Updating your graphics driver can help improve your computer’s performance, reduce visual glitches, and open up access to new features. Best of all, updating your graphics driver on Windows is relatively simple – here are the steps you need to take:
Step 1: Identify Your Current Graphics Driver
Before you can update your graphics driver, you’ll need to identify the one you’re currently using. To do that, you’ll need to access Device Manager. To open Device Manager, right-click the Start menu and select Device Manager from the list of options.
Once in Device Manager, expand the Display Adapters section, then double-click the graphics card. This will open the Properties window for your card, where you can find out its manufacturer, model number, and current driver version. Write this information down, as you’ll need it later.
Step 2: Download the Latest Graphics Driver
Now that you know which graphics card you’re using, it’s time to download the latest driver for it. First, go to the website of the company that manufactures your card – either ATI or NVIDIA. From there, look for a link to the drivers section and locate the correct driver for your card. Make sure to double-check that the version you’re downloading is the latest one available.
Once the driver is downloaded, extract it to a folder on your hard drive.
Step 3: Uninstall the Old Graphics Driver
Before you can install the new driver, you’ll need to uninstall the old one. To do this, go back to Device Manager and right-click the graphics card entry. From the context menu, select Uninstall. Follow the instructions to complete the uninstallation.
Once the uninstallation is finished, restart your computer to make sure the changes take effect.
Step 4: Install the New Graphics Driver
Now it’s time to install the new driver. To do this, double-click the setup file located in the folder you extracted the driver to. Follow the instructions on screen to install the driver.
Once the installation is finished, restart your computer to make sure the changes take effect.
Step 5: Verify Installation
Once your computer has restarted, you can verify that the new driver was installed correctly by going back to Device Manager and looking at the graphics card entry. The driver version should now be the one you downloaded.
Conclusion
Updating your graphics driver on Windows is quick and easy when you know what to do. Just follow the steps outlined above to identify your current driver, download the latest version, uninstall the old one, install the new one, and verify that the installation was successful. Doing this can help improve your computer’s performance, reduce visual glitches, and open up access to new features.