, but you can easily figure it out if your device has a slightly different interface. So, to update Android on your phone, follow these steps:

1. Go to the “Settings” of your smartphone. This is usually done through the main menu of the phone or using a special button on the phone. It all depends on the model of the gadget. In any case, there will be no problems with this.

2. After entering the phone settings, find the “About phone” item (in some cases, this section may be called “About tablet” or “About smartphone”). Here you will find the build number and android version. After clicking on the “About phone” item, the following window will appear in front of you:

3. Next you need to find and go to the “System Update” section. (in some cases, this section may be called “Software Update” or simply “Update”). Now you need to click on the “Update” button (in some cases this button may be called “Check for updates” or “Check now”). If an update is available for your device, your smartphone will automatically download and install it. In some cases, automatic downloading is not possible and you will need to confirm the software update. If there is no update for your smartphone, you will see a message indicating that you have the latest version of Android OS installed.

Note: before installing Android, you should make sure that your phone is connected to the Internet and that you have enough traffic to download the new firmware.

It should be said that some devices require certain features of updating the Android operating system. For example, some Samsung smartphones require you to enable a Samasung account before updating Android. Please note that we are not talking about a Google account, but about a Samasung account. If you have not yet created a Samsung account, then follow these steps:

In your phone settings, find the “Account and synchronization” item and go to it.
Now click on “Add account” and in the window that opens, select the “Samasung Account” section.
Now follow the prompts on your smartphone screen. After activating your account, you can start updating your Android, following the previously given instructions.

Also watch the Android update video on your smartphone.

You already know how to update Android via your phone. Now let's find out how to update Android on your tablet. It should be said that the process of updating software on a tablet computer does not imply significant differences from updating a smartphone, however, there are still some differences, so we decided to prepare separate instructions.

Quite often, tablets are almost constantly connected to the Internet. In this case, the Android update procedure is greatly simplified. The fact is that while in constant network access mode, the device can itself find a new version of the operating system and notify you about it. All you have to do is accept or reject the new software. If a similar offer has already been received, but at that time you decided to refuse it, then there is nothing wrong with that. Just go to the “About Tablet PC” section and select “Update Software”.

If automatic updating does not occur, this procedure can be performed manually. Again, the process of updating Android on a tablet may involve minor differences depending on the specific device model, but the meaning is the same and you will not encounter any difficulties. To update Android on your tablet computer, you need to follow these steps:

Go to “Settings”.
Find "About your tablet." Go to this tab and click on “System Update”.
After this, the tablet will begin searching for the latest software version.
If the device has the latest version of Android installed, the device will tell you that no updates were found. If a new version of Android OS is detected, you will be prompted to install. install. Once the installation is complete, your tablet may restart.

Note: to eliminate problems with the device, before updating Android on your tablet, you need to make sure that the battery charge of the tablet computer is more than 50% of the permissible capacity. It is advisable to connect the tablet to a charger when updating the software. This rule is also relevant when updating the OS on your phone.

You can update Android not only directly from the device itself, but also from your computer. To do this, you will need a special program and a disk that comes with the device. You can also download the Android version from the Internet, for example, if there is no corresponding disk or you want to install a specific version.

Today, there are several programs for updating Android, but we use the special Kies application as an example. You can download the program on the Internet, just use the Yandex or Google search. To update Android via your computer, you need to follow these steps:

1. Connect your smartphone or tablet to your computer and launch the Kies application. The program will automatically check if there is a software update available for your device and the result will be notified to you in the appropriate window.

2. If there is a new version of the operating system for your device, then the “Update” button will appear in front of you. Click on it and a new warning window will appear. Carefully study the information provided and only then proceed to the next step.

3. If you agree with everything, check the box next to “I have read all the above information” and click on the “Start update” button. After this, the latest version of the operating system will begin downloading, fully matching your smartphone or tablet model.

4. Once the Android OS files are downloaded, the software update will automatically begin. If the automatic update has not started, a corresponding button should appear, clicking on which you will confirm the start of the software installation.

5. That's all. You have updated Android to the latest version. Now you can evaluate the benefits of the new software.

Android is updated in the same way through Sony PC Companion and other programs.
Also watch the video on how to update Android via Kies.

Many modern gadgets, for example, Nexus, HTC, Samsung, etc. have the opportunity to get Android 5 Lollipop. Meanwhile, often for unknown reasons, many users cannot install this software, since the long-awaited update simply does not arrive. That is, the corresponding section reports that there are no updates available for the device. If you are sure that your smartphone or tablet supports this version of the operating system, but automatic updating does not occur, then you can try to update in another simple and safe way, which, moreover, does not require.

