The Windows operating system is designed to automatically update drivers in order to improve system performance and compatibility with other hardware and software. While automated driver updates can be beneficial, they can also lead to problems if an incompatible driver is installed or if an outdated version of a driver is used. Fortunately, there are several ways to prevent Windows from automatically installing driver updates.
1. Change Windows Update Settings:
Windows Updates include driver updates, so you can prevent them from being installed by changing the settings in the Windows Update control panel. Select “Change Settings” under the “Windows Update” menu and then set it to “Never Check for Updates”. This will stop Windows from automatically downloading and installing any driver updates.
2. Use Device Manager to Set Driver Updates to Manual:
Windows also provides the option to manually install driver updates. To use this setting, open the Device Manager (right-click on “My Computer”, select “Properties”, and then select “Systems”) and then select the hardware device whose driver you want to manually update. Select the “Driver” tab and then select the “Update Driver” button. You will be presented with two options, “Automatically search for updated driver software” and “Browse my computer for driver software.” Select the latter option and then manually select the driver from the list of available drivers.
3. Use Windows Group Policy Editor to Prevent Automatic Driver Updates:
Although this method requires the use of a third-party program, you can use the Windows Group Policy Editor to modify the operating system configuration and prevent Windows from automatically downloading and installing driver updates. Once the Group Policy Editor is installed, open the “Computer Configuration” and then select “Administrative Templates”. Select the “System” folder and then open the “Device Installation” folder. Under the “Device Installation Restrictions” heading, enable the “Prevent Installation of Devices that match any of these Device IDs” policy. This will prevent Windows from automatically installing the driver updates.
4. Uninstall Unwanted Drivers:
If a driver is already installed, you can uninstall it by opening the Device Manager and selecting the hardware device that you want to remove. To uninstall the driver, right-click on the device and select “Uninstall”. Confirm that you want to uninstall the driver, and Windows will remove it from your system. This will prevent the driver from being installed again by Windows.
5. Disable Windows Updates:
You can also choose to completely disable Windows Updates by going to the “Services” section of the Control Panel and disabling the “Windows Update” service. This will prevent the system from downloading and installing any driver updates. This is not recommended unless absolutely necessary, as important security updates may be skipped.
There are several ways to prevent Windows from automatically installing driver updates. By changing Windows Update settings, using Device Manager to manually install driver updates, using the Windows Group Policy Editor, uninstalling unwanted drivers, or disabling Windows Updates entirely, you can limit the possibility of driver updates causing issues and ensure that your system remains stable and secure.