We are talking about a forced update, and there will be no need to manually install the image and use non-official firmware. Since we did not find a device that does not already have Android 5 Lollipop installed, the screenshots presented in the instructions will already be with this version of the software, but there is no significant difference and the contents of the menu are no different, so you will cope with the task without any problems.

So, go to “Settings” and select “Applications”.

Open the list of all applications. Now you need to find an application called Google Services Framework. Click on it and select the “Erase data” option.

After that, turn off the smartphone and immediately after turning it on, check for software updates again; to do this, follow the following path: “Settings” → “About device” → “System update”.

Note: In some cases, there may be a delay in receiving the update. As a rule, after 10-15 minutes you can start updating.

If your device does not support Android 5 Lollipop, and the previously specified file is deleted, nothing bad will happen. However, for Google Play to continue to function correctly, you may have to re-authorize, that is, you just need to enter your login information to your Google account, and not register in the system again.

You can also watch the video to see how the firmware is updated to Android 5 lolipop.

How to update Android using unofficial firmware

This is where we will end this article. We hope this rather lengthy manual helped you and now you know how to update Android. If you have any problems with the update, ask questions in the comments.

How to update Android on a smartphone or tablet?

First, it is necessary to provide some clarity about how the update process occurs and in what cases it can be done. Despite the fact that a new version of the OS is released once a year, not everyone will be able to use their device. A stable update to the latest OS versions is guaranteed for 2 years only for users of the Nexus and GPE line of devices (Google Play Edition, which is available in the Google online store).

Also, in most cases, all smartphone manufacturers update firmware for their flagship models, but updates come out with a long delay.

Updating Android using a proprietary utility

To update your smartphone's operating system to the latest state, you can use software developed by the device manufacturer. For Samsung smartphones you need to use the KIES utility; users of LG devices need LG PC Suite or HTC Sync Manager for HTC devices.

Android update process via PC:

First, you need to download proprietary software from the official website of the manufacturer of your smartphone. The address of this Internet resource can be found in the instructions for the device.
After this, you need to install the software on your computer, as well as, if necessary, an additional set of drivers.
Next, you need to connect your smartphone or tablet to your personal computer using a USB cable.
Now you should run the installed software and give it some time to detect the connected device.
When the model of your device is identified, you should find it in the program interface and click the “Software Update” button.
Next, you need to follow the prompts given by the program.
During the software update, it is strictly forbidden to disconnect the USB cable or remove the battery from the device. In addition, it is best to have a smartphone on a laptop or computer with an uninterruptible power supply, so that in the event of a power outage the update process will not be disrupted.
After the update is completed, the smartphone or tablet will restart and its settings will be reset to factory settings.

The process of updating an Android device over the air:

First, connect your device to the charger and wait until the battery is fully charged. In addition, if your smartphone or tablet is guaranteed to be charged more than 80%, you can safely try to update.
Now connect your gadget to a Wi-Fi network, since using mobile Internet, even unlimited, will make the update download process very long (it may take from several hours to a day). In addition, when using a mobile network, the download process may be interrupted due to low speed.
After that, open the software update utility on your smartphone:
- For devices from various Chinese manufacturers, as well as from FLY, Explay, etc. you will need to go to the system settings menu, and then go to the “Software Update” section;
- For Samsung or HTC devices, you need to go to the settings section, select the “About device” menu item, then go to the “System updates” section and click the “Check for updates” button;
- Smartphones from LG are equipped with a separate program for updating Android; it is located in the main menu and has the appropriate name “Software Update”. You just need to open it and start the update process.
During the update process, the smartphone may reboot several times. If the system update was minor, user data may be retained. Otherwise, you will have to restart or restore the settings from the backup.

Android firmware update based on CyanogenMod

Download the firmware image for your device to a memory card or place it there using a computer.
Turn off your smartphone and boot it into “Recovery” mode by simultaneously pressing the volume button and the power button (the key combination depends on the device model).
Select “Update” and open the previously saved firmware image;
The device will be updated and rebooted.

The number of Google Android users is growing every day. Just recently, it was reported that 900,000 new Android devices are activated every day. In addition, information often appears in the news that this or that company has released the next update for its devices. In this regard, more and more users are wondering how to carry out this update. We will try to talk about this in this article.
To begin with, it is necessary to note a few important points so that everything is clear. There are two main ways to update Android: official (can be done over the air or using a PC or memory card) and unofficial (usually done only using a PC or memory card). The official method is usually described on the manufacturer's website and is the safest. Sometimes on third-party sites you can find an unofficial update method that allows you to install the firmware even if it has not become available in a certain region or on the mobile operator’s network. Use of this method is at the user's own risk and does not provide any guarantees. This article will focus on the official update, since unofficial methods are very different on different devices and are best considered separately for each specific device.
Another important point regarding the official update is that the news about the release of the next update does not always mean that you will be able to update on the same day. The update usually becomes available with a delay, which is associated with the work of operators and the specific region in which the user lives. Sometimes the update may not become available at all (in this case, the only option is to use the unofficial method).
So, in most cases, the official update is carried out wirelessly (“over the air”). As soon as a new version of the platform becomes available in your region, your device notifies you and prompts you to update. In this case, it is enough to agree and follow the instructions that appear on the device display. This is the easiest update method and is used by most Android device manufacturers: HTC, Sony, Acer, Asus, LG, etc.
Sometimes companies offer other update methods, which we will look at below:

Samsung update

Samsung provides both over-the-air and PC updates. To update using a PC, use the Samsung Kies program, which can be downloaded from the official website . To update, just install the program on your computer and connect your device. Kies itself will download the update and offer to install it. All you have to do is agree. It should be noted that the list of devices supported by Samsung Kies is still very limited, but will expand over time.

LG update

Let's look at another example of an update that is sometimes used for LG phones. To update, you will need the LG Mobile Support Tool, which you can select by selecting your mobile device model. After that, follow a few simple steps:

Install and run the LG Mobile Support Tool.
Connect your device to your computer and make sure that the driver is installed and the SIM card is inserted.
After this, you can begin the update process, at the beginning of which you will need to select a region for your model (Russian Federation).
After completing several steps (analysis, download and update), the program will write that the update was completed successfully.

Sony update

It is also worth noting a certain feature when updating some devices from Sony. This company decided to make it possible to install a new version of Android not only on modern models, but also on some older ones. But she noted that the performance of older models may suffer, so the responsibility for updating falls entirely on the shoulders of the owners. Users of these devices will also not see any update messages, and they will only be able to install the new version using the PC Companion program. You can do this as follows:

Download and install the PC Companion program .
We connect your device to the computer.
We wait for some time until the program starts; if autostart does not happen, then we launch the program manually.
After PC Companion starts, click the “Start” button in the Support Zone, select “Phone Software Update” and follow the instructions that appear on the screen.

Motorola update

Motorola also uses both update methods in its devices. It is important to note here that for the wireless method you need to fully charge your battery and activate your Motoblur account. After that, go to “Menu” – “Settings” – “About phone” and select “System updates”. Next, the phone will reboot and the system will be updated. Older device models may not support over-the-air updates, so you will have to use another method. To do this, you will need a memory card, at least 40 MB of free space in the memory of the device itself, and a full battery charge. To update you need:

Download the firmware version for your device from the official website, connect the device to the computer in USB mode and upload the downloaded file to the root of the memory card without changing the file name.
After this, we safely remove the device from the PC, go to “Menu” – “Settings” – “About phone” and select “System updates”.
When you see an available update, select “Copy” and in the window that opens, click on “Install Now”. After this, you will reboot and install the update.

These are some of the typical update methods, and instructions for each individual device can usually be found on the official website or. In conclusion, we note that before updating, it is recommended to save all necessary information (calls, SMS, contacts, photos, videos, etc.), since it may be lost during the update process. We also remind you that we, unlike official manufacturers, are not responsible for your manipulations with the device.

All computer hardware needs drivers. Motherboards, audio, video and other components all need software to work correctly.

Just use Windows update

I've been using Windows 10 since it came out, and if your device is fairly recent, its layout is fairly standard, then there shouldn't be any problems with drivers. The system itself installs those drivers that are tested and approved by Microsoft. Plus, this happens automatically, you just need an Internet connection.

IN Windows 7 This does not work so well, you need to enable it manually in additional updates. But who now uses Seven besides the corporate sector?

Drivers from the hardware manufacturer

For video cards, I recommend installing from official sites. Especially if you play modern games. As a rule, the drivers in the update center are slightly older than those presented on the official websites. This means that they are not very optimized for new games and are not updated so quickly.

Do not download or install drivers from unknown sites and various storage sites. There is a chance of running into a virus, catching a BSOD blue screen of death or incompatible junk.

Official links to manufacturers' websites

Acer offers drivers for its Aspire, Predator, TravelMate and other PCs, as well as various Acer accessories.

AMD Download drivers for your Radeon GPUs. You can also download chipset drivers there, which may be required for motherboards with AMD chipsets.

IN ASUS There are drivers for laptops and desktops such as the ZenBook and Republic of Gamers (ROG) product line, as well as other ASUS branded devices.

Brother offers many drivers for its printers and scanners.

Canon drivers for your digital cameras, printers and scanners.

Creative provides downloads for its Sound Blaster hardware and other peripherals.

Dell offers drivers for its Inspiron, Latitude, XPS and other Dell products you may have.

Epson for printers, scanners, projects and other hardware devices.

provides drivers for its Pavilion, EliteBook, ProBook, Envy, Omen and other PCs, as well as HP printers and other products.

Intel offers driver downloads for everything from integrated Intel graphics to Wi-Fi, Ethernet controllers, motherboards with Intel chipsets, and Intel SSDs.

Lenovo offers drivers for ThinkPad, IdeaPad, Yoga and other PCs, in addition to other Lenovo accessories.

Website Logitech offers downloads for its mice, keyboards, webcams and other peripherals.

MSI provides downloads for its laptops, desktops, motherboards, graphics cards, gaming peripherals and other products.

NVIDIA offers drivers for GeForce graphics hardware, as well as other products.

Download Center Samsung offers drivers for Windows laptops and desktops, as well as all other Samsung products.

Sony still supports driver downloads for its discontinued VAIO laptops and desktops, as well as various accessories for Sony.

Toshiba drivers for your computers and other peripheral devices.

Western Digital Firmware and utilities designed for use with Western Digital USB drives.

For other brands, just go to the manufacturer's official website and find the download and support page.

How to identify an unidentified device

It is quite rare for the operating system to fail to recognize the hardware and offer a driver. In this case, you can use the programs or the method that I described in this one and use a search to find it on the manufacturer’s website.

Or determine the hardware ID and also find the required driver by value

We need a device manager button WIN+X or right-click on the menu Start. Choose device Manager, find the unidentified driver, right-click on it, select Properties and go to the section Intelligence, find the section Equipment ID and copy the values.

Let's go to the search and search by value. As you can see in the screenshot, the first link identified the correct hardware, all that remains is to find the correct driver, but I wrote about this above.

The following phrases are often heard online: “the driver needs to be updated”, “the driver is installed incorrectly”, etc. How to understand such expressions? To do this, you must first define the driver.

A driver is a program that makes it possible for a computer to operate with all the equipment connected to it. Without drivers, the operation of a video adapter, sound card, printer, fax and other equipment will not be possible. These programs tell the operating system how to interact with the computer hardware.

Updating drivers using standard operating system tools

When you purchase a computer, it comes with a driver disc. You will need it at the end of the Windows installation. But they will most likely be outdated, although the computer will work with them. Drivers need to be updated regularly. This process is carried out in several ways.

Windows 7 itself has the ability to update drivers without third-party software.

Method No. 1

You need to open the Start menu, and then select “Devices and Printers” from it.

A window will open with various devices. You need to find an icon that resembles a computer, system unit or hard drive. This icon will have the name of the computer.

Right-clicking on the icon will open a menu. Here you select the “Device installation options” item.

Follow the instructions in the screenshot. After that, save all changes with the “Save” button.

Now the OS itself will search for updated or uninstalled drivers on the computer.

Method No. 2

Installation of drivers in this method occurs through the “Device Manager”. To open this window, you will need to right-click on “My Computer” and select “Device Manager”.

Same thing if you select "Properties". In the window that opens, you need to find “Device Manager” on the left side.

A window will open containing a list of all devices connected to the computer.

Now each equipment tab is selected in turn. For example, let it be “Network adapters”. Double-click on the tab and the equipment for which you need to update or install drivers will open.

Select the required equipment and right-click on it. In the menu that opens, click on “Update drivers...”.

There are two options for installing drivers here.

Automatic search for updated drivers;
Search for drivers on this computer.

The first option is preferable, since the system itself will search the Internet for the necessary drivers. For an inexperienced user, this is the best option. If you have a disk with drivers, then it is better to choose the second option. Here you will need to indicate the place where to look for programs.

If the automatic search does not produce results, then you should look for drivers on the official website of the equipment manufacturer.

Sometimes problems arise during the update. The old driver begins to conflict with the new one. To avoid this, you should remove the old software.

Select the “Properties” item, as shown in the screenshot.

In the window that opens, go to the “Driver” tab and click the “Delete” button. This will allow you to get rid of the old driver and install the new one without any problems.

After removal, driver installation is done according to the principle described above.

If the installation fails again, you need to rollback. The screenshot shows the "Roll Back" button. After pressing it, the installation is canceled and returned to the previous state. In other words, “Rollback” is a synonym for the word “Cancel”.

The disadvantages of these two methods are that it is not always possible to find what you need on the Internet. There are other installation recommendations to solve this problem.

Automatic update using DriverPack Solution

Using DriverPack Solution, you can easily automatically install or update drivers for a computer with different hardware configurations.

The package contains almost 9 GB of programs. It is convenient to use DriverPack Solution if there is no Internet access. The package contains various drivers up to date.

Using DriverPack Solution, you can configure the hardware in your desktop computer, laptop and netbook.

Even if the program does not have the appropriate driver in its database, it will help you download it from the network. Of course, in this case you will need Internet access.

DriverPack Solution is downloaded from the website http://drp.su/ru/download.htm. After downloading the image, it can be burned to disk or mounted with the appropriate program (Alcohol, Daemon Tolls, etc.).

Clicking the Backup tab allows you to create a backup copy of the drivers for the computer running DriverPack Solution.

Working with the program is carried out in a couple of clicks. Beginners and experienced users will appreciate it.

Installing drivers using Driver Genius

This program is similar to DriverPack Solution, but it is commercial (paid).

After installing Driver Genius, the main program window will open. Here you need to click on the “Start scan” button.

When the check is completed, a window with the results will open.

The screenshot shows that one problem has been detected. To fix it, you need to click the “Next” button.

Driver Genius is capable of backing up and restoring drivers. This feature will be useful when the computer is fully configured. Now you can back up your drivers. When you subsequently reinstall the OS, you will not need to look for disks from the computer hardware. It will be enough to launch the installation package with pre-saved drivers.

If you click the “Update” button, a list will open with operating systems for which you need to find drivers.

Having selected one of the operating systems, the program itself will begin searching for drivers for it. To do this, click the “Next” button.

The program has its own base with drivers. To update it, just click on “Web update”.

Driver Genius will connect to the Driver Update Center and download the necessary ones.

In the program window, drivers can be removed if they begin to conflict.

The special thing about Driver Genius is that each device can be diagnosed for proper operation. To do this, left-click on “Tools” and select “Device Diagnostics” from the menu that opens.

Any hardware that is not working properly will be displayed in the inspection window.

Searching for laptop drivers by manufacturer

Installing drivers on laptops is more difficult than on personal computers. It is convenient to configure the device hardware via the website http://drp.su/drivers/notebooks/?l=ru.

Here is a list of all laptop manufacturers. You must select the appropriate company.

Laptop manufacturing companies:

Acer;
Samsung;

This is only a small fraction of the list of all manufacturers.

For example, you need to install drivers for an Acer 1AEGM002 laptop. You must select the manufacturer Acer from the list. It is located at the very beginning of the site. On the page that opens, you should find the desired model. Clicking on it takes you to the page with drivers for Acer 1AEGM002.

Here you can download the complete package with the program shell for subsequent hardware configuration. If you only need one or more drivers, you can download them individually from the page below.

In general, for modern devices, finding drivers is not difficult. But it happens that the equipment is little-known or outdated. In this case, the automatic search for drivers may be difficult and may not provide the desired results.

There is only one way out - manual installation.

Manual driver installation

The whole procedure begins with searching for the device for which a driver is needed. For example, let it be a video card.

You need to go to “Device Manager” and click on “Video adapters”.
Select the device and right-click on it, then select “Properties”.

A window will open. Here you need to go to the “Details” tab. In the "Property" menu, select "Hardware ID".

Everything before the "&" symbol is the name of the equipment. It is used to search for a driver.

There are two main sites used for this:

http://devid.drp.su;
http://devid.info/ru.

For the first site, the equipment ID is entered in the following field:

For the second site, the equipment ID is entered in the following window:

After finding the drivers, you need to download and install them. If these are exe files, then they are installed like a regular program. If the file has a different extension, for example, *.ini, then the drivers must be installed from the Device Manager.

Here you select the 2nd item “Search for drivers on this computer”. Next, indicate the location where the *.ini file is saved.

It happens that the ID is displayed incomprehensibly.

There are no familiar words PCI\VEN here. How to search for drivers? For the search to produce results, all characters in the query up to the word VEN are removed, and all characters starting with “&” are removed.

All that remains is “VEN_10EC&DEV_0888”. This phrase is entered on sites where drivers are looked for.

Another way to find out the hardware ID and device name through Everest

You need to install the program.
Now you need to launch Everest.

To find out the equipment ID, you will need to go to the section of interest on the left side of the main window.

A window with a “Hardware ID” is displayed on the user’s computer.

Knowing this value, drivers are searched.

All of the described methods for installing drivers are simple. Everyone can do this on their own. Of course, there are times when the driver cannot be found. This applies to very old equipment. Drivers for it can be found on computer forums and on social networks.